Friday, July 22, 2011
KANSAS 911 added to webpage
KANSAS911.org, a site powered by the League of Kansas Municipalities now provides information regarding 9-1-1 fees, Nexgen 9-1-1, as well as information on the 9-1-1 Coordinating Council. A link has been added to the main page at www.ksapco.net.
Thursday, July 14, 2011
KSAPCO seeks vendors, sponsors for Fall Conference
Kansas APCO is now seeking vendors who are interested in participating and sponsoring the Fall Conference. Information about renting booth space in the Vendor Room at the conference, information on sponsorships, as well as a Vendor Contract are now available on the website at www.ksapco.net. Vendors should click on "Fall Conference" in the left column, then "Vendors" on the menu at the top of the page. Brad Gilges is the contact member for Kansas APCO.
Monday, July 11, 2011
Officer elections to be held at fall conference
Election of officers for the KSAPCO Board will be held at the fall conference in Wichita. For more information on the elections, visit the Fall Conference page at http://www.ksapco.net/fall_elections.html.
More info on narrowbanding
APCO's online magazine, "Public Safety Communications" has a link that provides more information on the narrowbanding deadline and how to meet it. Visit the link below.
http://psc.apcointl.org/2011/07/07/narrowband-now/
http://psc.apcointl.org/2011/07/07/narrowband-now/
Friday, July 8, 2011
Governor appoints 911 Council
From Michele Abbott, Kansas APCO Legislative Chair - The Governor has made his appointments to the 911Coordinating Council. The Council is tasked under the new law with many of the duties necessary to implement the new law and to start developing Next Generation 911. The Council appointments are:
Two members representing information technology personnel from government units: Richard Vogt and Chris Kelly
1 member representing a law enforcement officer: Gary Smith
1 member representing a fire chief: Mike Naploitano
1 member recommended by the Adjutant General: Jessica Frye
1 member recommended by the Kansas Emergency Medical Services Board: Bob Boaldin
1 member recommended by the Kansas Commission for the Deaf and Hard of Hearing: Rebecca Rosenthal
2 members representing PSAPs located in counties with less than 75,000 population: Michele Abbott and James Reed
2 members representing PSAPs in counties with greater than 75,000 populations: Walt Way and Kim Pennington
1 member representing PSAPs without regard to size of county: Pat Collins
Other voting members include appointments by the House and Senate. The Speaker of the House appointed Rep. Kyle Hoffman and the Minority Leader appointed Rep. Annie Kuether. The Senate President and Senate Minority Leader have not made their appointments yet.
The 10 non-voting members appointed to the Council by the Governor are:
1 member representing rural telecommunications companies recommended by the Kansas rural independent telephone companies: Jimmy Todd
1 member representing incumbent local exchange carriers with over 50,000 access lines: Phillip Ryan
1 member representing large wireless providers: Larry Meyers
1 member representing VoIP providers: Collen Jennison
1 member recommended by the League of Kansas Municipalities: Kim Winn
1 member recommended by the Kansas Association of Counties: Rob Roberts
1 member recommended by the Kansas Geographic Information Systems Policy Board: Ivan Weichert
1 member recommended by KAN-ED: Dennis George
1 member recommended by the Kansas Division of Information Systems and Communications: Jay Coverdale
1 member, a Kansas resident, recommended by the Mid-America Regional Council: Keith Faddis
The Governor selected as Chair of the Council, Walter Way
Two members representing information technology personnel from government units: Richard Vogt and Chris Kelly
1 member representing a law enforcement officer: Gary Smith
1 member representing a fire chief: Mike Naploitano
1 member recommended by the Adjutant General: Jessica Frye
1 member recommended by the Kansas Emergency Medical Services Board: Bob Boaldin
1 member recommended by the Kansas Commission for the Deaf and Hard of Hearing: Rebecca Rosenthal
2 members representing PSAPs located in counties with less than 75,000 population: Michele Abbott and James Reed
2 members representing PSAPs in counties with greater than 75,000 populations: Walt Way and Kim Pennington
1 member representing PSAPs without regard to size of county: Pat Collins
Other voting members include appointments by the House and Senate. The Speaker of the House appointed Rep. Kyle Hoffman and the Minority Leader appointed Rep. Annie Kuether. The Senate President and Senate Minority Leader have not made their appointments yet.
