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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Butler County Emergency Management Coordinator Mark Doehling and Sheriff Tom Dion speak with Butler County Supervisors at a March 15 meeting in the Butler County Courthouse. They discussed steps the county can take to prevent a shutdown of the Sheriff’s Office phones, like the one that happened on March 10.

Molly Hunter

Butler County is examining ways to introduce more redundancy in its dispatch phone and radio paging systems following a power issue that would have caused local 911 calls to route to agencies in other counties for several hours on March 10.There were no emergencies during the disruption to the county’s 911 services, handled by Windstream Communications. Fire departments and their members in Butler County were still able to dispatch from portable units.”We had a couple power outages back-to-back. The first time, we came back. The second time … it shut everything down,” Butler County Sheriff Tom Dion told the Banner-Press.Later, Dion said, they learned there was an issue with a generator.“We have back-up batteries in the basement that need to be replaced and it was just a snowball effect,” Dion said.Dion said those issues are being addressed.At the time, however, the Butler County dispatch center was hamstrung without power.“The dispatch consoles went down. … They don’t have a hardwired phone that I know of, in dispatch,” Butler County Emergency Management Coordinator Mark Doehling said during the March 15 Board of Supervisors meeting. “…When the dispatch center loses power, they lose everything.”Normally, Saunders County is Butler’s designated back-up emergency 911 dispatch center. Dion said the sheriff’s office called its carrier and told them to start routing Butler County calls to Saunders County.”We sent our dispatcher to Saunders County immediately … and they designated a dispatch station for her,” Dion told the Banner-Press.

The entrance door to the Butler County Sheriff’s Office, 451 N. Fifth St. in David City. Phones at the Sheriff’s Office went down for several hours on March 10.

Molly Hunter

Non-emergency calls went through to that dispatcher. Meanwhile, Butler County 911 calls were routed to the next nearest dispatch center instead of to Butler County’s.”No emergencies happened, thank God,” Dion told the Banner-Press. “…It worked out about as well as it could have.”The main concern was the possibility of a prolonged emergency response.Butler County didn’t know about the 911 calls until ringing the carrier to start routing local calls to Butler County again.Dion said the whole situation lasted approximately five hours.Doehling suggested to install a landline phone at the dispatch center several months ago in the wake of the November ice storm and power outages.He brought the idea up again at the Board’s March 15 meeting, adding that a landline at the sheriff’s office would also be a good idea.Doehling also discussed the need for redundancy with the county’s radio paging system.”We have more redundancy now than we’ve ever had,” Board Chairman and District 5 Supervisor Scott Steager told the Banner-Press.However, Doehling said, if something were to happen to the radio tower, Butler loses that redundancy.To address that, Doehling said he will look into putting a back-up tower at the Highway 92 Building.Molly Hunter is a reporter for The Banner-Press. Reach her via email at molly.hunter@lee.net.

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Karen Montgomery is retiring as an emergency dispatcher after 21 years of service and while her co-workers at the St. Johnsbury Dispatch Center wish her well, it’s pretty clear her departure will be a big loss.“Karen has been a big part of our operations here at the fire department and her retirement will mean a great loss of knowledge,” said St. Johnsbury Fire Chief Jon Bouffard.“She was reliable in a crisis and her knowledge of procedure lent her the ability to handle any situation,” said Police Chief Tim Page.

“She has been an instrumental member of the Dispatch team and we will sorely miss her knowledge and expertise,” said Dispatch Operations Manager Tony Skelton. “Karen ensured that the wellness of other dispatchers was at the forefront, and was always willing to lend a hand when needed.”“Karen’s dedication and commitment to the town and the public she has served over the years has been outstanding,” said St. Johnsbury Town Manager Chad Whitehead.Montgomery, who who grew up in St. Johnsbury and started as an emergency dispatch trainee in April of 2000, will work her last shift on April 1. Over the years she has been the first point-of-contact for those experiencing their darkest and most tragic times. She’s also been the key link and steady voice of support for police, firefighters and ambulance crews as they responded to chaotic situations such as fires, car crashes, medical emergencies and death.And in recent years, the job has been even more challenging with the COVID-19 pandemic and an ongoing upgrade of the dispatch center and changes in dispatch center procedures and operations.Police Chief Page said Montgomery has also played a key role in that process due largely to her experience, team-oriented approach, positive attitude and her kindness.“Karen Montgomery was an integral part of that change,” said Chief Page. “She never comes in to work without a kind word or greeting. She accepted the changes without complaint and led by example. She supported the efforts to improve and was a positive influence. We will miss her positivity and I will miss her morning greetings and conversations.”

