by AllThingsECC.com | Apr 13, 2022 | Comm Center News
ALPENA — The phone rings 100 times a day at the Alpena County Central Dispatch office.
The dispatchers who tend the county’s emergency and non-emergency phone lines, this week celebrating National Public Safety Telecommunicators Week, answer each of those calls, sending help to residents who don’t know where else to turn.
On the other end of the line, a caller may report a stranger lurking in their neighborhood. They may need help getting into a locked car. They may have seen a child fall into the river…
by AllThingsECC.com | Apr 13, 2022 | Comm Center News
This week is National Public Safety Telecommunications Week, recognizing dispatchers for their work behind the scenes, but the function they play can vary by which department they fall under.
The St. Joseph Telecommunications Operators Center dispatches for St. Joseph fire and police departments, as well as the sheriff’s office, while Buchanan County EMS and Missouri State Highway Patrol each have their own dispatchers.
The different departments are in constant collaboration, which increases the importance of effective communication. The process often starts with the communication center and will be transferred to one of the other areas, said Melody Reese, a Buchanan County emergency medical dispatcher…
by AllThingsECC.com | Apr 13, 2022 | Comm Center News
Public safety agencies nationwide recognize the critical role played by Public Safety Telecommunicators. These professionals are true first “first responders”. They are the people who are answering the calls and directing First Responders, they are the most critical contact citizens have with emergency services.
Every year, the second full week of April is dedicated to the men and women who serve as public safety Telecommunicators in the United States. In 1991, Congress proclaimed it a national week of recognition…
by AllThingsECC.com | Apr 13, 2022 | Comm Center News
The Pella Police Department is reminding the public of the first responders that are the lifeline between those in trouble and getting the help they need.
Administrative Services Manager Marcia Slycord says their staff of five 911 dispatchers are always working hard to handle new calls and challenges while responding to emergencies.
“The state and national legislators that dispatchers are considered first responders,” she says. “They are the first link to the caller, they’re the voice in the darkness when a caller is alone — that connection is huge…
by AllThingsECC.com | Apr 13, 2022 | Comm Center News
FAIRFIELD, Conn.—Sacred Heart University’s main campus is now home to a new 911 dispatch center operated by the Fairfield and Westport police departments. It is the first municipality-run emergency call center in the state to combine two towns with an outside partner.
The two communities obtained the space from SHU for $1 per year for the next 25 years and invested $3.7 million to transform the center into a state-of-the-art facility. The center combines police and fire dispatchers and emergency responders from Fairfield and Westport under one roof…
by AllThingsECC.com | Apr 13, 2022 | Comm Center News
ST. PAUL, Neb. — It’s a job not fit for most; a 911 dispatcher.
“If someone is bleeding or something, helping them out until the rescue units or law enforcement can get there, we’re just there for those people until those units arrive on scene,” said Melissa Paxton, Chief Dispatcher for Howard County Communications.
Karol Keller, dispatcher at Howard County Communications, said though the job isn’t easy, it’s worth it.
“We talk to people when times are at their worst and trying to keep them calm. It’s about going home at the end of the day and knowing that you made a difference in someone’s life today,” she said…
