MY BLOG: 911: Setting the standard in Lee County and beyond! Beginning the trend of 9-1-1 standards.

Wednesday, January 28, 2009

911: Setting the standard in Lee County and beyond! Beginning the trend of 9-1-1 standards.

OMgosh! I'm so excited!!!!

Things are starting to happen!

I'm so overwhelmed with tears right now. Gosh, I just want to hug Lee County officials and all the other 9-1-1 training centers who attended!!!!! Oh, God bless you for stepping up!

I don't know how to embed the video but here's a link from WinkNews!! But reading the article is much better. There's more to the article than to the video, IMO.

video:
http://www.winknews.com/news/local/38500094.html

article:
911: Setting the standard in Lee County and beyond
By WINK News
Story Created: Jan 27, 2009 at 6:50 PM EST
Story Updated: Jan 27, 2009 at 7:16 PM EST

LEE COUNTY, Fla. - A group of 911 trainers from counties across Florida met for the first time in Lee County Tuesday to work toward mandatory training and certification for dispatchers statewide. They're starting with their own agencies.

Police officers and fire fighters are certified, so they ask...why not them?"

We're the ones that are taking the calls from the hostage takers, from the suicidal individuals, we're taking calls from shooting victims...whatever tragedy is going on that time, that is the life of a 911 operator," said Chris Hodges, 911 Training Coordinator for the Lee County Sheriff's Office.

The Denise Amber Lee Act, which passed last year, set the standard for state-wide certification. Right now though, the standard is only voluntary. The Act is named for a murdered North Port mother.

An investigation revealed information that could have possibly lead deputies to Lee, was never passed on by dispatchers in Charlotte County.

A stronger version of the Denise Amber Lee Act would make the certification standards mandatory. It's expected to be considered by Florida lawmakers during the upcoming Legislative Session.

But, Hodges says Lee County is already one step ahead.

"We're looking at it as mandatory. Everybody in our communications center will be state certified, voluntary or not. Everybody will go through certification," she explained. She says the goal is to have all dispatchers who qualify to be certified by the end of the year."

Everybody needs to go back to their training programs, look at their standards, make sure we're up to standard and also open the channel of communication and resource sharing between the agencies," Hodges went on to say.

The trainers represented agencies from as far north as Ocala down to the Keys.

Natalie Duran, with the Miami-Dade Fire Rescue Department says she looks forward to the day when someone can call 911 from any county in Florida and expect the person on the other line to have the same level of standardized training."

It's wonderful to think every time I cross over from one county to the other, the dispatcher that picks up the phone that everyone of them understands the information I need, they will ask me the same type of questions and they will provide me with the same type of service," said Duran.

Attn: Cell Phone Users

I'm adapting this from a pamphlet Mark picked up from the California NENA conference out in San Diego.

When Dialing 9-1-1 From Your Cell Phone

1. Call only for immediate emergency assistance - medical, fire, or police.

2. Be prepared to provide your location and any essential information the dispatcher may need.

3. Stay on the line until told to hang up. You may be transferred to another agency.

added edit

Cell phones cannot "text" 9-1-1. During the Virginia Tech massacre, many students tried texting 9-1-1 because they were afraid the killer would hear them.

Do not assume 9-1-1 can find you when using a cell phone. Cell phone signals go to the nearest "available" tower.

IMO, always call 9-1-1 in an emergency unless you are sure others have already called.

And, IMO, if you are distraught, if possible have a neighbor or other family member call 9-1-1 for you. They will most likely be able to listen and give clearer instructions.

Help Reduce Unnecessary Calls

Use non-emergency numbers for your local law enforcement agency when you do not need immediate assistance.

If medical, fire or police are already on scene, it is not necessary to call 9-1-1 again. Instead, call a non-emergency number if you have additional information and witnessed the incident.

Do not call 9-1-1 for non-emergecy incidents (i.e., requesting road conditions, asking why traffic is backed up, requesting driving directions, or other similar reasons). Be prepared; contact your local FHP (Florida Highway Patrol) office directly, using a non-emergency number.

Use or maintain a landline at home and at work for 9-1-1 calls, as the dispatcher is more likely to get accurate location information from a landline.

Using 9-1-1 in non-emergency situations prevents critical emergencies from being attended to.

DID YOU KNOW?

Almost everyone in the U.S. owns a cell phone and some households do not use a landline at all. Consequently, hundreds of thousands of wireless 9-1-1 calls are made daily nationwide.

Far too many cellular 9-1-1 phone calls, both non-emergency and repeat calls for the same incident, are tying up the 9-1-1 phone system. This results in unnecessary busy signals, disconnects, and delays in dispatch time for ture 9-1-1 emergency calls.

Not every 9-1-1 call is answered by your local law enforcement agency. Cell phone providers try to calculate you approximate location using cell towers or satellite positioning. If they cannot, the call will likely default to the Florida Highway Patrol and then be transferred to the appropriate agency. This means that non-emergency or repeat calls are wasting critical minutes or dispatchers' time.

If you call 9-1-1 from you cell phone or an inactive phone, your phone number and location information may not be available to the dispatcher. Know your surroundings (street address, landmarks, mileposts) when calling 9-1-1. This will save valuable seconds in an emergency.

Avoid accidental 9-1-1 calls

Accidental cell phone calls can congest the 9-1-1 phone system. Accidental calls occur when the phone is placed in a pocket, belt clip, or purse, and a pre-programmed emergency button is bumped. Even a locked phone can dial 9-1-1.

Help Avoid Accidental Calls With the Following Tips

Do not hang up on an accidental 9-1-1 call. Inform the dispatcher that the call was an accident before you hang up.

Do not pre-program 9-1-1 into your or your child's cell phone's speed dial. This can lead to accidental calls.

Teach your child how and when to dial 9-1-1 from a cell phone. Train them to press 9-1-1 and the "send" button only in an emergency.

Even cell phones without active service can dial 9-1-1. Take batteries out of cell phones before recycling them or giving them to a child to play with.

Don't call 9-1-1 to check to see if you cell phone works. 9-1-1 is to be used for emergency calls only.

MY BLOG

Wednesday, January 28, 2009

911: Setting the standard in Lee County and beyond! Beginning the trend of 9-1-1 standards.

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Attn: Cell Phone Users