Soon, Californians will be able to dial a new three-digit number when seeking help for a mental health crisis.
After weeks in which funding to make the hotline work in California seemed uncertain, the state Department of Health Care Services announced last week that it would spend $20 million to help support the 9-8-8 network — billed as a “robust statewide call center” designed to be an alternative to 9-1-1 calls.
The money “is a first step towards creating an easier to access system for mental health care. But it’s just a first step,” Sacramento Mayor Darrell Steinberg said in a statement. The Steinberg Institute he founded had advocated for even more money… READ MORE
The night started normally enough for Suffolk County fire dispatcher Darin Swicicki, but as Wednesday night’s storm surged, taxing the New York City’s 911 system, he found himself inundated with calls about emergencies unfolding two counties away.
Swicicki, 40, began his shift early at 7:30 p.m. to earn some overtime and avoid traffic as the storm bore down. “After the second or third call it was clear that something was going on that they weren’t able to handle,” he explained.
On a typical night, Suffolk dispatchers in his unit might field about 90 calls. On Wednesday night, 260 calls flooded in, many about emergencies in the city, he said…
Jeff Johnson says 9/11 shed light on the flaws in communications systems used by the nation’s first responders.
When Jeff Johnson watched the second plane hit the World Trade Center on live television from his office at the Tualatin Valley Fire & Rescue in Aloha 20 years ago, he wondered if it was going to be another Pearl Harbor.
“Like so many of us in America, I just got out of my chair and said, ‘That’s no accident. Someone intended to do that,'” the former TVF&R chief said.
One month later, Johnson was called to New York City to help with the process of replacing the 343 firefighters lost in the Sept. 11, 2001, attacks. It is not uncommon for TVF&R personnel to be called to respond to national disasters like this.
When Johnson arrived, he was struck by how empty the city was. He also remembers how the community treated surrounding fire stations like shrines, with lost crew members’ belongings remaining untouched, just as they were the day they left the station on that tragic day…
Working at a 911 call center is not for the faint of heart. Soon you could be put into a situation that can actually mean life and death. With rigorous education and strong instructions, these dispatch hubs can enable emergency personnel to respond incredibly fast to each incoming call. Here are some of the ins and outs you may not have known about operating the 911 Contact Center.
Appropriate training
The 911 Call Center is different from standard customer service operations. Calls need to be processed quickly, but it takes time to get all the information needed to provide them to emergency personnel. In such cases, the live call may be disconnected or something may happen in the scene where the information is interrupted.With Phone number search, The call operator can attempt to reconnect with the caller. Advanced technology can also use GPS location to identify the origin of a call if it is coming from a mobile phone instead of a landline…
An artist rendering of the Johnston County Public Safety Center
Sheriff’s Office, Emergency Management Will Move From Courthouse
SMITHFIELD – The Johnston County Sheriff’s Office, Emergency Management, and E-911 Center will relocate from the Johnston County Courthouse in Downtown Smithfield to a new Public Safety Center once it is complete. At their August meeting, County Commissioners awarded a bid for the new Center. It will be constructed on Highway 70 Business East at Yelverton Grove Road adjacent to a new County Jail currently under construction.
Eight companies bid on the new two-story 62,910 square foot Public Safety Center. Bordeaux Construction was the low bidder at $17,797,000. Other bids ranged from $17,865,400 to $20 million…
HUDSON — After 19 years on the job, Hudson Police Department lead dispatcher Jody Blanchard still looks for ways to improve.
Next month, she’ll be heading to Florida for the Communications Center Manager Program, a two week in-person course along with some at-home virtual classes. She’ll attend after being awarded the Massachusetts PSAP (Public Safety Answering Point) Leadership Scholarship, one of just five dispatchers to receive the award.
“It teaches mainly leadership skills — how to be a better leader and reinforcing all of the things we do,” said Blanchard, 44, of Northborough…
Learn about current efforts to continue to protect the 4.9 GHz Band for public safety as well as recent filings, key decisions impacting these efforts, and how you can support PSSA’s initiative to protect the 4.9 GHz band for public safety.
