Top Comm Center Headlines
1/4 Of Phone Calls To 9-1-1 On Thanksgiving Day Are About What?
Happy Thursday! Here is today's 7:50 AM Nearly Impossible Question! Question: One quarter of phone calls to 9-1-1 on Thanksgiving Day are about what? Answer: ...
Gordon 5th grader makes heroic 9-1-1 call during fire (AL)
GORDON, Ala. (WTVY) - A Gordon family is mourning the loss of its long-time family home after a fire left it shambles late last night. Fortunately, they aren't mourning the loss of any loved ones, thanks in part to an Ashford Elementary schooler. "I saw a fire from...
Emergency communications move ‘going well’ (NE)
YORK – Leila Luft, the director of the York County Emergency Communications Center, says the initial move to the new courthouse addition went well and things are running smoothly. Luft updated the York County Commissioners about the progress of this ongoing project,...
Almost $3 million in upgrades expected for Westmoreland County’s 911 system (PA)
Westmoreland County commissioners are expected this week to approve more than $2.7 million in upgrades to the 911 emergency dispatch system. Public Safety Director Roland Mertz said Tuesday that plans call for replacement of aging computer-aided dispatch equipment and...
La Crosse County 2020 budget saving taxpayer dollars, improving 911 communications
LA CROSSE, Wis. (WKBT) - La Crosse County property taxpayers will continue to save money next year. La Crosse County officials said the 2020 budget keeps taxes in check but provides the funding needed for road repairs. The county did need to borrow $5...
What is it like to be a 9-1-1 operator? (ND)
Brittani was a familiar voice in the KFGO Newsroom, but after 3 years, she put down one radio wave for the next. After a long 6-8 week interview process and 6 months of training, she is a Communications Operator at Red River Regional Dispatch. In this podcast:...
Weight of the Call: The Dispatchers (UT)
SALT LAKE CITY (ABC4 News) – If one is lucky enough, maybe they will never have to dial those three numbers etched in our brains, 9-1-1. When we think of first responders, we often think of police and fire. One group we often overlook are emergency dispatchers. They...
Plymouth Council OKs pact for new dispatchers (CT)
PLYMOUTH – Town Council members approved a contract Monday with Litchfield County Dispatch effective April 2020 that will result in the layoffs of the town’s 12 dispatchers next year. The town will enter into a three-month agreement from April 1 through June 30 with...
Cleveland police dispatcher fired after criminal mischief conviction (OH)
CLEVELAND, Ohio (WOIO) - A Cleveland police dispatcher was fired after being convicted of criminal mischief. John Haney III, 35, was terminated on Nov. 15. Haney had been charged with multiple counts of theft, but was convicted of the lesser charge of criminal...
NEWS9 Special Assignment: The Most Important Call (OH)
JEFFERSON COUNTY, Ohio — A call to 911 could be the most important call of your life, but what do dispatchers need to know when you call? And what can you do until help arrives? Dispatchers have to be prepared for anything when the calls come in. “You have no idea...
Charlotte Fire Department hiring new positions ahead of RNC (NC)
CHARLOTTE, N.C. (WBTV) - The Charlotte Fire Department is hiring telecommunicator positions, ahead of the Republican National Convention in 2020. The postion essentially works as a fire dispatcher. The departments says they’re going to need those positions filled...
Oneida County 911 Center looking to hire multi-taskers who work well under pressure (NY)
ORISKANY, N.Y. – The Oneida County 911 Center is hiring emergency dispatchers, and is looking for multi-taskers who can stay calm under pressure. Dispatchers, officially called public safety tellecommunicators, take calls from people dialing 911, and relay the...
ECC board cuts emergency manager at Albemarle’s request (VA)
A reconstituted Emergency Communications Center board on Tuesday eliminated its currently vacant emergency management coordinator position to allow Albemarle County to hire its own emergency director. The move means creation of emergency management plans for Albemarle...
