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New Orleans testing alternative dispatch for mental health related 911 calls (LA)
Emergency dispatchers in New Orleans are now better equipped to help people in a mental health crisis. NEW ORLEANS — A new program in New Orleans aims to better help people having a mental health crisis while freeing up police officers to respond to violent crimes....
Emergency Medical Calls Up During Pandemic, REMSA Advising 911 (NV)
Calls to 911 have increased dramatically during the pandemic, across the country and right here at home. REMSA Health is seeing a 200% increase at their call center - most, for non-emergency situation - and it's putting a strain on the entire system. "People are still...
Police Responds to Disturbance Among Call Center Operators at Newark Police Station (NY)
Newark A disturbance erupted inside a call center that handles Newark's Fire, Police departments, and the Communication Division Newark required a police response to quell the commotion. Several emails to public information officials seeking information and...
911 calls reveal more about Genesee County dispatch director saga (MI)
FLINT, Mich. (WJRT) - Law enforcement officials are questioning whether the Genesee County 911 director wasted resources when she called her dispatchers twice for a family feud. The Genesee County 911 Center is overwhelmed and some callers are left on hold because of...
City Of Long Beach:First Responders Work Together To Reduce Use Of Force Through Integrated Medical Intervention Response Pilot Program (CA)
As part of the implementation of the alternative response pilot program, a new radio dispatch code, known as 647V-Intoxicated Person Potentially Violent, was introduced on January 1, 2021. The code initiates a unique dual response of both Long Beach Police Department...
Marquette County emergency dispatcher finishes 21 years of service (MI)
NEGAUNEE TOWNSHIP, Mich. (WLUC) - One of Marquette County’s long-time emergency dispatchers bids farewell. Wednesday was Steve Rehn’s last day at the central dispatch post in Negaunee Township, which followed with a going-away party by his compatriots as soon as his...
Long Way Back Home – The Journal of Emergency Dispatch
Nicole Janey, center, was voted by peers to represent the Class of 2020 Communication Center Manager program at Navigator.
Audrey Fraizer
Front
stage at NAVIGATOR 2021 was a pitch far from EMD Nicole Janey’s stepping away from
a career in which she excelled and believed she would never leave.
But
she did and came back again. Stronger.
Janey
was an emergency dispatcher at the Boston Police Department, Massachusetts
(USA). She could dispatch the toughest of calls – the Boston Marathon bombing,
for example – and keep her cool knowing she was doing all she could to help. Sure,
some situations weighed more heavily on her than others but not to the extent
of the call convincing her to leave.
Janey
distinctly remembers handling the radio transmission. Shots were fired at a
traffic stop. Shootings were not unusual in this part of town but from the
sounds in the background, she realized this one was particularly bad. A police
officer was shot in the face during a routine traffic stop.
She
managed the situation “calmly.” Sometime later, feelings of insecurity and
worry crept up.
“I
self-talked. I could have done so much better,” she said.
The
affect wasn’t immediate. Symptoms of post-traumatic stress came on gradually.
Mood shifts. Irritability. She felt broken. She tried ignoring the symptoms,
hoping the stress monkey would get off her back voluntarily. No mental health
services were available due to the job’s classification. She made the decision
to leave, thinking that she might, at some point, jeopardize those she was dedicated
to protecting. She took a job dispatching cement trucks.
The
construction company job was a reprieve, she said. Gave her a break to put
things into perspective. She missed emergency communications, and the sense of
purpose she had known. The turnaround came six months after the incident at the
March 2016 Boston Police Foundation Gala Hero’s Award ceremony honoring the
officer.
“It
was mind-blowing meeting the officer. John Moynihan,” Janey said. “Incredible. It
clicked. I had helped save his life. People said they missed me and should have
received support.”
The
wheels turned. Pushing mental health support for emergency dispatchers was a
reason to get back in the profession nearly two years after she had resigned.
Janey accepted a position with the smaller Reading Police Department, Reading,
Massachusetts (USA) and, later, with Chelsea Emergency Management, Chelsea,
Massachusetts (USA). She was home again.
“This
felt right,” she said.
Janey
found outlets to release traumatic stress through Eye Movement Desensitization
and Reprocessing therapy practiced coping skills. She told her story in
relation to the necessity of critical mental health support for emergency
dispatchers at the National Emergency Number Association (NENA) Conference 2019.
Her
talk was well received. It hit a nerve. The conference set her in motion.
Janey
applied for and received a state grant to attend the Communication Center
Manager (CCM) program. The combination of in-person and on-line training,
available through Fitch and Associates, provides a foundation of management and
leadership practices tailored to communication center leaders. Her classmates
chose her as the class representative to speak at NAVIGATOR.
Janey
lauded her fellow students as “resilient warriors,” empowered by each other
through the CCM experience. What was Janey’s take away from CCM?
“Leadership
isn’t a title,” she said. “It’s how you act, how you treat people. We are a
very human profession and if you treat your people miserably, they will leave.”
