Introduction
Equipment
Call-Taking
Police Dispatching
Fire Dispatching
Rules & Regulations
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Public Safety Dispatchers perform communications duties for the Fire and Police Departments of the City of Oaktown. They answer citizen calls for service, both emergency and non-emergency, and dispatch police officers, firefighters and equipment to handle any type of situation. Communications Center personnel provide the vital first-link between citizens and the city's resources. Their performance directly contributes to the safety and well-being of the Department's officers and the city's residents.
The intent of the training program is to familiarize you with the city of Oaktown and its police department, to teach you skills and to give you information essential for properly performing the job. The intent of this manual is to organize the material to make learning easier and to standardize procedures to maximize your performance.
STRUCTURE
The training period is divided into four segments as follows:
1st segment introduction to police introduction to fire PD ridealong, FD field trips
2nd segment complaint dispatcher training
3rd segment fire radio dispatcher training
4th segment police radio dispatcher training
This schedule does not take into account each dispatcher's previous knowledge and experience and the length of the training may be modified at the discretion of your trainer. The over-all objective of the program is to insure that you learn all the necessary material, regardless of the time it takes. In general, however, the entire process takes about six months.
A checklist is used by the PSD trainer to insure that all pertinent material is covered and training manuals prepared by both departments will be given to you to read.
TRAINERS
New PSD's are given an introduction during the first week by police officers and firefighters. Subsequent training is given by current PSD's who have volunteered for the assignment. Each weekly segment of the training will be given by a different PSD, to allow you to learn from different persons and from different perspectives.
EVALUATIONS
Your trainer is responsible for evaluating your performance, using a printed form/checklist. Each day your trainer will complete one of the forms, indicating how well you performed various tasks. A narrative portion of the form permits the trainer to explain any deficiencies and problems, and any additional training he/she believes is needed. Your trainer will discuss your performance with you each day and show you the form. There is also space on the evaluation form so you may add your comments. Your trainer will discuss your daily performance with the comm center supervisors each day and the forms will be filed at the end of each training segment.
In addition to these training evaluations, City evaluations are made every six months for the first year and yearly after that. These evaluations are performed by the comm center supervisor working your shift.
RESPONSIBILITY
The dispatcher handling communications for the Fire Department receives telephone calls from the public and firefighters, uses the radio to dispatch and co-ordinate fire units and most importantly, exercises his/her judgement responding to emergencies quickly and correctly. Decisions made by the dispatcher are vital to the public safety and directly bear upon the personal safety of the citizens of Oaktown and the Department's firefighters.
You are responsible for learning the material contained in:
The City of Oaktown was settled in the 1600s. It lies on the eastern shore of Lake Tihuna, bounded by the city of Mapletown to the north, Pinetown to the south and the Oaktown Hills to the east. Its population of 92,000 is contained in 30 square miles.
The city is home for the main campus of the Oaktown University, a hospital, a westside industrial area, a large marina and homes of every description. Oaktown's government is headed by a elected Mayor and City Council, while administration is by an appointed City Manager.
ORGANIZATION
The city is headed by an elected Mayor and City Council, who choose a City Manager. There are several Assistant City Managers, each heading a city department such as Human Services, Public Works, etc. The Police and Fire Departments, Parking Enforcement and Animal Control comprise the Public Safety Department. The ommunications centers operates as a service unit to the police and fire departments and is supervised by a fire captain and a police sergeant.
GEOGRAPHY
While an intimate knowledge of Oaktown's geography is not necessary for dispatching, you will often find yourself at a considerable disadvantage when questioning callers or directing field units if you don't have some familiarity with the city. It is your responsibility to study maps, street lists and place name lists to become acquainted with at least the city's streets, parks, schools, hospitals and the marina area. The following sections summarize the types of information with which you should be familiar.
City Limits
Oaktown's borders connect with four other cities, a university and another county. To the north lie Mapletown, to the east Henry County, to the south Pinetown. In most places the city line, and the police department's jurisdiction, is easy to determine. However, in the areas of Highway 99 in the west and the city line bordering Pinetown, it is often difficult to determine which police agency has responsibility.
