The Lake County commissioners, with support from the county Clerk of Courts, recently announced the launch of the Lake County Emergency Services Telecommunicators Scholarship.The program has moved from the pilot phase to its inaugural class to train the next generation of telecommunicators and will be offered to qualifying students enrolled in Auburn Career Center’s Emergency Services Telecommunicators program.The board provided funding in 2020 and has been looking to establish a scholarship program to grow enrollment, noted Commissioner John Hamercheck.

“We have enjoyed a great relationship with Clerk of Courts Faith Andrews,” he said. “When she was made aware of the initiative, she had no hesitation to provide assistance in this very important public safety need.”Captain Mike Warner of Lake County Central Communications, under the Sheriff’s Office, has been one of the key leads in putting the accredited program together, Hamercheck added.“Modern-day dispatching is more than sitting behind a microphone and answering a telephone these days,” he said. “Central is an absolute gem of a resource and clearly a preeminent facility in the state.”The program is designed to give students the requirements and references needed to obtain the job skills for necessary employment as an emergency service telecommunicator.The telecommunicators serve as public safety dispatchers or 911 operators whose duties and responsibilities include answering, receiving, transferring, and dispatching functions related to emergency calls; dispatching law enforcement officers, fire rescue services, emergency medical services and other public safety services to the scene of an emergency; providing real-time information from crime databases; and supervising or serving as the command officer to a person or persons having such duties and responsibilities.”This will be a premier program in Ohio and I am grateful to the clerk of courts for funding this very important effort,” said Commissioner John Plecnik. “This will provide a qualified talent base for local dispatch centers, including Lake County Central Dispatch, who meet the highest standard.

By Laura French

WASHINGTON — Legislators have reintroduced a bill in Congress that would change the job classification of 911 dispatchers nationwide. 

The 911 SAVES Act would classify 911 dispatchers under “protective service occupations” instead of “office and administrative support occupations,” adding them to the same category as firefighters, law enforcement officers, corrections officers and other public safety staff. (EMS providers are classified under healthcare occupations.) 

Reps. Norma J. Torres and Brian Fitzpatrick have reintroduced a bipartisan bill that would change the job classification of 911 dispatchers across the country from office and administrative support to protective service. (Photo/U.S. Rep. Norma J. Torres)

The bill was co-authored by Rep. Norma J. Torres (D-Calif.) and Brian Fitzpatrick (R-Pa.) and is currently cosponsored by a bipartisan group of 49 other lawmakers. 

“As someone who answered 911 calls for LAPD for nearly 18 years, I know firsthand that dispatchers are unsung heroes in our emergency response system,” Torres said in a statement. “Lives are at stake with each all they take – it’s beyond time that we recognize the high stakes of the job, and the incredible sacrifices these professionals make to keep the rest of us safe.” 

Torres also added that the current classification under office and administrative support staff doesn’t reflect the high PTSD rates among 911 dispatchers, which she said go up to nearly 25%. 

“As a former FBI agent, I know first-hand the lifesaving services provided by our 9-1-1 operators and dispatchers are vital for the safety of our community,” Fitzpatrick said in a statement. “When in danger, we call 9-1-1 and depend on the hard-working, dedicated public servants on the other end of the line to ensure we get the help we need. They are the first responders among first responders.” 

The bill is backed by the Association of Public-Safety Communications Officials (APCO), the National Emergency Number Association (NENA) and the American Federation of State, County and Municipal Employees (AFSCME). 

“America’s 9-1-1 professionals may be the most important people you will never meet. They are the vital first link in the emergency-response chain,” said NENA CEO Brian Fontes, in a statement. “Passing the 911 SAVES Act would give the estimated 100,000 public safety telecommunications located in every community across American the respect and support they deserve while improving the government’s data collection and analysis efforts. Combined with the possible enactment of a workable Next Generation 9-1-1 bill, 2021 could mark the dawn of a new era for America’s 9-1-1 systems and the hard-working professionals who lead and staff them.” 

The 911 SAVES Act was previously introduced in the 116th Congress in 2019.

Some state and local governments have passed legislation classifying 911 dispatchers among first responders; most recently, Kansas Gov. Laura Kelly signed a bill classifying dispatchers as emergency responders statewide. 