The 10 non-voting members appointed to the Council by the Governor are:
1 member representing rural telecommunications companies recommended by the Kansas rural independent telephone companies: Jimmy Todd
1 member representing incumbent local exchange carriers with over 50,000 access lines: Phillip Ryan
1 member representing large wireless providers: Larry Meyers
1 member representing VoIP providers: Collen Jennison
1 member recommended by the League of Kansas Municipalities: Kim Winn
1 member recommended by the Kansas Association of Counties: Rob Roberts
1 member recommended by the Kansas Geographic Information Systems Policy Board: Ivan Weichert
1 member recommended by KAN-ED: Dennis George
1 member recommended by the Kansas Division of Information Systems and Communications: Jay Coverdale
1 member, a Kansas resident, recommended by the Mid-America Regional Council: Keith Faddis
The Governor selected as Chair of the Council, Walter Way
Friday, July 1, 2011
Member Services newsletter available
Look under "Announcements" at www.ksapco.net for the June 2011, APCO Member Services Newsletter.
Thursday, June 30, 2011
Douglas County Emergency Dispatchers Juggle Hundreds Of Calls Every Day
From Stan Blanchard
By Joe Preiner
June 11, 2011
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Photo by Richard Gwin
Patty Lichlyter is one of 19 full-time dispatchers at the Douglas County Emergency Communications Center, 111 E. 11th. Dispatchers are responsible for taking and responding to an average of 900 to 1,100 emergency calls each day for emergencies big and small, from fires and vehicle accidents to barking dogs.
If you’ve called 911 anytime in the past 13 years, there’s a good chance you’ve spoken with Marjorie Hedden.
She’s often one of the people on the receiving end.
She’s one of 19 full-time dispatchers working in the Douglas County Emergency Communications Center in downtown Lawrence. The job, which she said is not for the faint of heart, requires a great deal of focus and concentration, not to mention the ability to multitask.
On any given day, dispatchers may have to answer calls using their hands, headsets or feet. Depending on the volume of calls, the chatter among he at least three dispatchers can become distracting.
“It can get loud in here,” Hedden said. “You have to learn to tune it out without tuning everything out.”
Focus is merely one of the many skills in which Douglas County dispatchers must be proficient. They are also required to commit to memory a wealth of knowledge, including 10-codes, computer shorthand and emergency vehicle numbers and functions.
“That’s why the training period is so long,” Hedden said.
To become an emergency dispatcher in Douglas County takes time. Each dispatcher is cross-trained to handle every position on the staff. Scott Ruf, the center’s new director, said the training process can take as long as eight months.
“There’s a big, big learning curve,” he said. “It’s one of those jobs where very rarely do you have someone come in that has experience.”
But the training has to be demanding and comprehensive because the job needs it to be. Dispatchers are responsible for taking and responding to calls for a plethora of emergencies, from fires and vehicle accidents to violent crimes and barking dogs. The center receives an average of 900 to 1,100 service calls each day, or roughly 300 to 350 calls per eight-hour shift. Ruf said patience among dispatchers is a necessary and usually acquired skill.
“What people sometimes don’t understand is that we might be asking these questions, but people are already on the way,” Ruf said of emergency calls. “There’s that customer service and that empathy, but at the same time we’re trying to do a job. There’s a method to the madness.”
The madness includes manning the communications center 24 hours each day, every day of the week. In Douglas County, that happens in three shifts, with one covering the morning and early after noon, one for the evening and one for the overnight hours. Even with 19 dispatchers and three shift supervisors, Ruf said, the staff may not be big enough at times.
“We’re probably understaffed,” Ruf said. “To what degree or by how many I don’t know, but a lot of that comes to how you set your schedules up.”
But county dispatchers aren’t alone in their work. On days and nights when things get hectic, public safety employees with Kansas University lend a helping hand. The symbiotic relationship lets county, city and university law enforcement work more effectively.
