9-1-1 Dispatchers Can Save More Lives by Coaching Bystanders in CPR

More people will survive sudden cardiac arrest when 9-1-1 dispatchers help bystanders assess victims and begin CPR immediately, according to a new American Heart Association scientific statement published in Circulation: Journal of the American Heart Association.

9-1-1 Industry Alliance is Now The Industry Council for Emergency Response Technologies

The trade association originally founded as the 9-1-1 Industry Alliance (9IA) has announced its expanded role and new organizational name. The 9-1-1 Industry Alliance is now the Industry Council for Emergency Response Technologies, iCERT.

9-1-1 Industry Alliance to Host National Workshop on 9-1-1 Overload

The 9-1-1 Industry Alliance (9IA) will host a national workshop on 9-1-1 overload on October 4-5, 2011, at the Georgetown University Hotel and Conference Center in Washington, D.C. Public safety decision-makers and government officials are being invited to engage in a national dialog on this important problem, which affects people in need of help due to incidents ranging from routine emergencies to major disasters.

9/11/11: Ten Years Gone

For everyone of us who watched the towers fall and understood the loss not in terms of concrete and steel, but in the content of lockers to be carefully gathered and delivered to loved ones, and of roll calls to which there would never be an answer there will always be the question "have we done enough?"

A Matter of Perception

Public Perception and the 9-1-1 Dispatcher

Access 9-1-1: Anytime, Anywhere, Any Device

Since this month's issue historically appears in conjunction with the National Emergency Number Association's annual conference, I thought that it might be appropriate to discuss the new trademarked tagline that has become associated with NENA. On the surface, it's a pretty catchy tune; "Emergency Help - Anywhere, Anytime, Any Device." And granted, it does pretty much sum up the state of our business, and where we are most likely headed. But beyond the printed words, what does it really...

Accreditation and Quality Assurance

The first of a two-part series on Accreditation and Quality Assurance, Cory Friend, Accreditation Coordinator at PowerPhone, Inc., discusses the Accreditation process, including the agency self-evaluation. The components of a successful Accreditation process and the benefits to be derived will be explored. The second article will detail the importance of Quality Assurance to the Accreditation process and the steps necessary to implement an effective QA program.

Analytics - Good Business For Public Safety

Voice and data analytics have been a positive influence in private business for years. This technology has proven to be a productive tool for improving customer service; recognizing trends improving products, productivity, customer needs and desires; and improving call handling by customer services representatives. Only recently has this technology been recognized as having potential in the Public Safety environment.

APCO International Appoints Derek Poarch as Executive Director

The Association of Public-Safety Communications Officials (APCO) International has announced the appointment of Derek K. Poarch as executive director. Poarch comes to APCO International with more than 30 years of public safety experience, and demonstrated leadership in law enforcement and federal telecommunications policy.

Botnets are a Serious Threat to First Responders

The unfortunate reality for public safety organizations that house confidential and sensitive data, including the personal information of employees and citizens, is that there is no end to cybersecurity threats such as botnets, worms, and hacking.

Brother Can You Spare A Dime?

Current trends and challenges in 9-1-1 Center funding

Business Process Optimization for Public Safety Answering Points

Historically, Public Safety Answering Points were equipped with communications recording systems for protection from liability due to legal evaluation of emergencies. This function was facilitated by time stamps, protection from tampering and assurance of fail-safe operation.

Disaster Management: A Death in the Family

As a communications center manager, I can only imagine what my counterparts who were directly responsible for dispatching the initial responses had to cope with. What was the mindset in New York City where radio calls to company after company on the scene at the World Trade Center went unanswered? How did the telecommunicators in Arlington, Virginia respond when their focus turned from the CNN reports from Manhattan to the real world scenario unfolding at the Pentagon, right outside their...

Dispatcher engineered stirring tribute to fallen Marine

On nearly every I-280 overpass along the funeral procession's route from Milpitas to San Bruno, firefighters stood by to honor a young man they never knew. The touching display was orchestrated by San Jose Fire Department dispatcher Tracy Deitschman, a 27-year department veteran determined that even amid the holiday hustle and bustle, we not forget that young Americans are dying far away in Afghanistan and Ira

Dispatching in Slippers: The Future of Public Safety Communication Centers?

