Falls City Council discusses combining dispatching (NE)

Richardson County Commissioner John Caverzagie and Sheriff Rick Hardesty met with the Falls City Council Monday evening to discuss the future of 911 dispatching.

Caverzagie said Richardson County has been discussing 911 equipment and needs to know if the city will be on board for the Sheriff’s department becoming the Public Service Answering Point for all 911 calls and doing all of the dispatching…

EXCLUSIVE: ‘The system failed us’ – Family disappointed in EMSA ambulance delay (OK)

OKLAHOMA CITY (KFOR) –The largest ambulance service in the Oklahoma City metro is battling very slow response times. The problem is causing trouble for first responders who are often left waiting for an ambulance to arrive in an emergency.

Twenty minutes after firefighters arrived, the family said they could wait no longer. They asked again and, according to Kristin Amme, the 9-1-1 dispatch center communicated the ambulance was still at least ten minutes away from the home…

Emergency responders unable to reach dispatch under new system (MS)

Poplarville police officers and firefighters are having issues reaching 911 dispatchers since the countywide dispatch consolidation went into operation.

The consolidation combined the dispatch center for the Sheriff’s Department, which already dispatched for the city of Poplarville, and the dispatch center for the Picayune Police and Fire departments.

The consolidation also came with major technology upgrades…

It’s Not Me, It’s the Trauma: A Candid Conversation on the Effects of PTSD on a 911 Professional

Let’s get one thing straight: no one signs up for the 911 profession, and asks for the PTSD that often accompanies it. No job description has ever said “How would you like to serve your community and help others, all while undergoing major personality changes and questioning your own sanity?” Turnover in the 911 field is abysmal, which is why I’m dumbfounded that we are not doing more to take care of those who are truly invested in this profession. It boggles my mind that we sink so much money and time into training programs in an attempt to turn out high quality employees, and yet the mental health aspect is ignored completely…

COVID, COVID AND MORE COVID: E911 looks back on challenges of 2020 (IN)

COLUMBUS, Ind. — The first annual report from a public agency detailing the impact of COVID-19 in the Columbus area in 2020 shows emergency responses were up significantly due to medical emergencies from the virus.

The number of calls received by the Bartholomew County E911 Emergency Operations Center in 2020 was unbelievable, Bartholomew County Commissioner Tony London said.

In total, nearly 142,000 phone transactions were processed last year, center director Todd Noblitt told the commissioners. But rather than crimes or fires, the largest number of calls came from those seeking emergency medical services, at 8,829, the report states…