DAPHNE – Police dispatchers play a major role in emergency services and should be recognized as first responders, the same as patrol officers and firefighters, Daphne city officials said Monday, Aug. 2.
The Daphne City Council voted to approve a resolution recognizing city telecommunications personnel. Mayor Robin LeJeune said that until now, dispatchers have been listed as administrative personnel, but should be recognized for their role as first responders…
By ALEC ETHEREDGE | Managing Editor
In the middle of receiving a plaque to commemorate his 23 years of service as a Shelby County 9-1-1 dispatcher, Philip Morris got the worst call of his career on Monday, Aug. 9.
After years of handling distressing calls and helping people through traumatic situations, Aug. 9 was supposed to mark a celebratory end to a special career of helping others until the call came.
“My boss is giving me a plaque to celebrate my retirement when a call comes through to my coworker from my father’s house,” Morris said. “That’s when I had to dispatch a call to an unresponsive person. It was a DIF, which means death in the field. My last radio transmission as a 9-1-1 dispatcher was ‘88th command reports death in the field,’ and it just happened to be my father.” …
MACOMB COUNTY — A simulation of a 911 call, with one person acting as a 911 caller and another as a dispatcher, was one capability demonstrated at a July 22 Macomb County announcement of a new dispatch training center for the county.
The center is located at the Macomb County Emergency Management and Communications Technical Services Building on Dunham Road in Mount Clemens, near the Macomb County Jail.
It will provide “innovative training programs to police, fire and EMS dispatch workers through live scenarios and state-of-the-art technology,” a press release states…
Residents or visitors to Lowndes County can now send a text message to 9-1-1 for help in an emergency. While Lowndes County 911 emphasizes calls are still the best and fastest way to contact 9-1-1, text messages are an option when a call may not be possible.
“Lowndes County 911 still encourages residents and visitors to our community to call 9-1-1 in the event of an emergency, but adding the text to 9-1-1 capability will help make emergency services more accessible, and safer for anyone in need of help but are unable to call,” said Lowndes County 911 Director Danny Weeks… READ MORE
Cobb County will receive Text to 911 calls from unincorporated Cobb County and the cities within Cobb.
Information will be relayed to the appropriate city if necessary.
Smyrna 911 has deployed its own Text to 911.
The county will work with Smyrna to provide seamless police, fire and medical services…
In July, the Wilkin County Board approved three new full-time dispatcher positions, totaling four this year.
The new positions bring the total number of full-time dispatcher positions to eight, an amount that’s needed to sustain the 24/7 workload, according to Wilkin County Sheriff Rick Fiedler.
Previously, one dispatcher worked per 12-hour shift. Now, with double the full-time positions, two dispatchers will cover each shift, Wilkin County Human Resources Director Stephanie Sandbakken said….
