by The Sage
Dear Sage,
There's a dispute among the dispatchers here over whether we should single
one dispatcher out for an award this year, or just give an appreciation
award for the entire comm center staff. What's you take on this?
Single
Dear Single,
The usual explanation of a group award is that it's a cop-out, signifying
the agency's lack of ability to select one person who really exemplifies
the extraordinary dispatcher. On the other hand, should one person be "glorified"
at the expense of other who work hard all year?
Here my cut: the dispatchers in your comm center should be secure enough,
professional enough, and generous enough to recognize the extraordinary
qualities in a single person, and to want to focus the spotlight on him/her.
It doesn't mean the light will only fall on that person. Indeed, once illuminated
by achievement, the glow from a single person illuminates everyone around.
Sage
Dear Sage,
My agency has a no-response policy for places that have more than 4 alarms
within a 90 day period. We get the list, and tell the alarm company we aren't
going when they call with a no-response address. I've argued that we should
still go to bank robbery alarms, but so far, unsuccessfully. What's your
agency do?
Passed Out
Dear Out,
We tried the same approach. Result: the number of alarms we actually dispatched
declined by only five percent. The number of addresses on the list (from
when it first started) declined by 20 percent. The number of businesses
that simply paid the fee to stay off the list increased by 50 percent. Tally:
very minor reduction in responses, but gigantic increase in revenue for
the city. Conclusion: you won't add that many incidents by responding to
incidents which fulfill your mission of protecting life and property, so
respond to all robbery alarms, whether on the no-response list or not.
Sage
Boy! Was I confused about what ambulance company is doing what! I should read DISPATCH first, and then devine the future. Anyway, it's Rural-Metro that is pushing into South America, not AMR. Maybe I need an ambulance!
Heads Up!: I couldn't help but read some Internet postings that suggest that not everything is hunky-dory at San Francisco PD's comm center. In fact, seems like the head cheese there is in disfavor among the dispatchers. I've been told he is totally disconnected from the daily operation and successfully lobbied the city against a dispatcher pay raise, even though the money was already allocated. Stand by for more.
Dear Sage,
Do you see the Internet as having some use for public safety agencies?
Fred Baud
Dear Fred,
Well, the general hype on the "wonders" of the Internet do spill
over to public safety, especially if you judge it only by the business marketing
types. On the other hand, there is a ton of information out there if you
can find it. I'd start with the Jan/Feb issue of 9-1-1 Magazine, but suggest
you skip the SCC/NENA National Reference Center Web address until later
this summer. They've been hyping this site for months and it still hasn't
seen the light of day. Oh, you could also check the Web site for this rag-www.911dispatch.com.
The Sage
The Power: Just to show you the range and power of the Internet, that MDT interception program is working perfectly to pick up data transmission on 868.7625 MHz in-South Australia! I hear that DJM Electronics out on Churchill Road is selling pre-built MDT receivers to radio-heads who can read everything that's sent of the police agency's data system.
AC/DC: I hear that Louisville and Jefferson County (Ken.) are bickering over their radio systems, whose should prevail, whose should be replaced, etc. Of course, the radio companies are in on the dispute big time. Apparently Louisville has the better system, with JCPD operating a noisy VHF system. The swing vote may be the media, which is watching the debate closely, in case they have to buy 800 MHz trunked radios to stay in touch with the police and fire departments.
Dear Sage,
Where will you be traveling this year?
Sailplane
Dear Sail,
So far, my schedule includes the APCO conference, but not NENA. On the other
hand, you should know that promo materials mailed out by NENA show that
just 4% of the attendees list themselves as a dispatcher or call-taker,
while 56% say they're a "911 decisionmaker"-whatever that is!
In case you're still curious, 27% of attendees are from telephone companies,
apparently trying to get an inside track on where the revenues will be next
year, and 61% are from actual public safety agencies.
Sage