For emergency services dispatchers, it all starts with a phone call.
The number is one of the shortest but arguably the most important: 911.
When
someone in need calls 911 within Kingston city limits, they are
instantly connected to the communications staff at the Central Emergency
Reporting Bureau located at Kingston Police Headquarters. Because the
line is only supposed to be for emergencies, there are zero
introductions exchanged, as time is of the essence:
Greg LaFrancois says “At this point, there’s another option in The
County. Presque Isle Fire Department runs a 9-1-1 service, and so the
towns – some towns have already reached out to Presque Isle and signed
up for 9-1-1 service, and then the others will be doing that I imagine
now.”
He says the problem is there are two 9-1-1
providers in an area that can only support one. The decision was made to
let the fire department handle local calls, with the hospital focusing
on long-distance transports.
The Florence Police Department is looking for people to join their Communications team.
According to Florence PD, dispatchers serve as the backbone of the
department’s call for service coordination and undergo an array of
training in leading communication technologies. Applicants must have the
ability to multitask and conduct dispatching responsibilities along
with the ability to react quickly and calmly to emergency situations
presented while dispatching.
When a Sun City West resident calls the Posse about a situation, the
person who answers the phone becomes a conduit between the caller and a
unit in the field.
The dispatcher takes all information from the caller and communicates
key data to patrol units in the field. Sometimes that requires the
dispatcher to re-connect with the original caller.
Edie
Birkeland, Sheriff’s Posse of Sun City West, checks a door at a vacant
home. Posse members are in constant contact with dispatchers.
Though there are two separate posse organizations, the Sheriff’s
Posse of Sun City West and the Sun City West Posse, they both use the
same phone number and dispatchers and follow the same patrol protocols.
The two posses patrol at different times. Some members are in both
posses, and others only in one.
What was believed to be a prank call has turned into a $39,000 fine and pending legal action against a State Road man.
Ocean Adrian Hinson, of Noah Hayes Road, has a Sept. 10 court date to
face a misdemeanor count of interfering with emergency communication,
dating back to Oct. 17, 2017.
The Federal Communications Commission has issued a $39,278 fine
against Hinson, citing intentional misuse of a local public-safety radio
communications network in violation of the Communications Act of 1934.
The FCC said Hinson impersonated first responders in unauthorized radio
communications on Surry County’s licensed public-safety frequency.
In a written order against Hinson, the FCC said the incident started
with a residential fire alarm being triggered within the Westfield fire
district. A 911 dispatcher put out a call for service to the Westfield
Volunteer Fire Department.
ATLANTA (FOX 5 Atlanta) – FOX 5 News broke a story back in June about numerous complaints regarding how the head of Atlanta’s 911 system treated operators including denying them bathroom breaks. Thursday, new developments emerged in that story.
FOX 5 News has learned the city has replaced Angela Barrett and other members of her team.
Learn about current efforts to continue to protect the 4.9 GHz Band for public safety as well as recent filings, key decisions impacting these efforts, and how you can support PSSA’s initiative to protect the 4.9 GHz band for public safety.
