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Communications Center |
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 Dispatchers
Advocate Teaching Children How and When to
Call 911
more... |
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MCFR Dispatcher and Certified Training Officer
Ray Stump received an “Eagle Eye” award from the Marion County
Sheriff’s Office after he spotted a woman who fell and severely
injured herself at work. |
Calling 911
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When an emergency arises, call 911 immediately. Notify your
neighborhood gate guard later, and don’t assume someone else will
call for help. Emergency responders can’t help you, if 911 is not
activated. |
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When
calling 911, expect to answer questions. But remember, while you
give additional information, dispatchers have already sent emergency
crews your way. |
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Write
your
telephone number and numeric address as well as brief directions to
your house on a notepad and keep it next to the phone. This may
sound silly, but during an emergency situation, you may panic and
forget basic information. |
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Make
sure
your house number is visible from the road. |
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Multi-Tasking
When
you call 911, the operator will calmly say “911, what is your
emergency?” Within 60 seconds, the information you give
is relayed to a dispatcher who sends emergency crews your way.
Dispatchers are often the unnoticed heroes; but their work is hardly
meaningless. They work 12 hour shifts and dispatch crews to more than
90 emergencies everyday—bringing new meaning to multi-tasking
and quick-thinking.
They
are also Emergency Medical Dispatchers trained to give life-saving
information like CPR instructions over the phone.
Dispatcher Responsibilities:
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Collect
and
relay life-saving information to emergency crews in the field
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Anticipate
the
needs of the 911 caller and communicate those needs to crews in the
field |
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Update
crews
as more information becomes available |
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Track 27 fire stations
and dozens of firefighters |
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Monitor
when
firefighters go into burning buildings and when they come out |
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Keep
official times of emergency calls |
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Call
other
agencies for help |
800 Megahertz Offers
Help
Marion County Commissioners approved the purchase of the $12.5 million
800 megahertz system in July of 2005. An estimated $5.7 million of
county coffers paid for the system’s infrastructure, and public
safety agencies shared the remaining cost of the radios.
The Marion County Sheriff’s Office and Marion County Fire Rescue
started using the new system in February of 2007, six weeks ahead of
schedule.
This technology offers expanded coverage, 20 frequencies, improved
reception and increased security whereas the previous VHF/UHF system
used outdated technology, offered only one frequency and hit
dead-spots throughout the county.
The 800 megahertz system also offers what’s called
“interoperability.” This enables crews from local, state and federal
agencies to simultaneously communicate using one shared system.
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Lead Dispatcher and Certified Training Officer
Debbie Pando |
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Training
Once
hired, dispatchers undergo four solid months of intense training that
is broken into four phases and includes 120 hours of classroom
instruction.
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This is especially important during large-scale disasters such as a
hurricane when various public safety agencies need to coordinate
response efforts along with road and debris removal crews, strike
teams and utility workers.
Enhanced 911
Marion County has the “Phase I” and “Phase II” Enhanced 911
technology. This enables dispatchers to more precisely track the
longitude and latitude of a person who calls 911 using a cell phone.
Previously this was not possible, especially if a caller could not
speak or did not know their location.
MCFR also has what’s called automatic vehicle locators for advanced
life support emergency vehicles, which enables dispatchers to better
determine the exact location of fire rescue crews and send the
closest unit to every emergency.
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