The
good things continue to roll for Janey. She speaks at conferences. She was
promoted to supervisor at Chelsea Emergency Management. She keeps tabs on her
mental health.
Janey never looks back at her decision to return. Her advocacy for crisis intervention adds to the purpose and meaning of the emergency dispatch. As she learned in CCM, “There’s no room to sit there,” she said. “You will participate to better yourself and everyone in the profession.”
Audrey Fraizer is a writer for the International Academies of Emergency Dispatch (IAED).
You can now text 9-1-1 in Jefferson City (MO)
The Jefferson City Police Department announces that they can now receive text messages through 9-1-1. Callers are still advised to make a traditional phone call unless it is unsafe to do so. To send a text to dispatch, simply type in 9-1-1 in the “to”...
Public Safety Advocate: FirstNet Authority Off-Network Communications Solutions RFI, L3Harris, HPUE
APCO 2021 The APCO 2021 conference is taking place in San Antonio this week. Many attendees come from the public-safety community or are involved in some way with public-safety communications. Many others are the people who make up public safety’s front-line, handling...
Texting to 9-1-1 available in Cole County (MO)
The Jefferson City/Cole County 911 Communications Center can now receive 9-1-1 correspondence via text messaging. Text messaging is not intended to replace placing voice calls to 9-1-1 when someone is able to do so. Texting should only be used when you are unable to...
Muskegon Central Dispatch 911 looking to fill 6 open telecommunicator positions (MI)
MUSKEGON COUNTY, Mich. — Covering every shift is becoming more and more difficult at Muskegon Central Dispatch, but executive director Jason Wolford says it's happening due to the extreme dedication of 911 telecommunicators. "Individuals that step up and...
‘Actions likely prevented a tragedy’; Avon dispatcher helps save infant from choking (MA)
AVON – A police dispatcher who, over the phone, helped a mother save her infant from choking was recognized for her work and got to meet the family. Dispatcher Alison Ning was recognized at Thursday's board of selectmen meeting for her work...
4 ‘financially distressed’ Downriver cities receive state grant for public safety, water improvements (MI)
Four Downriver communities will divvy up more than $700,000 in state grants to repair, replace and upgrade equipment and services. Among the four Downriver communities, Allen Park received the largest grant — $200,000 — to swap copper for lead in connecting a water...
Calm in a Storm: Huntsville dispatchers tout benefits of service-focused career (AL)
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...
BOE grants volunteers use of school towers (AL)
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...
Sussex County wants New Jersey to return its 911 service tax
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...
What it’s like to be a 911 dispatcher, call taker (KY)
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...
A Birmingham dispatcher taking 911 calls for 31 years preaches patience (MI)
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....
Dispatcher shortage continues to plague 9-1-1 response in St. Louis City (MO)
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...
Seminole County Fire Chief asks residents to reduce use of 9-1-1 due to increased COVID (FL)
SEMINOLE COUNTY, Fla. — Seminole County’s Fire Chief sounded an alarm Tuesday over the high volume of medical transports his department has been responding to with a recent increase in COVID-19 cases. Chief Otto Drozd is asking residents to only dial 9-1-1 if they...
Reauthorization SurveyMORE>
PSBTA Releases Survey on First Responder Support for FirstNet Reauthorization
New Survey: First Responders Overwhelmingly Support Reauthorization of FirstNet
A new bipartisan national survey commissioned by the Public Safety Broadband Technology Association finds near- unanimous support among first responders for reauthorizing the First Responder Network Authority (FirstNet Authority)– the agency overseeing America’s dedicated public safety broadband network.
PETITIONSMORE>
Congress should reauthorize the FirstNet Authority now.
Support the reauthorization of the FirstNet Authority to preserve public safety’s network
PSBTA UpdatesMORE>
Podcast
FirstNet and the 4.9 GHz Spectrum
This episode dives into the critical evolution of public safety communications, focusing on the recent FCC decision to establish a nationwide Band Manager framework for the 4.9 GHz spectrum, and discuss the evolution and deployment of the FirstNet System. Host Chris Tubbs interviews Chief Jeff Johnson, a leader in public safety technology and the development of FirstNet. Together, they explore the history, governance, and transformative potential of FirstNet and the 4.9 GHz spectrum in enhancing public safety operations with emerging technologies like AI, 5G, and augmented reality. The discussion emphasizes the importance of protecting and optimizing public safety spectrum, the lessons learned from past advocacy efforts, and a call to action for public safety leaders to remain engaged in ensuring the spectrum’s effective use and governance.
LISTEN TO PODCAST
Public Sector GrantsMORE>
Webinar
Accessing Federal Resources When an Emergency or Major Disaster Strikes
In light of the major disasters that our nation has recently experienced, PS Grants is offering this FREE webinar to review Disaster Assistance Programs and how to access them. Learn what federal funds and resources are available through Disaster Assistance, understand the process of requesting assistance, know what to expect before, during, and after, and find out who to contact for help.
REGISTER
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