TOPEKA, Kan. — For dispatchers and their supervisors, their job comes down to one fact: People’s lives are in their hands. And while averaging more than 1,200 calls a day, there isn’t room for mistakes.
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OEC Releases FY 2012 SAFECOM Guidance on Emergency Communications Grants
On Thursday, the Office of Emergency Communications (OEC) released the 2012 SAFECOM Guidance on Emergency Communications Grants (SAFECOM Guidance). In coordination with federal agency partners and state and local stakeholders, OEC develops the annual SAFECOM Guidance to provide technical information and program guidance for entities applying for federal grant funding for emergency communications projects. The [...]
ASAP to PSAP: A Preview of Phase II
Positive changes are coming soon on behalf of the ANSI-approved Automated Secure Alarm Protocol (ASAP) program that will benefit the alarm industry and 9-1-1 PSAPs equally. For the participating 9-1-1 PSAPs in Texas and Virginia, the volume of telephone calls reduced with alarm companies using ASAP to deliver alarm notifications has reached the tens of [...]
9-1-1 Dispatchers Can Save More Lives by Coaching Bystanders in CPR
Statement Highlights:
• Dispatchers should help 9-1-1 callers identify cardiac arrest victims and coach callers to provide immediate CPR.
• If more dispatchers followed these processes, thousands of lives could be saved every year.
• Communities should regularly evaluate 9-1-1 emergency dispatchers’ performance and the overall emergency response system, according to a new American Heart Association statement.
9-1-1 Resolutions
The arrival of Jan. 1 motivates many people to make New Year’s resolutions. You may include resolutions related to your health, education or profession. Why not make resolutions organization-wide for your agency? Gather everyone around and celebrate the New Year with some good discussion and create plans to make the resolutions happen. We asked some [...]
Good Neighbor: Johnson County Emergency Comm Center Is Environmentally Friendly & Functional
With an increasing push toward green technology and design, a Kansas-based comm center has set a gold standard—not only with its environmentally friendly design, but also with its functionality. The Johnson County Emergency Communications Center is one of the radio communications flagships of the Kansas City metropolitan area. The spacious Johnson County Emergency Communications Center [...]
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Dispatching: A Profession or a Job?
- Naples City Council Bristle at Cost of New Radios; Suggest Officers Share
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FCC Says PSAPs Must Be Able to Receive 9-1-1 Texts
- Residents: Go Slow on Address Change
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Dyersville, Iowa, to Dump Dispatchers
- Kansas Dispatchers Help Save Lives under Stress
- Utah Man Ties Up 9-1-1 Line, Wants Ride Home from Walmart
- Atlantic County (N.J.) Working on Reverse 9-1-1 System
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General Dynamics Introduces New Portable Communications System Analyzer for Land Mobile Radio Systems
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Zetron’s MAX Dispatch Now Supports More Radio Types
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Lmartinez: Awesome job Cindra & Chris! I absolutely agree...
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Cindy Dunaway: It's so hard to look back on calls we have taken w...
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: With the way our government leaders and Congress h...
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Tanya Gotcher: Regardless of what the dispatcher said to the call...
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Sash: Congratulations for a job well done!...
Mitigating the Damage from Mistakes: Four Tips
Cindra Dunaway on February 20, 2012
in Calltaking/Dispatch, Commentary/Blogs, Operations
As much as we strive for perfection in the public safety field, at times we will stumble and make a mistake. Some mistakes are easier to fix than others. Some mistakes we never want to think about again. Some make us laugh; some make us cry. Hopefully, you’ve never made a mistake that caused someone [...]