911WHY ALL THE DUMB

QUESTIONS?
Whats Happening When We Call
911, the Dispatcher Perspective.
Presented by Eric Coulbourne
FACTS ABOUT 911
911 was started in January 12,1968 (Bruckner, 2011)

911 receives 173,958,226 calls per year nationwide,
with eight states not responding (National 911
Program, 2013)

Only about four percent of the population is qualified
and capable of doing (Metcalf, 2014)



WHERE I WORKED:
Ellis County Kansas ( 900 Square Miles) (AA County is 416 Square
Miles)
3 city police departments, 1 university police department,1 sheriffs
office, 3 city fire departments, 8 rural fire departments, 3 EMS
Stations, animal control, and public works after hours.
Population 29,053 (AA County has 550,488)
Major Towns
Hays (pop. 20,993)
Ellis (pop. 2094)
Victoria (pop. 1,231)
Schoenchen (pop. 210)
Munjor (pop. 213)

(City-Data 2014)
DISPATCHER WORK STATION
WHAT DISPATCHERS LEARN
Certified in NCIC (National Crime Information Center)
Local agency database software
Certified in CPR
Certified in Disaster Preparedness
Certified in EMD (Emergency Medical Dispatching)
Call recording software
Messaging software (To message emergency workers)
NLETS software
Mapping Software
Multi-channel radio software
Disaster response (Sounding Sirens)
Codes (ten codes and other codes which indicate problems)
Phonetic alphabet
TDD Deaf Communication System
PART OF A DISPATCHERS DAY
Answering non-emergency calls (210 a day) (Ellis County, KS)
Answering 911 calls (27 a day) (Ellis County, KS)
Checking License Plates
Checking Drivers Licenses
Checking for Warrants
Dispatching services
Logging all information in the CAD (11, 879 memos a day) (Ellis
County, KS)
Answering radio traffic
Monitoring teletype messages (About 1400 a day) (Ellis County,
KS)

WHAT HAPPENS WHEN THE
DISPATCHER ANSWERS:
Remember that you are not the only person calling or
that has a problem

If you are calling from a landline and remain on the line
for 2-3 minutes your information appears on the CAD

If calling from a cell phone the operator may or may
not have your location. (It all depends on the
technology obtained by the municipality your in.)
EMD CARDS

WHAT THE DISPATCHER NEEDS TO
KNOW
The most important thing the operator needs to know
is your location.

The next thing they need to know is whats happening.

After you describe what is happening they will start a
line of questioning.


WHATS HAPPENING
The dispatcher is doing more than one thing at a time.
They are answering the phone not only for you
but the numerous other people in the county

Silence generally means that they are talking on
the radio

Your information is not only being transferred to
the appropriate emergency service but is also
being recorded CAD (Computer Aided Dispatch)
REMEMBER
The person on the other end is a trained professional.

The person on the other end is trying to help. They
cannot see what your seeing.

Silence doesnt mean nothing is happening.

Remember to KEEP CALM.


QUESTIONS?
REFERENCES
http://www.911.gov/pdf/Current911DataCollection-072613.pdf
http://www.911dispatch.com/911/history/
http://www.911dispatch.com/jobs/distinct_features.html
http://explorernews.com/news/article_286f346e-c4e9-11e3-8d9c-
0019bb2963f4.html
http://www.city-data.com/