FAIRHAVEN — The Police Department’s Emergency 911 Dispatch Center will forever be named now after former office Michael A. “Sully” Sullivan.At the March 22 Board of Selectmen meeting Police Chief Michael Myers discussed the career of Sullivan.  Sullivan served 22 years in the Army before coming to the Fairhaven Police Department on March 22, 1999. For the next 18 years he served as the main dispatcher for the department. “He was the heart and soul of the dispatch center.  His main objective every shift was to make sure all officers were safe and had as much information as possible.  He was never unnoticed by his peers,” said Myers. Sullivan retired on June 1, 2017, due to complications with cancer.  “The guy never wanted to leave.  He almost refused to take time off.  He worked up to the last minute, before he couldn’t.  His dedication was second to none,” said Myers. Sullivan died on March 23, 2019 at age 66.  Myers said naming the dispatch center after him “allows the legacy he created to be remembered by all who served with him.”Myers said Sullivan will be remembered for his hard work ethic, infectious smile, great sense of humor, and dedication to serve.The Board of Selectmen voted to accept the name change in honor of Officer Sullivan.Myers stated that a plaque with Sullivan’s name will be made and unveiled at an official dedication ceremony later in the year. 

TOPEKA, Kan. (WIBW) – Some local superheroes were recognized for their efforts keeping the community safe.Shawnee County’s dispatchers were honored by the Sunflower Lions Club of Topeka with a day of snacks and the installation of a new wall plaque celebrating their contributions.The Lions club also provided snack baskets for all three shifts including bags of popcorn donated by Cashmere Popcorn.The Sunflower Lions Club chose to honor the dispatchers as part of the national club’s global service project to honor local service groups.“Their acts of kindness and dedication to the job deserves recognition, and that’s what we’re doing here today,” said member, Roger Yost.  “It means a lot to our dispatchers to be recognized by our community and to know what they do is very valued, ” said Melanie Bergers, Director of Communications for the Shawnee County Emergency Communications Center.Bergers says Shawnee County’s dispatchers handle 300,000 calls a year.Copyright 2021 WIBW. All rights reserved.

Grand Rapids is currently the only dispatch center in Michigan to earn the accreditation.

GRAND RAPIDS, Mich — The Grand Rapids Communications Center has achieved national recognition. The Commission for the Accreditation of Law Enforcement Agencies (CALEA) voted unanimously on Friday to recognize the Grand Rapids Public Safety Answering Point as an accredited dispatch center.

Grand Rapids is currently the only dispatch center in Michigan to earn the accreditation.

“This national accreditation proves what I and our officers have always known – that the professionals dispatching us and serving our residents are the best in the business,” said Police Chief Eric Payne.

The Communications Center, located inside the Grand Rapids Police Department (GRPD), answers the city’s 911 calls and dispatches for the GRPD and Grand Rapids Fire Department (GRFD). 

In 2020, the center’s 42 full-time employees answered 130,000 emergency and 140,000 non-emergency calls for service. Communications dispatched over 76,000 incidents for the GRPD and 23,000 incidents for the GRFD.

“Our emergency operators are often unsung being behind the scenes,” said Fire Chief John Lehman, “but we couldn’t do our jobs – and keep our firefighters and residents safe – without them.”

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Washington County’s new 911 dispatch center opened Monday at the St. George City Commons Building after a three-week setup period.The $1.3 million, 6,000 square foot facility is a step up from the county’s previous 2,400 square foot facility and has room for up to 20 dispatchers, though currently, only seven to nine dispatchers work each shift.Cindy Flowers, the dispatch center’s manager, said her team typically needs one new dispatcher every five years as the area grows. The additional consoles will allow the center to add those new dispatchers as needed, Flowers said.In addition to more space and dispatch consoles, Flowers said they’ve upgraded technology from phones to radios. The new center also includes a nursing room for mothers.Funding for the new center came from fees police, fire and medical agencies pay to use their services, Flowers said. Citizens also pay a surcharge to the dispatch center through their taxes.Other news:New St. George-area hospital slated to open October 2023She also said the old dispatch center already provided an excellent standard of safety to the county, and the new dispatch center will simply allow them to do their jobs with greater efficiency.”I don’t think our services in that regard (safety) will change,” she said.Challenges and growthFlowers said the 911 dispatch center averages about 250 to 300 calls a day. Last year they got about 240,000 calls.Most of them are serious calls, too. Flowers said people are more educated now on the appropriate use of 911, so her team gets fewer prank calls than they used to.COVID-19 presented unique challenges to the team, as dispatchers were required for a time to take calls from home. However, Flowers said her team purchased 10 at-home computer setups that allowed dispatchers to work effectively away from the dispatch center.”It really got us out of our comfort zone,” Flowers said. “And so it helped us to grow a little bit.”The emergencies that people call 911 for range from animal problems to family fights to the need for life-saving measures. Whatever the issue is, Flowers said dispatchers are already paging the appropriate emergency services as they talk to an individual.She also said dispatchers go through six months of training in order to appropriately handle the number of traumatic situations people may be calling about. It includes six weeks of training as a radio dispatcher, six weeks of working on the floor with a senior dispatcher and time spent working just as a radio dispatcher before becoming a full-fledged 911 dispatcher. Flowers, who has worked as a 911 dispatcher for 27 years, said she chose this job because it mattered that she came to work every day.”I loved the adrenaline,” she said. “Every day was different.”Kaitlyn Bancroft reports on faith, health, education, crime and under-served communities for The Spectrum & Daily News, a USA TODAY Network newsroom in St. George, Utah. You can reach her at KBancroft@thespectrum.com, or follow her on Twitter @katbancroft.