You should be familiar with the jurisdiction in these areas: Oaktown Avenue, Westline Rd. near Ash Avenue, Maple Road and adjacent streets, northern Main Avenue, eastern Lake Way, upper Torrence Way and southern Hill Blvd.
Districts
Oaktown is composed of several small districts bound to a central, downtown area adjacent to the Oaktown University campus. South Campus is to the southeast, the Elmwood area is in the southeast, Hilltown is to the south and the Flats are to the west. Oceanview is to the northwest, Serenity is to the north, the Oaktown Hills are to the northeast and Northside is to the northeast. The Oaktown marina lies on the city's western border. Finally, there is the huge Oaktown University campus just east of downtown.
Each of these districts has a distinctive atmosphere, including traffic patterns and building types. For instance, the Oaktown Hills is almost completely residential with little street traffic, while the Elmwood district has many commercial structures with alot of vehicle and pedestrian traffic.
Streets
Oaktown streets were originally named after men of science and letters. However, as the city has grown many other names have been added. Several of the streets in the downtown area are one-way, several are completely or partially blocked by barriers and many are split ---they stop and start several blocks apart.
Access to streets varies because of width, parking and trees. There are wide streets with median strips like University Avenue and narrow, winding streets like La Vereda. Some are straight and may be driven at high speeds, while others are crooked and must be driven at a crawl.
Streets names are not always unique--- some are distinguished only by their suffix--- avenue, boulevard, way, lane, etc. Others street names are duplicated in adjacent cities. Some block numbers range from 1 to 99, while others range from 200 to 3400. Many Oaktown streets continue beyond the city limits into neighboring cities and there are many street names which sound similar, but which are at opposite ends of the city.
All odd house numbers in Oaktown are on the north and east sides of the street, while even numbers are on the south and west sides. Oakland's numbering scheme is exactly opposite and some other nearby cities are different, too.
Some street names are obscure and some roadways have no names. There are several private streets with commonly accepted names while others with no name at all. There are alleys, walks and paths that have no street numbers and berths in the marina that are lettered and numbered with boats that are named.
Buildings
Oaktown has high-rise buildings, large houses in the hills, heavily populated dormitories and hospitals, large industrial complexes, public and private schools, several parks and the largest marina in the Eastbay. The diversity is staggering and the number of building names is immense.
There are many restaurants and stores that have several branches in Oaktown, sometimes on the same street but in different parts of the city. Many businesses have similar-sounding names.
Police Considerations
During your training you will be begin learning how a police officer thinks and looks at the city. Where a citizen sees a storefront, an officer sees an easy target for burglary or an escape route after a robbery. Where a citizen sees an intersection, an officer sees a previous fatal vehicle accident. Where a citizen sees a street crowded with vehicles, an officer recognizes a stolen car and suspect.
It's important for you to understand how a police officer views the city and what aspects of it are important to police work. During your training you will talk to officers and hear their concerns. You will spend some time riding with officers on patrol, learning more about the city and how geography affects crime and law enforcement. More often, you will hear their questions and comments on the radio about geography and how it affects their patrol.
THE PAST
The Oaktown Police Department's heritage began in 1805 when Henry Young was elected Town Marshall of Oaktown. He immediately proved himself an honest and capable officer by cleaning up various gambling dens which had operated for years.
Young then turned his attention to improving the city's capabilities. He requested that the town's Board of Trustees purchase a shotgun and handcuffs and they agreed. In 1810, shortly after Oaktown became a city, an ordinance was passed creating the Oaktown Police Department. In the same move, the town council named Young the first Chief of Police.
THE PRESENT
The Oaktown Police Department provides law enforcement services to over 92,000 citizens as well as the thousands of persons who work, visit or pass thru the city. The force of 78 highly-trained officers respond to reports of crimes anywhere in the city to investigate and apprehend criminals.
The Oaktown Police department is composed of officers who perform patrol duties on the street and are supervised by sergeants. Lieutenants command all officers working during a shift, while captains administer the Divisions of the department. The department is headed by a Police Chief who is chosen by the City Manager and approved by the City Council.