Montgomery’s positive outlook was tested on Dec. 23, 2012, when the landmark 1879 Building on Railroad Street in St. Johnsbury caught fire.A group of St. Johnsbury firefighters were inside the building searching for anyone who might trapped or injured when the situation suddenly deteriorated and firefighters found themselves facing a wall of flames blocking their escape route.They called for help and Dispatcher Montgomery did what no other St. Johnsbury dispatcher had ever done before.She dispatched a “Mayday” alert and sounded the evacuation tone.“I was shaking because I was afraid I was gonna lose friends,” said Montgomery on Thursday. “Co-workers and friends.”Fortunately, all of the firefighters escaped the building by jumping through third-story windows. Some landed on a third-story deck. Others dropped a full story to the deck below. Two suffered minor injures and one was taken to the hospital. But everyone was okay.“As soon as my shift ended I went right down to the scene to check on everybody,” said Montgomery.Montgomery said she’ll miss her co-workers the most and offered this advice to anyone thinking about starting a career as an emergency dispatcher.“It takes a lot of patience,” said Montgomery. “And you can’t take anything for granted. Every day is a learning experience. You just keep learning. You’re interacting with different personalities and people, but you can’t take this job to heart. You have to learn that when you leave the building, you leave it there. You bring it home and it makes your home life miserable … You just gotta stay yourself.”

The Minneapolis Third Precinct held backup 9-1-1 equipment, but it was destroyed in last year’s riots.Aaron Lavinsky | Star TribuneMetro area 9-1-1 leaders are boosting their communication and buying additional equipment in hopes of avoiding problems that hampered their response during riots last year.Minneapolis officials said Thursday that they have been holding weekly meetings with regional 9-1-1 leaders, purchased two additional sets of backup equipment, and are creating a dedicated line of communication, should more unrest happen during the murder trial of former officer Derek Chauvin.”This is a plan that we’re working on not just within Minneapolis, but how will this work if something happens in another city,” Minneapolis interim 9-1-1 director Joni Hodne said during a news conference Thursday morning.During the riots that followed George Floyd’s death last year, many residents complained that they couldn’t get through to 9-1-1 or didn’t receive a quick response.When cell towers flooded with traffic, some calls got automatically transferred to other counties, which lacked the technology to share information as phone lines jammed and emergency radios crowded with traffic.”If the cell towers become overloaded and we have calls routing into partner agencies, we’ve developed a dedicated radio channel that can be used to communicate between the (9-1-1 centers) so they’re not having to call into our already overloaded telephone lines,” Hodne said.”Should our 9-1-1 calls roll to another dispatch center, they can communicate to us on that 9-1-1 radio line as well or transfer medical emergency calls directly to our medical partners.”The metro area has 25 9-1-1 centers. Each has a computer-aided dispatch system, which allows workers to send call information to officers in the field, often by pinging it to computers in their cars.An after-action review conducted by the Metropolitan Emergency Services Board recommended buying technology that would connect those systems, allowing them to share information electronically when other communication lines jam. That solution is far off. Before they can buy a new system, regional 9-1-1 centers first need to develop funding plans and legal agreements governing how they would share information.”This is an interim” solution, City Coordinator Mark Ruff said of the dedicated radio channel for 9-1-1 centers.In addition, Hodne said they are working with other 9-1-1 centers in the area to boost staffing, if needed.Ruff said the city has also purchased additional backup 9-1-1 equipment and placed it in two publicly owned buildings “so that we have redundancy in our system.”The city’s previous backup 9-1-1 equipment had been located in the city’s Third Precinct, which burned during the riots last year.In hopes of reducing call volume, the city is also releasing guidance to help residents determine when they should call 9-1-1 or another city office.Hodne said people should call 9-1-1 for emergencies when someone’s life or safety is at risk and a police officer, firefighter or medic is needed immediately. People can call the MPD tip line to report suspicious activity, and should use 3-1-1 for nonemergency calls, Hodne said.___(c)2021 the Star Tribune (Minneapolis)Visit the Star Tribune (Minneapolis) at www.startribune.comDistributed by Tribune Content Agency, LLC.