Text messages between Alachua County’s top two officials link federal CARES Act money intended for distribution to municipal governments to a separate dispute with the city of Gainesville over funding for emergency dispatch services.City officials say it’s an unfair ploy to use that federal money as leverage, a claim that county officials deny.Gainesville leaders want the U.S. Treasury Department to investigate whether Alachua County has violated “the very standards of accountability and transparency” required by the federal government in withholding some $2.6 million in coronavirus CARES relief funds that city officials contend is owed to the city.In their request, City Manager Lee Feldman attached a text string between County Manager Michele Lieberman and County Commission Chairman Ken Cornell that city officials believe shows the two planned to withhold the money. According to Feldman’s letter, the texts were exchanged roughly five hours after county commissioners voted not to send $2.6 million to Gainesville, though they did agree to send $106,000 in CARES Act money to High Springs and $85,000 to Alachua.The amounts that were to be distributed are documented in a list of CARES Act recommendations made by the county’s consultant on that front, Carr, Riggs and Ingram.Here is that exchange:Lieberman: You heard from the city? One commissioner has. They are pissed.Cornell: No. I’m sure Lee is working the phones. Maybe this will finally get some movement on the radio system and our 164 action. Lieberman: We already have a meeting 2/1 but as far as I’ (sic) concerned that $2.6 is not on the table. How soon they forget all the money they want to take from us.Cornell: Just let it play out … first we solve radio system and public safety. Staff meeting on 2/1 over 164?The “164 action” is a reference to Chapter 164 in Florida statutes, which governs how intergovernmental disputes are handled, and is a clear reference to the current impasse over a bill the city-owned Gainesville Regional Utilities handed Alachua County and its municipalities for a new emergency radio system.Officials with the Treasury Department could not be reached for comment to discuss how they might handle the complaint.More:County seeks alternatives for public safety radio systemMore:Alachua County must pay $1.6M bill or face shutdown of public safety systemDispute over safety radio an ongoing source of frictionThe public safety radio dispute had been an ongoing source of friction between the city and county. In January, Gainesville Regional Utilities’ GRUCom threatened to shut the county out of the system if it did not shell out $1.6 million that the city said was a contribution toward necessary system repairs and upgrades.In mid-February, Alachua County officials agreed to pay $1.1 million. County officials discussed concerns about how bills for the trunked radio system — which allows law enforcement, emergency workers and 911 dispatchers to communicate — are calculated.  But Monday, the two governments reached an impasse over the dispute in a specially called meeting. The next step is for a mediator to try and work things out.Cornell said that the way the city bullied the county in the negotiations, the county is now looking at building its own radio system.”Unfortunately, because they have decided that they don’t want to be partners with the county — they want to treat the county like a customer — that is forcing us to respond in a different way,” he said. But Cornell said Friday that the county has done nothing wrong and that $2.6 million city officials are referring to was legitimately transferred to the county’s general fund.“I think they are just confused about what that money is,” he said.Officials: County has broken no lawsAs for the CARES Act funding, Cornell said the county has broken no laws.“I think it is unfortunate that we’ve got a city manager that is supported by the commission that would think that and send a letter to the Treasury,” he said.County spokesman Mark Sexton said the county has followed CARES Act rules to the letter.“We think every step we have made — everything we’ve done with CARES Act dollars — is well within our authority to do,” he said.Under the rules for this latest round of CARES Act funding, counties determine how the dollars are spent, he said.“Some counties chose to share those revenues with cities; some didn’t,” he said. “Alachua County has shared CARES Act dollars with municipalities, over $2 million went to the city of Gainesville.”And he said there was never a signed or formal agreement between the city and county about how much the city would receive in the latest CARES Act distribution. “I can’t stress enough that the word ‘agreed’ is absolutely the wrong word,” Sexton said.City manager Feldman, who got the text messages through a public records request, said Friday that it’s clear from the text exchange that county officials are using the CARES Act funding as a bargaining chip in the radio funding dispute.“The text message is very clear that the two issues are tied together,” he said. “Because we got into this dispute with the radio system, they chose to hold that $2.6 million over our heads to settle the radio issue.”