The "Anytown" Police Department took a page from the private sector and had taken advantage of having employees working from home. They realized that the role of the Public Safety Dispatcher has evolved from being just a job for a clerk to answer the phone and radio. Their roles are now that of highly skilled professionals who fill a unique niche that few can replace... But Pat and his fellow Anytown dispatchers had phones routed to their homes, along with all of the computer equipment...

Evaluating Emergency Calls: Tools for Dispatcher Effectiveness

Public safety communications centers that record calls for compliance shouldn't overlook the usefulness of those recordings in evaluating dispatcher performance. That's a lesson learned from the call center industry, where recording and evaluation is widespread.

From 9/11 to 9-1-1: What the Death of Bin Laden Means to Us

Late on the evening of Sunday, May 1, President Barack Obama announced to the world that Osama Bin Laden was dead; ending a decade long search for what many believed to be the poster child for terrorism... So now that the dust from the chopper blades has cleared the compound, and we have a clear view, just what does all of this mean to public safety? Unfortunately, a clear view doesn't mean a clear answer.

Hey Everybody - It's Our Week!

Believe it or not, it's that time again; National Public Safety Telecommunicators' Week. Created by an act of Congress during the Clinton administration, it sets aside the second full week of April every year as a time to honor and acknowledge our brothers and sisters who work tirelessly during all fifty-two weeks of every year. As best as I can determine, the good folks in Contra Costa, California (or specifically one good folk at the Sheriff's Office named Patricia Anderson) came up with...

I Swear!

In 1972, Comedian George Carlin had a popular routine based upon seven words that you can't say on television. Although cable TV has relaxed the former network rules, several of these words are still not politely uttered in the PSAP even 35 years after the fact. And when they are spoken nowadays, it may not be a laughing matter.

Ick! I Hate Evaluations

How annoying can the evaluation process be? Think back to years of getting and giving evaluations. Are your memories fuzzy recollections of frustration, confusion, apathy, joy or resentment? Or do you recall them as an effective method of valued communications between you and an expert on how well you are keeping the promise of your work and adding to the overall agency goals of excellence?

Identifying Value in PSAP Consolidations

One, perhaps indirect way to perceive trends in the public safety industry is to count the frequency of certain types of RFPs that cross consultants' desks. So it is noteworthy to those of us in the consulting business that, although subjects such as NG 9-1-1 might be expected to generate the majority of requests for help, in fact, we find we are receiving even more requests to support either studying the feasibility of PSAP consolidation or for planning and implementing such consolidations.

Information Overload and the 9-1-1 Dispatcher

February, 2008 marked the 40th anniversary of the initiation of 9-1-1 service in the United States. In the four decades since that first call was made in Halleyville, Alabama much has changed.

Integration Does Not Need to be Painful

How Scheduling Software Helps Achieve Higher Level of Efficiency

Leading Public Safety Associations Announce Open Nominations for 9-1-1 Honor Awards

The E9-1-1 Institute, National Emergency Number Association (NENA), Association of Public-Safety Communications-Officials International (APCO), National Association of State 9-1-1 Administrators (NASNA), and 9-1-1 Industry Alliance (9IA) have announced the opening of nominations for the 2011 9-1-1 Honor Awards. The organizations, representing 25,000 emergency communications professionals nationwide, bestow the awards each year to honor heroes and leaders in 9-1-1. The 2011 awards ceremony...

Leading Public Safety Coalition Celebrates National 9-1-1 Education Month

"Today the National 9-1-1 Education Coalition announces a new resource for everyone across the nation," stated Gregory Rohde, Executive Director of the E9-1-1 Institute. "We encourage you to visit www.know 911.org for ideas on what you can do for National 9-1-1 Education Month."

Microwave Management

Let me begin this month's column by apologizing to those of you who began reading this under the false assumption that it was a primer on managing extremely high-frequency radios. It is not.

National 9-1-1 Assessment Guidelines Released for Public Comment

The 9-1-1 Resource Center, sponsored by the United States Department of Transportation, National 9-1-1 Program has a project underway to develop consensus-based universal guidelines to serve as the basis for a 9-1-1 statewide program assessment process. The National 9-1-1 Assessment Guidelines are now available for public comment on the 9-1-1 Resource Center. Comments received will be considered prior to the release of the final guidelines.

New ELA Program Assists Smaller Public Safety Agencies

Esri has launched a new enterprise licensing program designed to make acquiring Esri technology easy and affordable for small public safety agencies. The Small Public Safety (SPS) Enterprise License Agreement (ELA) gives fire, law enforcement, corrections, probation, and emergency management departments the same benefits that larger organizations have realized from traditional Esri ELA programs. Created for agencies in the United States serving populations of 100,000 or fewer, the SPS ELA...