The Department is organized into specialized units which perform specific law enforcement duties. As the attached chart indicates, the department is headed by the Office of the Chief and includes four Divisions, ea
The Administrative Division performs the clerical support functions, including hiring and training. The Service Division performs investigative support functions, including keeping records, taking evidence via fingerprints and photographs, transcribing and reviewing reports, serving arrest warrants and operating the jail. The Patrol Division provides officers in the field to respond immediately to crimes and other incidents. The Detective Division (DD) performs specialized, detailed investigative duties on cases which have been initially investigated by the Patrol Division.
Within each division there are small units and bureaus which handle specific investigations or provide special services. Some of these are:
Incidents are generally reported first to the Communications Center, where a Patrol Division officer is assigned to respond and take the first report. The officer assigned the area where the incident occurred has responsibility for initially investigating the case and gathering evidence. This officer prepares a report and routes it to the Detective Division detail which specializes in those cases. The DD investigators look for trends, common methods of operation and links to other crimes and assist the patrol officer as necessary.
PATROL SHIFTS
Officers to the Patrol Division are assigned to one of four shifts, number from one to seven. Patrol officers work four, 10-hour shifts and have three days off. The basic shifts are:
Four teams work these four basic shifts. The other three shifts provide relief for those officers. Copies of the team list and schedule are available in the communications center.
For the first 15 minutes of each shift, the officers are in team meeting and are not available for patrol. After the meeting, the officers obtain their portable radios and patrol car keys and then head for their cars. This process can take from 10-20 minutes.
As you can see, there are periods during which the off-going officers have come in but the on-coming officers are not on the street. This occurs during the time 0645 to 0700, 1545 to 1600 and 2045 to 2100.
AUTHORITY
Oaktown police officers have authority anywhere in the state. Agreements with other states allow Oaktown police officers certain police powers in other states as well.
JURISDICTION
The police department's jurisdiction lies within the city limits, including all public and private land and buildings, the Oaktown campus and the waters of Lake Tihuna to the city line. The police department retains the right to investigate all crimes occurring within its jurisdiction, altho in some cases responsibility has been granted to other law enforcement agencies, such as Oaktown University Police and the transit district. Crimes which occur outside of Oaktown, but where the victim is currently in the city, may be investigated by Oaktown as a courtesy, altho the agency where the crime occurred has official responsibility.
RESPONSIBILITY
Responsibility for criminal investigation within Oaktown is shared with several other state and federal agencies. Such responsibility may be exclusive, such as private homes and lands, overlapping, such as sharing jurisdiction for bank robberies with the FBI, or it may be outside, such as the UC campus. The following areas are examples of these shared responsibilities:
RULES AND REGULATIONS
The rules and regulations of the police department are contained in General Orders (GO's) and Police Regulations (PR's). They cover personnel policies and procedures for virtually every activity involving the police department and its employees. PSD's are bound by the police rules and regulations as they pertain to providing police services and each PSD must be familiar with pertinent sections of the police GO's and PR's.
In addition, many activities of the police department are regulated by State law, including operation of the jail, administration of records and the disclosure of criminal information. All PSD's must know these sections of the law and abide by them.
THE LAW
The primary function of the police department is to enforce the laws which have been enacted by local, state or federal legislative bodies. Sometimes the mere presence of an officer will suffice to enforce the law. Other times physical force and/or an arrest must be made. In some cases the officer merely documents the situation and forwards the report to the district attorney for review for possible prosecution.
THE CRIMINAL JUSTICE SYSTEM
Oaktown operates a city police department and enforces laws written at the local, state and federal level. Prosecution of criminals is done on a county basis, by a Oaktown Municipal Court and the County District Attorney. Violations of Federal law are prosecuted by the U.S. District Attorney and the Federal Courts.
If and when a criminal is convicted, they are sent either to a county jail facility for misdemeanors or to a state facility for felonies.
Procedures
The system of handling criminal matters is very organized, both in law and in decisions reached by the courts. In most cases, the first contact is by the police department patrol officer, who investigates the immediate circumstances of the incident and prepares a report which is forwarded to the Detective Division for more in-depth follow-up. The patrol officer may make an immediate arrest if sufficient evidence is available or an arrest may be made later by the detectives, who must obtain a warrant from a judge for the suspect.
At the point when the police believe they have sufficient evidence of a crime and the identity of the person(s) responsible, they send their report to the district attorney, who reads the report, decides what crimes have been violated and if a prosecution is possible. If no one is in custody, the district attorney may seek a warrant for the responsible person and have it served by the police department.