Chillicothe/Livingston County E-911 Coordinator Cindy Hanavan applied for and received two grants in 2020 through the Office of Homeland Security/Department of Public Safety for the Next Generation 911.  The Chillicothe Police Department reports the federal grants will pay 60% of the total cost of the project, and the city/county pays the other 40%. The total cost of the grants is $63,825. The City of Chillicothe and Livingston County will be responsible for $38,295.
The first grant was for 911 mapping. The new mapping for the 911 system will be site-based instead of cloud-based. The Chillicothe Police note the current 911 system is based out of Kansas and included the mapping. That will change in the next few months to a site-based system to be housed at the Chillicothe Police Department where the 911 center is.
The calls made now go from Livingston County to Lenexa, Kansas, and back to the Chillicothe Police Department. It was the same for the mapping.
Once the project is done, all calls will go directly to the police department. The police department notes that will make a quicker response from communications officers and emergency services to the caller or scene.
Livingston County also now has a program called Rapid SOS, which assists with locating the 911 caller if he or she is moving and talking on a cell phone.
The second grant was for two mobile laptops for instances where the communications center needs to move to another building. An example of why it might need to move is an incident that damages the communications center and makes it unsafe for communications officers to stay in the building. Laptops can be taken to the Chillicothe Fire Department and dispatching can be done from a storm-safe room.
The Chillicothe Police report touch screen monitors were also purchased to better aid the communications officers going from screen to screen on calls. They have four monitors per station. The department notes having touch screen monitors enable the officers to maneuver faster between screens by not having to find the correct mouse for the monitor.
The Chillicothe/Livingston County Communications Center dispatches for all Livingston County emergency services. The police explain the goal is to make the dispatching of calls and processes more efficient for citizens, emergency services, and dispatchers as well as make things safer for everyone.

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Joseph “Joey” Phillips’ life centers around helping the citizens of Williamsburg County in their time of need and his dedication was recently recognized with the highest award presented by the South Carolina APCO and NENA.Photo by Michaele Duke

Each year the South Carolina Chapter of the National Emergency Number Association and the Association of Public-Safety Communications Officials present the Palmetto Award to a person who reflects exceptional professionalism in the field of emergency communications and inspires others in the field.Joseph “Joey” Phillips is the latest recipient of the major award. Phillips, better known as Tugboat, has been a dispatcher with the Williamsburg County Emergency Manage-ment Division/E-911 for 19 years. His dedication, professionalism and core values are well-known throughout the agency. E-911 Chief of Communications Myeisa Miller nominated Phillips. In her letter of recommendation Miller espouses her co-worker’s qualities, saying in part, “His life centers around helping the citizens of Williamsburg County in their time of need…Joey goes above and beyond the call of duty to make sure that our first responders are safe and our citizens get the help they need in a timely manner.”Director Vivian Bufkin said Philips deserves the award. “Joey deserves the Palmetto award because of his dedication,” she said. “He has worked in dispatch for many years; he is also a volunteer fireman for bother the city and the county. He is always on time and fills in when we need him. Who better to deserve this award than Joey?”Phillips’ field of work dates back over 24 years. At the age of 16 he was a member of the Junior Explorer with the Kingstree Police Department. He would go on to work for the department till he was hired at the E-911 agency. He admits the job isn’t the easiest and not for everyone. “It has its ups and downs,” he said. Phillips is one of the unseen heroes, which means they oftentimes don’t have closure because they don’t know the end result of a call. He took the call regarding the Sept. 23, 2019, murder of postal employee Irene Pressley as well as house fires where children perished. “It’s not been all smiles and giggles,” he said. It may not be but his family keeps him stable. “I have a loving wife and sweet daughter that keep me going,” he said. “This job ain’t for everybody but I choose this career to help people.”

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