Technology helps the center operate smoothly, too. A recent upgrade to the call system has provided dispatchers with a new touch-screen setup that makes handling calls easier and faster. Each dispatcher has a station with as many as five monitors, all set to help complete or keep tra ck of important information. There’s even a computer that lets dispatchers know which hospitals have beds available in the area.
Ruf said he considers the communications center a support service. The center provides dispatch support to 23 area agencies in Douglas County, including agencies in Lawrence, Eudora, Lecompton and Baldwin City. With the help of personnel and sufficient funding, Ruf said his goal for the center was clear.
“I want it to be one of the best, top-notch professional agencies of its type in the state,” he said. “If not the region and the country.”
By Joe Preiner
June 11, 2011
Patty Lichlyter is one of 19 full-time dispatchers at the Douglas County Emergency Communications Center, 111 E. 11th. Dispatchers are responsible for taking and responding to an average of 900 to 1,100 emergency calls each day for emergencies big and small, from fires and vehicle accidents to barking dogs.
If you’ve called 911 anytime in the past 13 years, there’s a good chance you’ve spoken with Marjorie Hedden.
She’s often one of the people on the receiving end.
She’s one of 19 full-time dispatchers working in the Douglas County Emergency Communications Center in downtown Lawrence. The job, which she said is not for the faint of heart, requires a great deal of focus and concentration, not to mention the ability to multitask.
On any given day, dispatchers may have to answer calls using their hands, headsets or feet. Depending on the volume of calls, the chatter among he at least three dispatchers can become distracting.
“It can get loud in here,” Hedden said. “You have to learn to tune it out without tuning everything out.”
Focus is merely one of the many skills in which Douglas County dispatchers must be proficient. They are also required to commit to memory a wealth of knowledge, including 10-codes, computer shorthand and emergency vehicle numbers and functions.
“That’s why the training period is so long,” Hedden said.
To become an emergency dispatcher in Douglas County takes time. Each dispatcher is cross-trained to handle every position on the staff. Scott Ruf, the center’s new director, said the training process can take as long as eight months.
“There’s a big, big learning curve,” he said. “It’s one of those jobs where very rarely do you have someone come in that has experience.”
But the training has to be demanding and comprehensive because the job needs it to be. Dispatchers are responsible for taking and responding to calls for a plethora of emergencies, from fires and vehicle accidents to violent crimes and barking dogs. The center receives an average of 900 to 1,100 service calls each day, or roughly 300 to 350 calls per eight-hour shift. Ruf said patience among dispatchers is a necessary and usually acquired skill.
“What people sometimes don’t understand is that we might be asking these questions, but people are already on the way,” Ruf said of emergency calls. “There’s that customer service and that empathy, but at the same time we’re trying to do a job. There’s a method to the madness.”
The madness includes manning the communications center 24 hours each day, every day of the week. In Douglas County, that happens in three shifts, with one covering the morning and early after noon, one for the evening and one for the overnight hours. Even with 19 dispatchers and three shift supervisors, Ruf said, the staff may not be big enough at times.
“We’re probably understaffed,” Ruf said. “To what degree or by how many I don’t know, but a lot of that comes to how you set your schedules up.”
But county dispatchers aren’t alone in their work. On days and nights when things get hectic, public safety employees with Kansas University lend a helping hand. The symbiotic relationship lets county, city and university law enforcement work more effectively.
Technology helps the center operate smoothly, too. A recent upgrade to the call system has provided dispatchers with a new touch-screen setup that makes handling calls easier and faster. Each dispatcher has a station with as many as five monitors, all set to help complete or keep tra ck of important information. There’s even a computer that lets dispatchers know which hospitals have beds available in the area.
Ruf said he considers the communications center a support service. The center provides dispatch support to 23 area agencies in Douglas County, including agencies in Lawrence, Eudora, Lecompton and Baldwin City. With the help of personnel and sufficient funding, Ruf said his goal for the center was clear.
“I want it to be one of the best, top-notch professional agencies of its type in the state,” he said. “If not the region and the country.”
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