Week honors work of 911 dispatchers (MA)

Week honors work of 911 dispatchers (MA)

MATTAPOISETT — Massachusetts State 911 recently visited the Mattapoisett Police Department to present the department with a certificate of appreciation during National Public Safety Telecommunicator Week.

The week, which is observed April 10-16, honors 911 dispatchers across the nation for what has been described by the The Association of Public-Safety Communications Officials as a difficult and often stressful job…

Legislation classifying dispatchers as first responders clears legislature in Illinois

Legislation classifying dispatchers as first responders clears legislature in Illinois

File Photo – 911 Dispatch Center | Photo: Jim Bartlett Team Rubicon/BLM for USFS (Flickr / Creative Commons)

(The Center Square) – A bill that would give Illinois emergency dispatchers more benefits and officially classify the profession as first responders could soon be sent to the governor.

Senate Bill 3127 was filed by state Sen. Neil Anderson and provides that emergency dispatchers are now COVID-19 first responders.

If signed by Gov. J.B. Pritzker, emergency dispatchers would qualify for extra medical benefits, mental health benefits and extra funding for the industry…

Sheriff Rick Staly Serves As A 9-1-1 Dispatcher For National Public Safety Telecommunicator Week (FL)

National Public Safety Telecommunicator Week (NPSTW) kicked off with Sheriff Rick Staly working as a 9-1-1 dispatcher in support of the Flagler County Sheriff’s Office (FCSO) communications specialists.

This morning, Sheriff Staly answered calls and dispatched first responders to emergency events throughout Flagler County. Sheriff Staly is well-versed in how stressful yet rewarding the job of a telecommunicator can be, as he began his career in law enforcement as a Dispatcher… READ MORE

911 Dispatchers recognized for daily heroism (ID)

EASTERN IDAHO, Idaho (KIFI) – The week of April 10-April 16 was National Public Safety Telecommunicators week. It was a time of special recognition for dispatchers nationwide. These are the people who pick up when we call 911 or the police non-emergency line.

Candee Coverley, a dispatcher with Madison County, says having a week of special recognition was special “And that’s always nice to know that people recognize what we do and that or the first thing you talk to and you call for law enforcement help.” she says, “It’s good to have that acknowledgment. Recognize that there’s a job out there a lot of people don’t know about.”

At least one fellow dispatcher from Idaho Falls echoed that sentiment… READ MORE

Ontario Modernizing its Emergency Response System (Canada)

THUNDER BAY, SAULT STE MARIE, SUDBURY, NORTHERN, ONTARIO  ~~~~~  April 17, 2022 (LSNews)   Ontario government is investing $208 million over three years to enhance the province’s 9-1-1 emergency response system.

The funding will enable significant technology and infrastructure upgrades to support the transition to a new 9-1-1 communications system know as Next Generation 9-1-1. Once fully implemented, the new system will make it easier to provide additional details about emergency situations such as video from the scene of an accident and to text 9-1-1 when requesting immediate help from police, fire or ambulance services. It will also give emergency operators and dispatchers the ability to identify the location of a call using GPS coordinates, resulting in a safer, faster and more informed emergency response…

EMS: Training for Fake 9-1-1 Calls | Firehouse

“9-1-1. What is your emergency?”

“I’ve shot my entire family, and I’ll kill anyone that tries to stop me, even the cops and firefighters. I have explosives. Don’t come near my house.”

The assumption is that any dispatcher who is on the other end of this call immediately would activate SWAT, the bomb squad, fire and EMS. However, something is missing in the caller’s voice that you, the reader, can’t detect: urgency…