Institute Names Honored Comm Center

The E9-1-1 Institute today gave the Minneapolis (Minn.) Emergency Communications Center its annual 2008 911 Outstanding Call Center Award, citing it for how dispatchers handled last year’s bridge collapse in the city. At least 13 died and scores were injured when a structural failure plunged the I-35W bridge into the Mississippi River. The incident generated 505 calls to 911 over a two-hour period, including 51 calls from the victims themselves, some trapped under the debris. After the incident, several off-duty dispatchers immediately responded to join the 13 on-duty dispatchers who were scrambling to field telephone calls and radio traffic, and to coordinate all the necessary agencies and private companies that eventually responded. John Dejung, director of the center, said, “It’s humbling to be chosen for this significant award, but I also know our people deserve it for the remarkable work they do.” The award, along with honors in other categories, was presented by the Institute on March 4th in Washington (DC).