9–1–1: The First of the First Responders
This week, April 10–16, 2016, is National Public Safety Telecommunicators Week.
“Every year during the second week of April, the telecommunications personnel in the public safety community, are honored. This week-long event, initially set up in 1981 by Patricia Anderson of the Contra Costa County Sheriff’s Office in California, is a time to celebrate and thank those who dedicate their lives to serving the public. It is a week that should be set aside so everyone can be made aware of their hard work and dedication.”
While it’s important to recognize the many contributions these behind the scenes professionals make to the public safety community every day, it’s equally important to recognize the critical role telecommunicators and dispatchers play in the Homeland Security Enterprise.
“If You See Something, Say Something” is a national campaign that raises public awareness of the indicators of terrorism and terrorism-related crime, as well as the importance of reporting suspicious activity to state and local law enforcement. The citizens of our nation have a vital role in the fight against terrorism on the home front, as awareness and rapid reporting of suspicious conditions and individuals are two of the most effective ways of reducing and preventing terrorist activity. The medium by which activity of this nature is generally reported is a community’s 9–1–1 system. When a 9–1–1 call is made, trained telecommunicators quickly ascertain the nature of the problem, collect the appropriate address, town, and cross street information, along with the name and phone number of the reporting party, and relay the information to the appropriate dispatcher. The dispatcher takes the information and routes it to the appropriate law enforcement agency for investigation and follow up.
The questionable situation a 9–1–1 caller is witnessing or suspicious individual they’re seeing must be reported in a timely fashion, with as accurate a description as possible. Their ability to remain calm, cool, and collected during the situation reporting process will have a tremendous bearing on the successful investigation of the incident, as well as the potential apprehension of any suspects. Far too often, 9–1–1 callers will dial those three familiar numbers, and the minute the call is connected, they’ll begin blurting out the situation to the telecommunicator before the location of the incident (by far the most critical piece of information gathered during a 9–1–1 call) has been determined.
Once the 9–1–1 call is connected, immediately provide the location of your incident to the telecommunicator. This way, even if your call is disconnected, the telecommunicator can still create a “cause unknown” event and send it to the dispatcher for investigation by a law enforcement official. Assuming your call isn’t disconnected, once all of the critical call information is collected (address, town, cross street, phone number, and name), as calmly as you can, explain what you’re seeing or what you saw to the telecommunicator. The telecommunicator may ask you some additional questions about the situation. If you’re reporting a suspicious person, they’ll want a description of the individual; height, weight, race, sex, clothing, etc. Suspicious vehicle descriptions should include the make, model, and color of the vehicle, and most importantly, a license plate number, if you can safely obtain one. How many occupants are/were in the vehicle? Where is the vehicle parked, or what direction did it go when it left the location? Was anything left behind? When you’re witnessing a suspicious situation first hand, whether it be a suspicious individual, suspicious vehicle, or simply a suspicious condition, try to commit as much of the situation to memory as possible. If those involved are truly there for nefarious purposes, they won’t be there for long. Your ability to retain critical information about the incident and about those involved in the incident, and to convey said information effectively to a 9–1–1 telecommunicator means everything to the law enforcement officials investigating the situation.
Those in the Homeland Security Enterprise are also charged with preparing for and mitigating the impact of natural disasters on the homeland. Whether it is a wildfire in California, a tornado in Kansas, a Hurricane in Florida, or an Ice Storm in New York, professionals from our nation’s emergency communications centers will ultimately be involved in the response and recovery process, and in some cases, the response planning process as well. It is during large scale catastrophic events like Hurricane Katrina that the value of the 9–1–1 telecommunicator and dispatcher truly becomes evident. These professionals not only ensure the emergency needs of the public are met during chaotic times; they also make the safety and security of America’s first responders their number one priority as law enforcement, fire, and emergency medical service professionals make their way from event to event.
America picks up the phone and dials “9–1–1” when help is needed. Law enforcement officer’s call dispatch when backup is needed. Firefighters yell “mayday” over the radio to let a dispatcher know someone is in trouble. Emergency Medical Service professionals call dispatch to advise them of a patient’s condition so the information can be relayed to the appropriate hospital prior to arrival. One might hear about a situation 9–1–1 professionals dealt with on the local news. What you won’t hear is how a telecommunicator calmed a concerned Mother or Father who couldn’t locate their child; CPR instructions being given to someone who is assisting a family member or friend in cardiac arrest; or someone being consoled over the phone after a loved one passed away.
These are the moments 9–1–1 professionals deal with every day. This is why 9–1–1 professionals are truly, the First of the First Responders.
D. Jeremy DeMar/WeSeeHSE
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For additional information on articles referenced in this content, please see the below links:
https://www.dhs.gov/see-something-say-something/about-campaign
