by AllThingsECC.com | Aug 29, 2019 | Comm Center News
COLUMBIA CITY — Columbia City’s 911
dispatchers began taking calls in a new location earlier this month —
but not far from its previous location.
The
city unveiled its new dispatch center, holding a ribbon cutting and
open house on a Tuesday evening and taking its first calls the next
morning.
The City Council made
the decision to move forward with the $1.6 million project about eight
months ago. Since then, a portion of City Hall quickly transformed —
from the mayor’s former office and conference room to a nearly brand-new
center with the latest technology.
Read More…
by AllThingsECC.com | Aug 29, 2019 | Comm Center News
SHEBOYGAN – There’s a hum of activity
even on a slow day. Several screens tower over each 911 dispatcher, and
there are usually four or five dispatchers. Red and green lights flicker
on and off indicating when one of them is on the phone or radio.
This
room is dark. But it’s organized. And it withstood the chaos of 605
calls in five hours when three tornadoes left a trail of damage during a
vicious storm that pummeled Sheboygan County on Aug. 28, 2018.
A
year later, some protocols have changed as a result, and that day is
one the staff of the Sheboygan County Emergency Communications Center
will not soon forget.
Read More…
by AllThingsECC.com | Aug 28, 2019 | Comm Center News
For Laura Minnick, it feels like Christmas has come early at work.
The
desk where the Amherst County dispatcher of nearly 14 years sits to
answer incoming emergency calls during 12-hour shifts recently received
improvements as part of an overall upgrade for dispatchers’ stations at
the county’s 911 call center.
Along with new chairs, the consoles
have been updated to elevate so dispatchers can stand if they wish for
more movement and flexibility during long shifts. Consoles also have
been fitted with holders for beverages, new chargers built into the
units and a device with individualized heating and cooling for each
desk.
by AllThingsECC.com | Aug 28, 2019 | Comm Center News
When you’re faced with an emergency and need to call 911, you need
someone to pick up. But those on the other end of the line are facing
their own emergency.
Next week, Twin Falls, Idaho, will have only eight dispatchers on
staff. Any less than that, and it’s not possible to adequately operate
the center, Director Tami Lauda said.
The center is budgeted to have 12 dispatchers, but it’s rarely fully
staffed. In the past three years, the highest number of dispatchers
employed has been 11 — on paper, Lauda said.
by AllThingsECC.com | Aug 28, 2019 | Comm Center News
Athens Police Department officers were sent on Thursday afternoon to
check out several 911 calls received with nothing but static on the
other end. Officers James Graham and Josh Ames were sent to an Athens
residence to check out the calls that originated from a cell phone. They
found that the calls were the result of an unusual form of “pocket
dialing.”
Read More…
by AllThingsECC.com | Aug 28, 2019 | Comm Center News
Where are U is the official emergency app, linked to the Public
Safety Answering Point of the pan-European emergency phone number 112.
This is the number chosen by European states to send emergency requests
for police, fire brigades and ambulances or medical practitioners.
The
app locates the smartphone position when the call is made and sends it
to the Public Safety Answering Point 112 using the network or SMS,
whichever is available at the location. Without the app the 112 PSAP is
able to determine the probable location of the caller, but not the exact
position.
Read More…
