“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…
Much has happened since the first case of COVID-19 was reported in the United States on Jan. 20, 2020. That date marked the beginning of an ongoing change in our daily behaviors and caused the death of more than 950,000 people nationwide. Although first responders initiated strict protocols, immunity never could be expected.
According to the NFPA, in 2020, firefighter deaths doubled compared with deaths in 2019, with more than half of 2020’s fatalities attributed to COVID. A search of the U.S. Fire Administration database reveals that another 48 firefighters succumbed to the disease in 2021 as of press time. Put another way, dozens of first responders who survived 9/11 failed to survive the coronavirus…
(WFXR) — All week long, communities across the Commonwealth and across the country have been honoring “headset heroes,” the men and women who play a crucial role in public safety as communications officers and dispatchers.
Back in 1991, officials say Congress proclaimed the second week of April as “National Public Safety Telecommunicators Week.”
For 2022, Gov. Glenn Youngkin declared Sunday, April 10 through Saturday, April 16 as “National Public Safety Telecommunicators Week” in Virginia… READ MORE
JEFFERSON — This week is National Public Safety Telecommunicators Week and the Jefferson County Sheriff’s Department is honoring its emergency telecommunicators and dispatchers, as are law enforcement agencies across the nation.
“I can’t thank these dedicated men and women enough for all they do,” said Jefferson County Sheriff Paul Milbrath. “Not one ambulance, fire truck or police cruiser respond to your incident without going through dispatch.”
Milbrath called the telecommunicators the “silent heroes” in emergency response…
SANTA ROSA BEACH — New technology is helping South Walton emergency dispatchers more precisely pinpoint locations and communicate with people who can’t safely speak over the phone.
The South Walton Fire District Emergency Communications Center in Santa Rosa Beach announced the advancements and other renovations as a part of National Public Safety Telecommunicators Week.
The facility was completely remodeled in March for the first time since it’s construction in 2007, adding much-needed upgrades such as new computer consoles…
On April 1, there was a change in the Upper Yakima Valley fire departments.
While there was no outward difference — crews still responded from their stations to calls in their respective communities wearing the same uniforms as before — it was one change that someone with a well-tuned ear and a scanner could catch.
The dispatchers were different, using the “Valley Fire” call sign instead of “SunComm”…
