by AllThingsECC.com | Feb 17, 2020 | Comm Center News
WEST DES MOINES — You learn something new every day, and today that new fact for some of us is that 911 dispatchers aren’t recognized as first responders.
Dispatchers sometimes hear the worst of the worst.
“Things that you hear are not normal things people would hear,” said Jessica Frunzar, a training coordinator with Westcom Emergency Communications.
“You hear the child crying in the background because his parents are fighting….
by AllThingsECC.com | Feb 17, 2020 | Comm Center News
DENVER, Colo. — When a cop receives a call about a suspect with a gun from dispatch, their mind starts racing.
“You start going over tactics in your mind. You start walking through the worst-case scenario, typically, of how you’re going to respond to and handle this incident,” said Don Mihalek, a former Secret Service agent.
But what if that info wasn’t quite right? The person calling 911 made a mistake. That can end in tragedy…
by AllThingsECC.com | Feb 17, 2020 | Comm Center News
Cell service on the Red Cliff tribe’s reservation has improved significantly after a 300-foot cell tower became fully operational recently. The tribe is the first in the country to construct a tower as part of a nationwide public safety broadband network for emergency services.
The Red Cliff Band of Lake Superior Chippewa worked with AT&T and the First Responder Network Authority (FirstNet) on a deal to build the tower, which is now providing coverage to 80 percent of the reservation. FirstNet is an independent authority that was established by
by AllThingsECC.com | Feb 16, 2020 | Comm Center News
911 dispatchers experience some of the same trauma as first responders, but many of them don’t have the same access to trauma resources or training.
Margie Gemende and Kristine Harnes know what it’s like to talk to strangers through life and death situations – both were 911 dispatchers and they say the work takes an emotional toll. READ MORE
by AllThingsECC.com | Feb 15, 2020 | Comm Center News
The new director of the York County 911 Center said Friday it will be a priority for him to address staffing and retention issues at the embattled emergency communications center.
“The biggest challenge that you’re going to find, regardless of location, is staffing,” said Director Matthew Hobson, who just wrapped up his first week on the job in York County. READ MORE
by AllThingsECC.com | Feb 14, 2020 | Comm Center News
As of Feb. 13, the Garret County Department of Public Safety Communications 911 Center has implemented the ability to Text-to-911 during an emergency.
