Ready to Handle a Runaway Prius? Better Be
A rookie San Diego region California Highway Patrol (CHP) dispatcher received a 911 call straight from the front pagesa man said the engine of his Toyota Prius was racing, and he couldn’t stop the vehicle traveling at 94 mph. The driver survived the scary 20-minute ride after a CHP arrived, told him over the patrol [...]
National 911 Network Needs Addressing Standards
Not only have the nation’s local cities, towns and counties created their own 911 systems, but they’re all based on non-standard and sometimes odd methods of addressing properties in their jurisdiction. Facing the possibility of a future integrated, national 911 network, a federal group is now working to create a standard way of assigning addresses [...]
Deal Final: Ortivus North American Sold
Finalizing a plan to draw back to its core business, Ortivus AB (Sweden) announced that the sale of its North American public safety software operation to privately-held TriTech Software Systems is now complete. In turn, TriTech said that its new acquisition will be called TriTech Emergency Medical Systems. Ortivus is a 25 year-old company that [...]
Site News: Overhaul Coming Soon
Over the next week this Web site will undergo a major transformation, all intended to provide a better way for you to read the news and find information, provide feedback on stories, and interact with other comm center personnel from around the world. Behind the scenes, the site will move to a faster server at [...]
Detroit: Did Dispatcher Handle Child’s Call Correctly?
The Detroit (Mich.) police chief says he’s ordered an investigation into how an unnamed dispatcher handled a 911 from a child reporting that her mother and father had been shot inside their home. Chief Warren Evans released about one-half of the logging tape of the call, but a TV station obtained the full recording, which [...]
Detroit: Did Dispatcher Handle Call Correctly?
The Detroit (Mich.) police chief says he’s ordered an investigation into how an unnamed dispatcher handled a 911 from an 8 year-old child reporting that her mother and father had been shot inside their home. Chief Warren Evans released about one-half of the logging tape of the call, but a TV station obtained the full [...]
Utah Dispatcher Honored by Red Cross
The Salt Lake City (Utah) chapter of the American Red Cross held its annual Heroes banquet to honor those who saved a live during 2009, and Utah Highway Patrol dispatcher Kathy Jo Hall was one of the two recognized. Hall fielded a telephone call from a man whose boat had capsized on the Great Salt [...]
Dream Dispatching Job Still Open
There is no more beautiful spot on earth than Alaska, and Denali National Park (http://www.nps.gov/DENA/) is one of that state’s scenic wonders. Now you have the opportunity to work therepermanent, full-time. The National Park Service is in the last two days of recruiting for dispatchers at the park, an all-encompassing adventure that includes all the [...]
Toronto Officer Dies Following Crash
Police say the officer was critically injured around 11 p.m. Monday when his marked cruiser collided with another vehicle.
911 Call: An Arrest And a Life Saved
It was a single extraordinary 911 call to the Indian River (Fla.) Sheriff’s comm center, a man confessed to a long series of sexual assaults, but also told the dispatcher he was holding a gun and contemplating suicide. It was veteran dispatcher Pam Metzdorf who answered the call and, during a 15-minute conversation, talked humanely [...]