BRAS D’OR, N.S. —

A Cape Breton woman says police are refusing to take accountability for treating her brother’s 911 call as a hoax, which she believes resulted in his death. 

“It’s negligence by the Cape Breton Regional Police causing death,” said Amy Gerrow of Millville.  

“My goal is to make sure no one else has to go through what we did.” 

Gerrow said her brother Jeff Harrietha had called 911 looking for help but police dismissed the call and she said it resulted in a delayed search for him.  

Harrietha was found dead six days after his call, pinned under an all-terrain vehicle in a lightly wooded area off Alder Point Road in Bras d’Or. 

The coroner told the family Harrietha died of exposure and dehydration.  

“It was an emergency call but not treated as an emergency,” Gerrow said. “If it was, I believe 100 per cent my brother would still be alive.” 

Gerrow said an investigation into a complaint filed with the Office of the Nova Scotia Complaints Commissioner on how the emergency call was handled was disappointing to the family.  

She has filed for a review of the decision and doesn’t plan to stop fighting until the police service takes responsibility.  

Gerrow said Cape Breton Regional Police tried to hide the cause of death from her mother. Police dismissing responsibility in her brother’s death has forced her to go public.  

“Why should she have to know her son suffered for God knows how many days,” Gerrow said. “How much more can you put a family through?” 

Amy Gerrow of Millville standing on the Alder Point Road at an earlier date, the area where the body of her brother Jeff Harrietha was found in a lightly wooded area about 400-500 metres in back of her, on Sept. 10, 2020. Sharon Montgomery-Dupe/Cape Breton Post

 
A FAMILY’S TRAGIC LOSS 

Gerrow said her brother had been living with her and her husband in Millville. On Sept. 5, 2020, Gerrow and her husband went away for the weekend, returning home Sept. 7 to discover Harrietha wasn’t there and their 2010 Can-Am Outlander all-terrain vehicle he often used was gone. 

On Sept. 8, she reported her brother missing to the regional police.  

The next day, Cape Breton Search and Rescue were called out to the area. 

Police asked to meet with the family on Sept. 10 and that’s when the family learned Harrietha had called 911 on Sept. 5 at 1:13 p.m., reporting his bike had flipped and he was trapped underneath it. 

In the 911 call that lasted 16 seconds, Harrietha says, “I rolled my four-wheeler.” 

The dispatcher asked, “Where are you?” 

Harrietha answered, “Alder Point.” 

And the dispatcher asked, “Where?” 

Harrietha said, “Use my GPS.” 

Then the call ended because Harrietha’s cellphone had died. 

Gerrow was told two police officers went out, drove Alder Point Road and after not seeing ‘a bike,’ left the area and then went on days off. 

Police said Harrietha’s phone pinged off a North Sydney tower but because his phone then died police couldn’t track it to a second location.  

Meanwhile, police also tracked his cell number to a Dartmouth address. Harrietha did live in Dartmouth but had been living with his sister and brother-in-law for some time. 

The staff sergeant told Gerrow after tracking Harrietha’s address to Dartmouth, because they had recently received so many false 911 calls, they treated it as a hoax. 

Hours after police shared that information, searchers in a helicopter spotted the yellow ATV in a wooded area along Alder Point Road, about 400 to 500 metres off the road.  

Gerrow said 911 did their part, they contacted the police service, it was then up to the police to initiate help for her brother. The days he was missing there were hot temperatures and extensive rain.  

She said her brother would have been better off calling a family member than 911 and that’s not how it should be. She said the public should be scared seeing how this call was treated. 

“911 is our saving grace, the police are our saving grace, the firefighters, EHS. They are our first responders, the ones that are supposed to be there. They let my brother down.”  

The ATV the late Jeff Harrietha was driving on a trail off the Alder Point Road on Sept. 5, 2020 when the bike flipped and trapped him underneath. Harrietha died of exposure and hypothermia, his body was found six days later. Sharon Montgomery-Dupe/Cape Breton Post

 
THE COMPLAINT 

Gerrow filed a complaint on how the police handled her brother’s 911 call with Nova Scotia’s Serious Incident Response Team (SiRT) but was informed they would not be investigating as there was no proof of criminal negligence. 

That’s when she lodged a complaint with the Office of the Nova Scotia Complaints Commissioner.  

The complaint, dated Oct. 26, 2020, read, “neglecting to or without adequate reason, failing to promptly, properly or diligently perform a duty as a member.” 