Meanwhile, if a suspect is in custody, he/she may be eligible for bail or release on his/her own recognizance (OR). In either case, the suspect promises to appear in court at the appointed time or forfeit the amount of bail. If the person remains in custody, they must appear before a judge within 48 hours, usually the next day or Monday morning. At this first appearance the judge formally notifies the accused of the charges and settles the question of bail and OR and then sets a date for the preliminary hearing on the matter.
At the preliminary hearing, the district attorney attempts to convince the presiding judge that there is sufficient evidence to prove that a crime was committed and that the accused is responsible. If the district attorney is successful, the accused is bound over for trial, either to Municipal (misdemeanors) or Superior Court (felonies).
In practical fact, many cases are settled at or before the preliminary hearing stage, either by a plea bargain or by the accused pleading guilty and accepting the court's punishment. However, the accused may choose to plead "not guilty" and participate in a full preliminary hearing and trial.
CIVIL VS. CRIMINAL
The Police Department is concerned with a relatively narrow portion of the law --that pertaining to criminal conduct. The area of civil law is not formally handled by the police department, but rather thru lawyers and the courts. However, many times incidents reported to the police will fall into both areas and police officers must respond to sort out the situation and handle the criminal matter. Other times the dispatcher will recognize that the incident is strictly civil and will refer the caller to competent legal assistance.
It is vital for the dispatcher to know the organization of the criminal laws and what constitutes possible criminal conduct. Citizens report every possible situation and request the police department's help. It's up to the dispatcher to screen out the incidents which the police cannot handle and to send assistance to those with criminal problems. Often it will be impossible to determine the exact nature of the incident and you will dispatch an officer to make the final determination.
CITY ORDINANCES
The City of Oaktown enacts laws in the form of city ordinances passed by the city elected council. Most ordinances pertain to situations and locations specific to Oaktown, for example the marina, preferential parking, barriers, etc. and they don't overlap state or Federal laws.
City ordinances are referred to as sections of the Oaktown Municipal Code (BMC) and are numbered in a particular way, such as 12.03.020 BMC, 13.52.020 BMC, etc. When speaking of the codes, you would say "Section twelve point oh-three point oh-two-oh, bee-em-cee." In some cases, shortened names have been adopted by the police department for use on the radio; however, the full section should always be used when writing the section in reports or forms.
A copy of all city ordinances is kept in a red binder in the comm center. It is periodically updated to include revisions or additions. An ordinance cheat sheet is also available showing the most common ordinances cited by patrol officers.
The Fire Code is a separate document which was adopted in whole with revisions as stated in the ordinance. If you need to refer to the Fire Code, you should obtain an amended copy from the fire department's Fire Prevention Division.
STATE CODES
State laws are collected into "codes", each pertaining to a single, related topic as follows:
Within each code, separate sections deal with a specific crime and detail the elements of the offense and its punishment. The sections are referred to by number and are usually pronounced in a specific manner, such as:
PSD's must be familiar with the most common code offenses, their elements and how to pronounce them. You will learn these during your first week of training and will continue to pick up new code sections during subsequent training sessions. Examples of law sections, their pronunciations and the elements of various crimes is contained in the Appendix.
FEDERAL LAW
While Oaktown has jurisdiction for all laws, enforcement of Federal law is usually handled by Federal agencies such as the FBI, Drug Enforcement Administration, Secret Service, etc. In certain cases, Oaktown officers will handle cases involving violations of U.S. laws and forward copies to the appropriate agencies, such as forgery of U.S. currency. Other times, a Federal agency may respond and directly assist Oaktown with the investigation, such as the FBI and bank robberies.
While you are not required to be familiar with specific sections of U.S. law, you should be able to recognize violations as described by callers. Incidents involving counterfeit money, forgery of any Federal document, assault of government employees or a crime on U.S. property may require notification of Federal agencies. If you have any question as to whether a Federal law is involved or who to notify, consult your supervisor. The Oaktown Fire Department evolved from several volunteer departments and was formally organized in 18008. Since then it has been mandated to prevent, investigate, extinguish and report on fires occurring in the city. Over the years it has also been given responsibility for natural gas, electrical, water, medical and hazardous materials emergencies.
