Ellsworth Fire Department wants you to know when to dial 9-1-1

by | Aug 14, 2019 | Comm Center News

ELLSWORTH, Maine — When you see trouble, one of the first things that pops into your head is likely to dial 9-1-1. The Ellsworth Fire Department is encouraging residents to make sure, however, they’re experiencing an emergency worthy of a 9-1-1 call before picking up the phone. 

“People will call 9-1-1 because that’s the number that they know,” said Director of the Hancock County Regional Communication Center Bob Conary. 

Conary said last year alone, Hancock County dispatch received more than 15,000 calls to 9-1-1 — some of which could have been more fitting for the non-emergency line. 

Delaware County Emergency Communications gets a much needed upgrade

by | Aug 14, 2019 | Comm Center News

MUNCIE, Ind. — Around $1 million dollars in upgrades through a federal and state grant will be coming to the Delaware County Emergency Dispatch Center, helping ensure that they stay online when residents call 911.

The changes to the dispatch center, which serves as the area’s public safety answering point (PSAP) when residents call 911, aren’t features that the average resident will notice. Officials, however, say they are important.

The phone and relay systems for the center will be upgraded, a necessary move, according to officials.

“Currently it’s all analog,” Paul Singleton, the director of dispatch, said about the communications system. “Everything that we’re looking at is going to be digital state-of-the-art.”

Allen Fiscal Court honors county 9-1-1 operators

by | Aug 14, 2019 | Comm Center News

SCOTTSVILLE, Ky. (WBKO) – The Allen Fiscal Court unanimously approved a resolution Tuesday honoring Telecommunications of the Scottsville Allen County 9-1-1.

In a Facebook post Wednesday morning, the Scottsville Police Department said the telecommunicators were the first line of response.

Allen County Judge Executive Dennis Harper said they were “critical to our police departments, fire departments, ambulance service and even the water district.”

New OH Dispatcher Standards Target Better Treatment

by | Aug 14, 2019 | Comm Center News

The state has a new requirement to all emergency dispatch centers across Ohio that is designed 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 June 26.

The staff members began emergency medical dispatch (EMD) as they completed the training.

EMD is a systematic program of handling medical calls, according to Lt. Ben Walker.

RCPD dispatcher uses teaching experience to help people in need

by | 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.”

Ravenna considers more full-time 911 dispatchers with possible addition of Randolph Twp.

by | 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.