If you haven’t already, odds are good you’ll have to dial 911 at some point. Whether it’s an emergency happening to you or someone else, the voice on the other end offers a sense of calm in a storm when it’s needed most.
It’s a fast-paced career, but public safety dispatchers say there’s no job that compares. They’re the first line of defense because they are notified first when an emergency occurs. While calming frantic callers, they simultaneously communicate with the responding agency.
Dispatchers are key members of an efficient, well-trained team of public safety professionals. One of those members is Florence Prickett, a dispatcher and 12-year veteran of Huntsville Fire & Rescue…
The Escambia County Board of Education recently approved a measure that will allow the county’s volunteer fire departments to make use of the communications towers located at several county schools.
The memorandum of aid (MOA) between the BOE and the Escambia County Alabama Association of Volunteer Fire Departments will allow volunteers to remain in contact with other public safety agencies when emergency responders are dispatched to the county’s most remote areas, including its rural schools.
The towers, which are not being used by the school system, are located at Huxford Elementary School, Escambia Career Readiness Center in Brewton, W.S. Neal Middle School, Flomaton High School and Pollard-McCall Junior High School.
Most, but not all, of the county’s volunteer agencies will benefit from use of the enhanced communications…
NEWTON — Every state resident with a phone has paid a tax on their monthly phone bill for more than a decade to enhance 911 emergency services.
Since 2004, the state has taken the tax money, totaling more than $1.5 billion, used very little or 11% to enhance 911 services and the rest to balance the budget and for other expenses.
None of the money collected by the state has been passed down to the county or municipal level to help fund their 911 improvements and operations.
A resolution and proposed state legislation are looking to change that…
LOUISVILLE, Ky. — In an emergency that requires the police, fire or EMS, you call 911, but the ones answering the calls are responsible for getting the right agencies to the right place as quickly as they can.
What You Need To Know
Dispatchers and call takers at MetroSafe go through a 250-hour training academy
Call takers are responsible for gathering all the information before transferring to dispatchers, who make the call to the agencies
Dispatchers rotate shifts between fire, EMS and police, so they understand all three agencies
MetroSafe is currently hiring
Louisville/Jefferson County Metro EMA launched MetroSafe on Sept. 12, 2005. MetroSafe is a joint initiative between the 911 dispatch system, Louisville Metro Police Department, Louisville Fire and Rescue, local government radio and Louisville Metro Emergency Medical Services.
The Tree of Life and Stars at MetroSafe in Louisville is a way to commemorate individuals who had a meaningful impact on the community. (Spectrum News 1/Erin Wilson)
Nick Tinnell, a communication specialist I, or better known as a call taker, decided to start this position because he enjoys talking to people and hopes that with each phone call, he can help someone in some way…
There was a time Birmingham dispatcher Terez Willis concluded her most wretched shifts with a highway finale.
She worked afternoon shifts then, talking to emotional 911 callers and trying to gather details for fellow first responders until the clock struck midnight.
With her first responder mind easing from the tenaciousness that goes into a shift, she would drive the Lodge Freeway – sunroof open, windows down and music playing – until she was at downtown Detroit’s Jefferson Avenue.
“To just exhale,” she confessed. “I didn’t do that very often. But I did. Then I would go home.”
Willis remains devoted to an industry known for its turnover rate and burnout challenges, which are compounded by weekend and holiday shifts since the dispatch center has to pick up the phone every second of every day…
ST. LOUIS (KMOV.com) — If you call 9-1-1 in St. Louis for a car fire, a structure fire, or even a murder, there’s a good chance you’ll hear: “You’ve reached the City of St. Louis. All operators are busy at this time.”
A spokesperson for Mayor Tishaura Jones said the issue continues to be staffing, as the administration is struggling to fill the necessary positions. News 4 reported in February that at some times of the day, 50% of 9-1-1 calls were being put on hold for more than ten seconds…
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.