The Oaktown Fire Department mans seven firehouses with 66 firefighters, operating five engine companies, one truck companies and two ambulances. The department is headed by a Fire Chief and a Deputy Chief, while day-to-day firefighting operations are handled by three platoons of firefighters, each headed by an Assistant Chief. The department has a Fire Prevention Division, which investigates fires, approves building plans and inspects commercial premises annually for fire hazards, and a Training Division, which provides training for new firefighters and continuing education for current employees.
JURISDICTION
The Fire Department is responsible for the investigation and suppression of all fires. It inspects commercial and public premises and enforces provisions of the Uniform Fire Code). The department approves new building construction for compliance with the fire code. It is responsible for providing emergency medical service and for handling hazardous materials incidents. It co-ordinates the city's Civil Defense plans and participates in the city's disaster plan.
The department's area of responsibility extends to the city limits of surrounding cities and into a portion of Oak Lake.
PERSONNEL
The fire department is composed of COMPANIES of men and equipment deployed at seven firehouses throughout the city. The lowest rank is FIREFIGHTER, who handles hose, operates hydrants and performs general firefighting duties. The APPARATUS OPERATOR drives the fire apparatus and operates the pump or aerial ladder. EMT's or PARAMEDIC's staff the ambulances and provide emergency medical assistance. Any rank may be qualified as an EMT or paramedic, altho most commonly firefighters work the ambulance on a daily basis. A LIEUTENANT or CAPTAIN supervises operations of the men in the company and he performs firefighting duties as well. Captains and lieutenants also hold administrative positions in the Fire Prevention and Training Divisions. In the Fire Prevention Division, INSPECTORS approve plans and inspect buildings for compliance with the city Fire Code. The ASSISTANT CHIEFS serve as shift supervisors and in administrative positions.
The DEPUTY Fire Chief handles administrative matters, including budget, personnel and purchasing. The FIRE CHIEF is the top administrator and also serves as the Assistant City Manager for Public Safety, which includes fire, police, parking enforcement and animal care services.
The fire department follows a chain of command in all matters, as follows:
The firefighting forces are organized into three shifts lettered A, B and C. Each shift works a rotating schedule of days that run from 8:00a.m. to 8:00a.m. the next day, as follows:
Each shift is supervised by an Assistant Chief, who has responsibility for all fire operations.
EQUIPMENT AND STATIONS
There are two basic types of motorized apparatus used for fighting fires --engines, which carry a pump, water and hose for fighting the fires and trucks, which carry ladders, axes, saws, lights and rescue equipment for reaching fire victims, ventilating fire buildings and rescuing trapped persons. Trucks have no capability for fighting fires, except with small fire extinguishers. Both engines and trucks can respond to medical emergencies with an ambulance.
The fire department has two ambulances that respond to medical emergencies. They are staffed by two firefighters holding EMT or paramedic certificates and may be called Rescue or Paramedic 12 and 13, depending on their current operating status. The ambulances also respond to large fires to perform firefighting duties.
There are also two specialized vehicles used for certain firefighting situations. Hill Rig 1 is a small, four-wheel drive vehicle equipped with a pump, water and hose that can maneuver in off-road areas to fight fires. It is parked at Station 5. Chem 1 carries specialized equipment for hazardous materials (HAZMAT) incidents. It it stored at Station 2.
All engines and trucks are normally manned by an officer holding the rank of Captain or Lieutenant, an apparatus operator and a firefighter. On some occasions, a second firefighter is assigned to an engine or truck, for a total crew of four. Ambulances are always staffed by just two paramedics.
While most apparatus carries the same complement of equipment, some specialized equipment is carried only on certain apparatus.
Specifically, Oaktown's apparatus is as follows:
Engine 1-4 engines
Truck 1 ladder trucks
Rescue 1-2 ambulances
4-wheel drive grass-fire pumper
HAZMAT-1 HAZMAT equipment
air for breathing apparatus
The fire department's equipment is stationed at seven firehouses which are distributed throughout the city so that response times to any location are as short as possible. Each firehouse has an engine company and, at stations 2 and 5, there is also a truck company. Ambulances are staffed at stations 1 and 2. Reserve or specialized apparatus and equipment is stored at stations 3, 4 and 1.