Kennesaw/Acworth 911 Awarded CALEA Accreditation (GA)
During the assessment, the Kennesaw/Acworth 911 Center had to show proof of compliance with the 207 standards that constitute the program. KENNESAW, GA — The Kennesaw/Acworth 911 Center, located at City of Kennesaw City Hall, was recently awarded their accreditation...
Sheriff’s new cadet program provides opportunity for law enforcement careers (OH)
In an effort to attract young people to a career in law enforcement, Sheriff George Maier has a new cadet program with the goal of hiring. CANTON While law enforcement agencies across the nation bemoan the lack of young people interested in becoming police officers,...
Defending the indefensible: DC 911 director tries to explain away 4-minute dispatch to deadly fire (DC)
It’s hard to know where to begin after listening to DC 911 director Karima Holmes testify this (Monday) afternoon about a delay dispatching DC Fire & EMS to a deadly house fire in August. Holmes tied herself in knots trying to explain to DC council members there...
St. Francois County 911 Board discusses finances (MO)
The board of St. Francois County 911 reviewed the joint communications center’s financial position and discussed projects on the horizon during their meeting Wednesday morning. Treasurer and District 1 Board Member Ginger Taylor, of Taylor Tax & Consulting, heads...
Former Emergency Communications Director admits mistakes made after Waffle House shooting (TN)
NASHVILLE, Tenn. (WZTV) — Alleging errors made by emergency dispatchers might have cost lives, the family of Akilah DaSilva sued the city of Nashville and its Emergency Communications Center. Just over a year and a half after the tragedy, the former director of...
Clackamas Co. deputies, dispatchers honored for quick action that saved Canby girl’s life (OR)
CANBY, Ore. – The deputies that were the first to respond to a devastating quadruple murder earlier this year were honored for rescuing the surviving girl. Clackamas County sheriff’s deputies were called out to a home on South Barlow Road on the night of January 19,...
Half of E-911 dispatchers’ certifications said to be non-compliant: Emergency training, full training audit being conducted this week (TN)
ROGERSVILLE — Questions surrounding the Emergency Medical Dispatching certifications of several Hawkins Co. Emergency Communications District dispatchers resulted this week in all staff having to be re-certified by an onsite instructor, and a full training audit of...
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Opinions
Why Train?
Heidi DiGennaro
When you started, everything was overwhelming. There was fear or excitement in touching the equipment, the constant dread you might break something, and the encouragement to go ahead from your trainer. Training seemed to take so long, and there was something both terrifying and liberating about operating on your own.
Vision to Reality
Andre V. Jones
“KSU SR42, 18J, Lot D, looking for a white Honda Civic, 1805 hours KNHD245” was the start of my career in public safety telecommunications (at Kennesaw State University [KSU], Department of Public Safety & University Police, Kennesaw, Georgia, USA). It was not, however, the career I initially chose. I started off wanting to be a doctor. More specifically, an OB/GYN. My logic was that people would always have babies (job security).
Route 91 Harvest Music Festival
I am going to tell my story about that day, the Oct. 1 Shooting, even though in my eyes, that’s not the official name. I can’t bring myself to call it that. I am going to be raw, honest, and open because I think that is what people should hear. It may not be what you want to hear, but it’s what I need for you to know.
Attitude Reflects Leadership
My manager told me once that by listening to radio traffic he knew who the supervisor on duty was in the dispatch center. He said there was something about their aura that had the ability to control the temperament in the room. When I actually considered it, he was correct; the attitude of employees is a direct reflection of their leadership.
Filling The Gaps
There are times when the protocol does not fill the gaps on a call. Every call is different; that is the nature of our business and no protocol can cover every situation. One of the best pieces of advice I received when I started was, “If you think you know everything, quit. You don’t.” So what do you do when the protocol isn’t enough?
Speed Bumps
Speed bumps. I don’t know about you, but when I hear that word, I automatically get annoyed. Speed bumps are those annoying little things that always appear to slow me down. I know that speed bumps are placed where they are for good reasons—to slow the speed of cars in a residential area, for example—but it doesn’t mean I have to like them.
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