The 911 emergency response system in the U.S. has been in use since 1968.
A University of Chicago initiative aims to modernize and strengthen the system – and they’ve just published a blueprint for how to do it.
The Aurora City Council will consider about a $1.34 million project to upgrade the facility where emergency calls are answered and dispatched in the city.
The city’s public safety answering point, and backup communications center, has not been updated since it was opened in January 2010, city officials said.
ATLANTA, Ga. (CBS46) – A man is thankful for an Atlanta 9-1-1 dispatcher who walked him through how to safely get out of his car after heavy rains caused flash flooding.
Tobreshia Horn answered the call during which the driver said his car was quickly filling with water at Pryor Circle and Claire Drive SW.
The challenges are still here today.
Staffing challenges are everywhere, from the service industry to airline pilots. It is going to take some time for things to balance out — if they ever do.
Our older workforce with baby boomers retiring more and more every day is leading to a worker shortage, one that even an economic recession will not likely change the basic dynamics of.
This is a quote from an email I got from a former 911 operator/dispatcher and shift supervisor. The environment described dates back to around 1991, but the challenges persist today.
It takes a special kind of person to be a 911 dispatcher, says Dispatch Supervisor Jennifer Pitt, who has worked at the Multi-Agency Communications Center for about 17 years.
“It’s not for the weak-hearted,” Pitt said. “It really takes a special kind of person to do this job.”
Seven months after warning about a brewing staffing crisis, Luzerne County 911 Executive Director Fred Rosencrans is thankful county council has approved a new union contract with higher wages.
“I am relieved,” Rosencrans said. “I truly appreciate the county manager and council’s support for this contract. It’s our hope it will help us get quality candidates to fill vacancies and also to keep employees.”