In addition to its own equipment, Oaktown sometimes uses equipment and apparatus from other cities and agencies including Oakland, Albany and Acme Ambulance.
You should become familiar with the locations of fire stations, apparatus and the equipment they carry as detailed in the Appendix.
The Communications Center is organized under the Police Chief and is supervised day-to-day by Police Department sergeants. PSD's work one of five shifts answering telephones, referring calls or taking incident information and dispatching fire and police units by radio.
ORGANIZATION
The Oaktown comm center handles incoming calls for service in a two-step method. The calls are received by complaint dispatchers, who screen the call and either refer the caller to the appropriate agency, or take information for a police response. Incident information is entered into the computer-aided dispatch (CAD) computer, which records all incident information and tracks the status of all officers and units in the field.
Comm center personnel also prepare the daily police bulletin, listing all crimes and other incidents of interest. They also maintain various files of information in the comm center, including lists of stores owners, alarms and wanted vehicles. They also maintain a library of audio tapes of all telephone and radio conversations occurring from the comm center.
The comm center uses a two-tiered approach for handling incoming calls for assistance. Telephone calls are received by call-takers, who answer telephones and enter incident information into CAD. Two radio dispatchers handle fire and police radio traffic.
The call-takers also monitor secondary police channels and the police alarm panel. They assist field units by calling tow companies, alarm companies, victims and reporting parties.
The radio dispatchers maintain the status of fire and police units, dispatch them to incidents, co-ordinate their response and provide other assistance to them. They complete the incident information in CAD. One dispatcher works only police calls and the other works only fire incidents.
SUPERVISION
The comm center is managed by a police department sergeant and a fire lieutenant. Direct supervision is performed by a PSD on all shifts. In the absence of a senior PSD, police responsibility passes to the police patrol division lieutenant, then the senior on-duty patrol division sergeant. For the fire department, the on-duty Assistant Chief has authority for all dispatching questions.
The fire department Assistant Chief is responsible for day-to day firefighting operations and he is your contact for all questions or problems relating to the fire department. He always notifies you of his location and is available at all hours. Never hesitate to consult with him about incidents for which there is no standard procedure. The A/C is always willing to take responsibility for decisions concerning extraordinary or special incidents.
RULES
Most of what a dispatcher does falls under rules, regulations or procedures devised by either the police or fire department for dispatching their personnel and equipment. However, comm center personnel are also governed by a separate set of rules and regulations. You will be issued a copy of these rules and you should be familiar with all of them. Violation of the rules can result in a verbal or written reprimand, time off without pay or dismissal.
The rules and regulations for the fire department are contained in General Orders (G.O.'s) and a Manual of Procedure (M.O.P.). There are several sections that spell out specific procedures to be followed by dispatchers handling fire incidents, while other sections merely provide general information and guidance. You should be familiar with all of the fire department General Orders and in particular the following sections:
1.2
6.1-6.4
9.11
15.5
15.7
15.9-15.17
15.21
15.22
15.24
15.25
15.28
The fire department periodically issues Training Bulletins, which may detail additional regulations or information. Dispatchers should periodically check the binder containing these bulletins for those applicable to fire dispatching. The comm center will also periodically issue bulletins which all dispatchers should read and know.
The police department's rules and regulations are contained in the General Orders and the Police Regulations. Some sections deal with the conduct of police department personnel while on duty, while others detail required procedures for handling different situations. You should be familiar with the latter sections so you know how to handle most situations as they arise.
RESPONSIBILITY
The dispatcher has the authority to determine, using applicable procedures, guidelines, personal knowledge or judgement, exactly what action to take in a given situation. However, any police officer or fire officer has the authority to over-ride a PSD's decision. If this occurs, you should briefly explain the circumstances of the incident to the officer to clarify your reasoning. If the officer stands by his decision, you should not delay any necessary action by discussing it further. Comply with the request and then refer the situation to your supervisor for resolution.
If you encounter any situation for which there is no formal procedure or there is any question about the necessity or type of fire or police response, you shall contact the your comm center supervisor or, for fire situations, the on-duty fire department Assistant Chief, for advice. If you encounter communications equipment, personnel, or procedural problems, you should contact the on-duty comm center supervisor for advice and guidance.
