by AllThingsECC.com | Aug 8, 2021 | Comm Center News
SALT LAKE CITY — Utah emergency dispatch centers were inundated with phone calls to 911 when a massive wave of wildfire smoke crept into the northern part of the state Friday.
As the smoke moved in with shocking speed, along with the unmistakable smell of fire, a large portion of Uthans believed fires were raging nearby and wanted to alert emergency responders.
The Utah County Sheriff’s Office received a large number of calls from concerned residents. Dispatchers referred callers to media and weather reports that explained that the smoke was coming from out-of-state wildfires…
by AllThingsECC.com | Aug 8, 2021 | Comm Center News
The Grapevine Police Department is dealing with a major shortage of 911 dispatchers and is hoping a signing bonus will help.
Grapevine Police are offering a $1,200 bonus for newly-hired dispatchers — $600 upon hire, $300 upon completion of the probationary period, and another $300 on the one-year anniversary.
Amanda McNew with Grapevine Police says they’re looking for people who are strong multitaskers.
Like all other police departments throughout North Texas and across the country, Grapevine is experiencing a critical shortage of 911 call-takers. McNew says while that is not leading to 911 calls going unanswered, they are having to use police officers and firefighters to answer the phones…
by AllThingsECC.com | Aug 8, 2021 | Comm Center News
FORT COLLINS, Colo. (KDVR) — A Fort Collins police dispatcher who has been taking emergency calls for 20 years was on the other end of the line on Monday.
Dispatcher Tricia Leslie was at the end of her shift at 7 p.m. On the way home, she spotted a person who fit the description of a sexual assault suspect that was called in earlier in the day.
She immediately called the police, actually she called her husband, who is a Fort Collins police sergeant. He and other officers responded and made the arrest…
by AllThingsECC.com | Aug 8, 2021 | Comm Center News
“What’s the least you need in terms of staffing for, especially 911,” FOX 29’s Dave Kinchen asked.
“You know I wouldn’t be able to give you that answer off the top of my head, but again when you look at the demographic or the employees that work in there there’s a high number of single parents that work there. I don’t want to say force but when you compel staff to work a lot of mandatory overtime during a pandemic. It makes professionally it makes it very difficult for people to manage their personal lives as well,” Outlaw explained…
by AllThingsECC.com | Aug 8, 2021 | Comm Center News
OTTUMWA — It wasn’t exactly Christmas in August, but Ottumwa’s city leadership wanted ideas just the same.
With the city receiving approximately $1.8 million in American Rescue Plan funding each of the next two years, city administrator Philip Rath and mayor Tom Lazio held a listening session Thursday at Bridge View Center with a handful of residents regarding ideas on ways to spend that money.
All told, Wapello County will receive almost $6.8 million in funding, about half of that to Ottumwa. The first allotment will be arriving “very shortly,” Lazio said…