NICE Opens Nominations for 2011 PSAPs' Finest Awards

NICE Systems, a worldwide leader of intent-based solutions that extract insight to impact business performance, reduce financial risk and ensure safety and security, today announced that nominations are now open for the 2011 PSAPs' Finest Awards. Sponsored by NICE, the Awards recognize individuals for their exceptional performance and contributions to the field of Public Safety communications. Each year, winners are selected in four PSAP (Public Safety Answering Point) categories: Director,...

Notes from Navigator - 9-1-1 Lessons from Las Vegas

Maybe you look at Navigator as the place to learn a lot about emergency communication, the ability to pick up free advice from fellow professionals, and - at the conference held this past April in Las Vegas - the chance to walk away a millionaire. The National Academies of Emergency Dispatch (NAED) sponsored Navigator is all that and more. The six days traditionally divided between workshops and classroom sessions also leaves attendees with a lot to chew on for discussion when the next...

Our Week

With National Public Safety Telecommunications Week being celebrated each April, it's worth taking a look at the job we've been doing.

Pants on the Ground::The Joys of Managing an Adult Dress Code

Every season of American Idol comes with its own set of surprises, and this year is no exception. "General" Larry Platt of Atlanta added the catchphrase "pants on the ground" to the American lexicon with his homemade ditty to drooping drawers. While his somewhat tongue-in-cheek composition focused on a particular dress style of the young, communications center managers can experience similar displays every day. If you are lucky enough to supervise a uniformed facility, then the remainder of...

Play it Again, Sam

A Manager's Guide to Recorder Procurement

Quality Assurance: The Behavior Allowed Becomes the Standard

In the modern workplace employees have a desire to know why they are being required to do things and often resent the "old school" just-do-as-I-say approach to management. Policies and procedures need to be explained to and understood by everyone. Often times, if the reasons are clear and the consequences of their actions, and not for their actions are emphasized and understood the resulting compliance will be greater.

Quality Improvement through Education and Positive Reinforcement

All the quality assurance data in the world is virtually meaningless if it is not followed up with a strong quality improvement initiative. Gathering the information and generating reports are just part of the process.

Redefining the Human Machine Interface

Simultaneous auditory stimuli (e.g., radio and telephone transmissions) is a common occurrence within in the 9-1-1 communication center. Competition for the telecommunicator's attention and comprehension with receipt of two simultaneous verbal transmissions may result in critical information being missed or lost when switching between tasks. To better manage competing auditory activity, the telecommunicator needs a process to receive, analyze, and organize this activity in such a way that...

Reorienting the Dispatcher's Perspective

The Grapevine Police Department is like one big family. We have our good days and bad days. There are people we like and those we would prefer not to hang out with. There is sibling rivalry and an overwhelming ability to step up to the plate and help out in times of struggle and stress.

Rising Sun: Dimming Hope - What the 9-1-1 Community Can Learn from the Tragedy in Japan

Sitting half a world away and watching the spectacle unfold, those of us in the Western Hemisphere are still afforded a ringside seat as the tragedy in Japan continues to develop. Every day brings with it new information, and seemingly a new crisis. As with any disaster, we in emergency services have a unique view of these events. Who didn't watch the Twin Towers fall and immediately have a sense of the tremendous public safety losses? We didn't need to be informed; the first picture told us...

Seeing the Scene

Video Systems in Public Safety Call Taking and Response

Smarter Analytics, Smarter Emergency Services

Today's public safety agencies are being pushed to run like a business--all while under increasing pressure to take on more responsibility with constrained resources and budgets. Efficiency and speed are key operations objectives in today's public safety answering points (PSAPs).

Staticworx Launches GroundSafe Initiative: Performs ESD Flooring Audits and Certifies Facilities that Comply with Anti-Static Flooring Standards

In an effort to help facilities protect their employees and electronic equipment through flooring that meets electrical safety standards, Staticworx Inc., North America's largest manufacturer of static-control flooring products and services, has launched a GroundSafe Initiative. Professionals from Staticworx will present Certificates of Compliance to companies that demonstrate they are protecting their worksites on three levels: electrical safety, static control performance, and...