An investigation into how the regional police handled the call was conducted by the Ontario Provincial Police (OPP). Gerrow said a “Coles notes version” of the conclusion was provided to her by the Cape Breton Regional Police acting chief Robert Walsh.  

The conclusion was not adequate, she said, noting Walsh merely agreed to review recommendations and implement any necessary policies.  

“They didn’t mention anything about treating it as a hoax call,” she said. “Nothing like that is mentioned in the report.” 

Gerrow requested a copy of the full report and on Wednesday was informed she will be receiving it in a couple of days.  

Meanwhile, she misses her brother described as “a kind man” who deeply loved his sons Hayden Pye, 16, and Dalton Eyking, 14.  

Gerrow said he loved to torment his nieces and nephews. 

“I miss his smile … just him goofing around.” 

The late Jeff Harrietha. Family say they miss his smile and fun goofy ways. CONTRIBUTED

 
CAPE BRETON REGIONAL POLICE 

Desiree Magnus, spokesperson for the Cape Breton Regional Police, said for independence and transparency Walsh requested an outside agency to investigate the family’s complaint filed through the Office of Nova Scotia Police Complaints Commissioner.  

The OPP recently submitted a report back to the regional police detailing an extensive investigation across police and communications dispatch staff, reports, recordings and policies.  

The report concluded there is nothing to support any different outcome to this incident or to warrant any allegations of misconduct in the officers’ response.   

Walsh said he is satisfied with the OPP investigation, which confirms that their police service responded appropriately, based on the information made available to them through the 911 call and their further attempts to determine the nature and location of the reported rollover. 

“I do, however, also agree with recommendations made to improve our response to similar situations, which we are already acting on including policy to guide consistent response to 911 calls and missing persons, as well as technological adjustments to the dispatch and police records systems to identify potentially related calls for service,” he said. 

OFFICE OF THE NOVA SCOTIA COMPLAINTS COMMISSIONER 

Jeff Garber, manager of investigations and outreach for the Office of the Nova Scotia Complaints Commissioner, confirmed a complaint regarding this matter has been filed. 

On Wednesday, Garber said he can’t share much information as it’s still an active file. 

“The investigation concluded and we received a copy of the disposition of the public complaint earlier this month,” he said.  

Speaking generally about the complaint process, Gerber said if a complainant isn’t satisfied with the decision of the police force, they have 30 days from receipt of the decision to file a notice of review.  

At that point, the Office of Complaints Commissioner can conduct an independent investigation into the matter, can forward the matter to the Police Review Board or take no further action. 

Sharon-Montgomery-Dupe is a health and breaking news reporter at the Cape Breton Post. 

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This transmission electron microscope image shows SARS-CoV-2, the virus which causes COVID-19.

NIAID

Ali Rockett

Eleven employees of Richmond’s Department of Emergency Communications have tested posted for COVID-19 over the past two weeks, a spokeswoman for the department confirmed Thursday.With a tenth of the call center’s 100 employees affected, “there has been minimal impact on 911 operations and a slight delay in non-emergency answer times,” said Karen L. Gill in an email.No DEC employee has face-to-face contact with the public as a regular part of their jobs, she said.”DEC has contingency plans and multiple redundancies in place to cover a multitude of situations, including those in which our workforce is reduced, so that we are always prepared to answer and dispatch all 911 calls and non-emergency calls in a timely manner,” Gill said. “For this particular situation, we have made staffing and scheduling changes to ensure that core functions are being met while employees are recovering.”The first week of March, 98.2% of non-emergency calls were answered within 10 seconds; a week later, March 7-13, that measure of efficacy fell to 92.8% of non-emergency calls answered within 10 seconds, according to information provided by Gill.”As always, we are encouraging the public to stay on the line until their call is answered, even if it’s a mistake, to help us save time and resources,” she said in the email.The positive cases did not occur all at the same time, but intermittently over the past two weeks, Gill said.The department worked with the Richmond Health District and VCU Health to offer employees two testing events this week, Gill said. Employees aren’t regularly tested at work, but their temperatures are checked before they report for work in the emergency communications center.”DEC is working with the Richmond-Henrico Health District and is following all applicable safety protocols to keep its workforce safe and provide for employees’ safe return to duty,” Gill said. “Fulfilling our critical mission and ensuring the safety of our employees is, and remains, our highest priority.”arockett@timesdispatch.com(804) 649-6527Twitter: @AliRockettRTD

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