by AllThingsECC.com | Aug 13, 2019 | Comm Center News
MANHATTAN, Kan. (KSNT) – A Manhattan woman who has worked in an
inner-city school filled with violence is using that background to help
people in need in Riley County.
Ceaven Evens has worked as a Riley County dispatcher for two years.
She’s one of the first people to help those in need in Riley County.
Before becoming a dispatcher for the Riley County Law Enforcement
Center she was a teacher, teaching at an inner-city school in Ohio.
“We had sexual abuse cases over there,” Ceaven said. “It was a pretty
tough area. Not a lot of the shooting type things, but a lot of drug
use and neglect for the kids.”
While teaching in Ohio, she learned the ins and outs of emotional
support for those who need help. After five years of teaching there, she
and her family moved around before settling in Manhattan. She then
retired from teaching and looked for something new. So she took her
teaching skills and used them as a dispatcher.
“I like talking to people,” Ceaven said. “I like trying to help them calm down.”
Ceaven’s teaching background has helped many people and officers get
the help they need, stopping many tragedies happening in Riley County.
“We get calls from people that are having a crisis,” said Amanda
Randazzo who works with Ceaven. “And I know that if she is the one
taking the call, she will do everything to help them out. She spent her
life devoted to helping others.”
by AllThingsECC.com | Aug 13, 2019 | Comm Center News
In hopes of keeping the city dispatch center schedule sustainable,
Ravenna Police Chief Jeffrey Wallis told City Council the department is
considering eliminating part-time dispatching positions in favor of
adding two new full-time positions.
Wallis said that two
months ago, Randolph Township approached officials about potentially
becoming a member of its call center, which encouraged conversation
about how dispatch is staffed. Currently, he said, the department is
having difficulty regularly filling specific positions throughout the
week. In the summer especially, the center ran into issues with
dispatchers being unavailable.
“What we’ve found, especially
over the summer, is that we really struggled with the people being off
and dispatchers working a bunch of 12-hour shifts and getting burned
out,” Wallis said.
by AllThingsECC.com | Aug 13, 2019 | Articles, Comm Center News
Tuesday, August 13, 2:45 p.m. – 3:45 p.m.
Presenters: Jonathan Jones, Athens-Clarke County Police Department; Tyrell Morris, Orleans Parish Communications District
This session offered a unique look into tactical dispatch teams that respond with field units, as well as those that operate out of the center. Attendees were able to take lessons learned from the Athens-Clarke County 9-1-1 as they developed their team as well and those lessons learned when Orleans Parish utilized their team during Madi Gras.
What makes tactical dispatch different than our everyday operations? Tyrell Morris stated that tactical dispatchers operate with a specific task or operation in mind. This task may be water rescues during a flash flooding outbreak, high-risk warrant services, SWAT/SRT operations and other like operations. These teams take the special operation workload off the center’s floor, reducing the call load and tasks of the rest of the communications staff.
by AllThingsECC.com | Aug 13, 2019 | Comm Center News
VANDALIA, Ohio — The state has a new requirement to all emergency
dispatch centers across Ohio that is designed to improve treatment for
urgent medical calls.
The Ohio Department of Administrative
Services gave all dispatch centers a deadline of April 1 to either be
emergency medical dispatch certified or to submit a timeline for
compliance.
The city of Vandalia’s dispatch center submitted a compliance
timeline and the communications staff complete the required training on
June 21. The compliance was accepted on June 26.
The staff members began using EMD as they completed the training.
“Trained
telecommunicators, using locally approved EMD Guide-cards, quickly and
properly determine the nature and priority of the call, dispatch the
appropriate response, then give the caller instructions to help treat
the patient until the responding EMS units arrive,” Lt. Ben Walker said.
by AllThingsECC.com | Aug 13, 2019 | Comm Center News
Officials for the 911 emergency services in both Norfolk and Virginia
Beach are telling residents if they make a call for service and the
line continues to ring, they’re placed on hold or are greeted by an
answering machine, don’t hang up.
Not only will the caller lose their place in the queue, but the
already short-staffed dispatchers are required to spend valuable time
calling back the missed caller, said Margie Hobbs, a recruiter at Virginia Beach’s Emergency Communications and Citizen Services divisions.
“If a caller dials 911, even if it’s by accident, it’s important to
remain on the phone to let the call-taker know you’re okay,” she said.
“If you hang up, it ties up the call-takers because they have to call
back until they get an answer to advise the caller is okay.”
by AllThingsECC.com | Aug 12, 2019 | Comm Center News
Maj. Reginald Patterson, chief of staff services with the State
Police, said in an e-mailed statement that the agency was reviewing
communications services, but not ready to publicly discuss it.
”The West Virginia State Police is in the process of reviewing four
of our dispatch centers for consolidation; we are not in a position to
publicly discuss any plans because they are not finalized,” he said.
”Furthermore, this consolidation would not involve the closing of any
detachment or relocating areas for troopers, only communications
services.”
Wood County commissioners, of which the 911 center is under their
auspices, said they have been hearing talk around the community about
the State Police planning to consolidate dispatchers in Charleston and
all calls would be dispatched from there.