System Security in Garfield County, CO: PSAP Guards Against Unauthorized Access

In the tough economy, both the public and private sectors find themselves having to do more with less, without skimping on security. Fortunately, recent advances in physical security systems are helping to increase their safety and flexibility while decreasing cost. Take, for instance, the Garfield County Emergency Communications Authority which serves the emergency needs of 13 jurisdictions in the Colorado County, by supporting all types of citizen emergency 9-1-1 calls with dispatch...

Telephone Swatting: A New Look at an Old Problem

In early February, national media provided extensive coverage of the so-called "swatting" of 9-1-1 calls. This was triggered, in part, by a Department of Justice press release concerning the guilty plea entered by an eighteen year old Boston man on a string of related charges.

The "Dumbing" of Dispatchers

One of the more common complaints heard around the PSAP (Public Safety Answering Point) concerns the "dumbing of dispatchers. This gripe typically comes from members with a little bit of time under their belts, and the propensity to wax poetic about the good old days.

The Blame Game

...in a profession that has historically been viewed as a gathering of redheaded stepchildren, taking potshots at the PSAP is nothing new. What is new, however, is the scope of these collective allegations and insinuations. While I'll paraphrase for the sake of brevity, the intent is clear: whatever it is, it's the dispatcher's fault. This thinking dovetails nicely with my favorite analogy: 9-1-1 is like a submarine. Nobody sees us or hears us until something blows up. Then they blame us for...

The Communications Center Of The Future

The era of nanotechnology is here, and with this technology, the world will be able to achieve things beyond the dreams of mortals. Nanotechnology will change our environment in the most fundamental way since the development of tools. The excitement lies in the theoretical possibilities that may one day overturn economies. In the next decade and a half, policing will become more difficult. Policing computer and internet crimes is already challenging; adding wireless technology and...

The Emergency Doctrine: Doing the Right Thing

The Emergency Doctrine was created by human lawmakers who understood that if we are held to our normal standard of care during times when meeting such a standard is impossible, we may not act at all out of fear that we will do the wrong thing.

The Ghosts of Christmases Past

There will always be a select number of calls whose memory will follow each and every one of us throughout our careers and become indelibly imprinted as part of the holiday season... Despite the severity of these events and others like them, the names of those involved have dimmed over the years. While the streets and neighborhoods involved are often associated with these recollections, the most common denominator is the deep seated sorrow that "something like this could happen near the...

The House is Falling: Suffering the Consequences of Neglect

There is not just ONE problem that is easy to solve in the 9-1-1 industry. There are many areas in need of repair, here are some thoughts: It is NO mystery that the pay is at times inadequate. Inadequate to attract good candidates, inadequate to keep good employees, inadequate to enable workers to feel valued or heard. They (whoever they are) claim pay isn't what matters, just like other human services jobs such as counseling, caring for the mentally ill. True maybe - the pay IN ITSELF...

The Numbers Game: Are Score-Based QA Systems Truly Representative of Dispatcher Performance?

In a profession as critical - and criticized - as our contemporary 9-1-1 occupation, adherence to policies and procedures becomes extremely important. This is especially true for agencies that provide some measure of post-dispatch and/or pre-arrival instructions to callers, directing the caller to actively do something to stabilize a patient or begin to mitigate an emergency before the arrival of the dispatched first responders. Evaluating performance and compliance with protocols and...

The Online Manager: Challenges of the Digital Age

Having written the Communication Manager's column for 9-1-1 Magazine for the past 15 years, I now look forward to making the transition to the web from print. While I have already had a few columns posted here, these were actually leftovers that had been waiting publication. So, from this month forward I'll be able to take advantage of the immediacy of the web and post content that is truly fresh.

The Problem with Quality

Quality Improvement (QI) is a relatively new concept in emergency communications. Called by many names, including Total Quality Management or Control, Quality Assurance, and Statistical Quality Control, among others, QI has existed in the modern era since post WWII Japan when quality experts like Dr. W. Edwards Deming and Joseph M. Juran helped to re-industrialize the war-torn country.

What is complacency anyway?

In the 9-1-1-world complacency is a bad, bad word. Self-satisfied, on the other hand, is the actual dictionary definition and not a bad, bad thing - right? However, the dictionary goes further to say complacency is satisfaction to the degree that the complacent person becomes unaware of "potential dangers." The Call Taker may dull their sense of intuition. The Radio Dispatcher may be less inclined to do a status check. A Supervisor may procrastinate on a complaint. A Trainer may give...