County 9-1-1 valuable safety program

County 9-1-1 news

Kim Brandt, Van Wert County 9-1-1 coordinator, has put together information on the county 9-1-1 service in conjunction with April being “9-1-1 Education Month.”

The week of April 14-20 is National Telecommunicators Week: a week to honor Van Wert County 9-1-1 dispatchers, the calming voice on the other end of the line when 9-1-1 is needed. Dependable, caring people, a friend who is there when needed but slips back into anonymity when the task is finished. This friend has no name, only a number: 9-1-1.

What does a 9-1-1 dispatcher need to know and how can they help a 9-1-1 caller? Besides being the contact for the police, fire or EMS personnel needed, dispatchers provide medical pre-arrival instructions if needed.

9-1-1 is used by the public throughout the United States to request emergency assistance and gives the public one easy-to-remember direct access number to a PSAP (Public Safety Answering Point) that is responsible for taking appropriate action.

A main benefit of 9-1-1 to Van Wert County is reduced response time by emergency agencies. A reduction of one minute in response time for ambulance service lowers the death rate in heart attacks, accidents, and injuries, saves countless dollars in fires and contributes to the apprehension of criminals.

Although every 9-1-1 system is unique, 9-1-1 generally works in the following way:

The three digit emergency number is dialed and the call is answered at a PSAP by a dispatcher saying: “9-1-1, what is the location of your emergency”.

In today’s world, getting the location is key information, since, with some devices or services used, location information is not always automatically sent to dispatch. 9-1-1 PSAPs receive calls daily that originate in neighboring counties, such as Mercer and Paulding. It only takes a second to transfer a call to the proper PSAP once a dispatcher knows which one is needed.

Once caller location is determined, a 9-1-1 dispatcher will ask other questions to determine the age of a victim, what the problem is, how many people are involved and any other information needed. That data is given to emergency responders that are sent to the 9-1-1 caller’s location.

County dispatchers include Rodney Smith, Vicky Huebner, Karen Biberstine, Cathy Binkley, Stephanie Harter, Jim Wilcox, Greg Scherger and Pam Dull, while city dispatchers include Rick Spoor, Cheryl Bowen, Rachel Black, Angelo Watson, Shelly Smith, Austin McIntosh and Bob Ashley (click here for more 9-1-1 information).

All Van Wert County 9-1-1 dispatchers are Emergency Medical Dispatch certified through the National Academy of Emergency Medical Dispatch. National Academy training includes a three-day seminar and 24 hours of continuing education every two years.

Dispatchers perform many duties beyond 9-1-1 emergency calls. They are responsible for officer safety, radio traffic, office walk-in traffic and regular office telephone calls.

County 9-1-1 Coordinator Kim Brandt notes that being a dispatcher is not a job for the faint of heart or a job just anyone can handle. Dispatchers are people capable of multitasking and handling a large stress load.

“At this time of year, during National Telecommunicators Week, it is my privilege to honor our 9-1-1 dispatchers for all the good work they do behind the scenes throughout the year,” Brandt added. “As 9-1-1 coordinator, I give a huge thank you today to all 911 dispatchers. They work hard to be their best at their task.”

In addition to their regular duties, Brandt added that dispatchers in both the Sheriff’s Office and Van Wert Police Department have had to deal with recently completed communication room remodels that have included new radio systems, as well as new 9-1-1 equipment.

“It was a lot to learn all the new equipment and they managed very well,” Brandt said.