by AllThingsECC.com | May 23, 2021 | Comm Center News
Anyone in Ventura County can now reach 911 dispatchers via SMS text messages, public officials announced this week.
The change is meant to improve accessibility for residents who may have difficulty making phone calls, such as those who are deaf, hard of hearing or have speech impairments. The option to text 911 can also help people in emergency situations who are unable to make phone calls, like victims of domestic abuse.
Caroline Prijatel-Sutton, executive director of the nonprofit Coalition for Family Harmony, which provides services for victims of domestic violence in Ventura County, explained how certain crimes can prevent victims from making 911 calls…
by AllThingsECC.com | May 23, 2021 | Comm Center News
“We have back up plans. We have what we refer to as continuity of operations plans to ensure that if there is a disruption that we can transfer the calls to a neighboring 911 center,” said Mario Formisano, Dorchester Interim Deputy County Administrator for Public Safety. “This case was unique because the disruption was occurring in the region, so it wasn’t just that simple to say well, we’ll send our calls to Summerville or to Charleston or to Berkeley. We had to work collectively across jurisdictional boundaries initially to come up with what the solution was going to be in the short term…
by AllThingsECC.com | May 23, 2021 | Jobs
FOR A VARIETY OF REASONS, HAVING TO DO WITH JOB CONTENT AND JOB STRUCTURE, THE POSITION OF 9-1-1 DISPATCHER IS HIGHLY STRESSFUL AND REQUIRES A UNIQUE SET OF CHARACTERISTICS OR TRAITS TO ENABLE THE INDIVIDUALTO SUCCESSFULLY PERFORM THE REQUIREMENTS OF THE JOB AND DESIRE TO REMAIN IN THEJOB.
A 9-1-1 DISPATCHER MUST POSSESS THE ABILITY TO EFFECTIVELY DETACH FROM THE CALLERS’ EMOTIONS, THE ABILITIES TO QUICKLY SELECTAN APPROPRIATE COURSE OF ACTION, THE ABILITY TO EFFECTIVELY PRIORITIZE DUTIES,AND REMAIN CALM ALWAYS.
A 9-1-1 DISPATCHER MUST BE ABLE TO PROJECT THIS CALMNESS ALWAYS, BY TELEPHONE TO 9-1-1 CALLERS, BY RADIO TO UNITS IN THE FIELD, AND TO OTHER DISPATCHERS WITHIN THE FACILITY…
by AllThingsECC.com | May 23, 2021 | Comm Center News
SCIOTO COUNTY, Ohio (WSAZ) – The Scioto County Sheriff has given out two awards after a citizen helped a deputy who got into a crash on his way to an emergency.
According to Scioto County Sheriff David Thoroughman, on May 15, Deputy Webster was responding to a call of shots being fired. While on his way, he was involved in a serious crash, where he went off the road and hit a tree.
Ryan Penix, who lives near the accident scene, was traveling home when he came upon the accident. He jumped into action, using Deputy Webster’s vehicle radio to call for assistance. Deputy Webster was unresponsive at first and Ryan stayed by his side making sure that he was looked after, while communicating with 9-1-1 dispatch…
by AllThingsECC.com | May 23, 2021 | Comm Center News
Unlike in other years, this year’s Portland Bureau of Emergency Communications annual 911 Awards were not celebrated with pageantry, as at this celebration in 2019 – but these everyday heroes are worth celebrating, even if remotely.
By David F. Ashton
Although typically unseen, the operators who take calls at the Portland Bureau of Emergency Communications (BOEC) 9-1-1 Center – officially called “telecommunicators” – perform life-saving service all day and night, every day of the year.
Because of their service, East Portland News has been privileged to report every year on their “Telecommunicator of the Year” awards program. But alas, the onset of the COVID-19 pandemic scuttled their in-person program for the last two years…