PHILOSOPHY
The communications center provides dispatching services for both the police and fire department. Many aspects of dispatching are similar for both departments. However, each department has its own special needs as dictated by the type of calls they handle and their established procedures.
All fire and medical calls are considered priorities and are dispatched immediately. If the closest fire unit is not available, the next-closest unit is sent. Only during a major disaster would fire or ambulance calls be held and prioritized before being dispatched. Most calls to the fire department for help are genuine and the callers are usually co-operative. Citizens have a better overall appreciation for firefighters and rely on the fire department for help of all kinds.
This contrasts with many police calls, which are prioritized and may be held before being dispatched. Calls for police services are made by many types of people with many attitudes. It is not uncommon for callers to have a dislike for the police and to express that feeling to the dispatcher.
INTER-AGENCY CO-OPERATION
While the two radio dispatchers maintain a separation of duties because of the priority differences between fire and police, they co-operate as necessary. Between emergency calls, the fire radio dispatcher can make call-backs, talk to police field units, answer telephones and do minor paperwork for the police as time and incoming calls permit.
It's expected that the two radio dispatchers will routinely exchange information concerning auto accidents, shootings and other incidents involving both agencies so that the emergency response can be simultaneous and efficient.
RELATIONSHIPS
Comm Center/comm Center
The Comm Center is staffed by civilian Public Safety Dispatchers (PSD's), uniformed, non-sworn Service Assistant (SA's) and police sergeants. Altho the positions of PSD and PSA perform separate duties, they are considered to be of equal rank and are expected to co-operate in all matters.
The comm center can be a busy, noisy, stressful place to work. Callers are sometimes rude and profane. Dispatchers must often devote total concentration to the radio for long periods. Interaction among dispatchers is high and the potential for conflicts is great. In all cases, courtesy and consideration should be among the most important considerations when dealing with your fellow workers. It's expected that, if conflicts occur, you will resolve them among yourself or seek the assistance of your supervisor.
Comm Center/Officers
There is potential for conflict among dispatchers and officers due to the high degree of interaction between the groups and the stressful nature of the job. Such a conflict can disrupt operations and make the job generally unpleasant.
There are many reasons why officers might have a conflict with a dispatcher. Officers feel the danger inherent in the job and expect that others will perform expertly so as not to put them in jeopardy. Some officers don't like their job and express their dissatisfaction at every opportunity.
The best way to handle the business of dispatching is just that---as business. You should reflect a calm, professional tone at all times. When dealing with officers via radio or telephone, your voice reflects your attitude and officers will react accordingly. It's not uncommon for an officer and dispatcher to be antagonistic towards each other via telephone, only to discover that they get along much better in person.
After you have established a background of competence and professionalism, you may choose to get to know officers more personally. But remember, their primary judge of you will be how well you handle your job when they are on the street.
Daily Meetings
PSD's on the third-platoon must attend the platoon meetings held each day by the patrol division before they go on duty. Other shifts are encouraged to attend the meetings to become familiar with officers working the street and to hear of their concerns. During the meetings, the most recent crimes and trends are discussed and everyone is given a chance to talk on any topic of mutual concern. The meetings are an opportunity to discuss problems encountered by either officers or dispatchers and to learn about one another.
Ridealongs
The police department permits PSD's to ride along while on-duty. This allows PSD's to experience the concerns and problems encountered by the officers and to give the officers feedback about comm center concerns. While on ridealongs you should attempt to learn something about Oaktown's geography and how it relates to police work. You should listen to the radio and the way your fellow dispatchers work. You should relate the officer's activity with your dispatching duties and realize that it's important to be concise, complete and clear in your broadcasts.
Comm Center/Other agencies
The police department depends on many other city and private agencies for assistance. Each of these agencies operates by its own set of rules and procedures, which must be followed by the police department.
When dealing with another city department, use your name and tell them you calling from the police department comm center. Do not simply make a request or order them to do something. Explain the situation to them and ask for their assistance. Let them explain what they can and cannot do and how they must do it. If their answer is not acceptable, ask to speak to a supervisor or tell them you will consult with your supervisor and call them back.
SECURITY AND ACCESS
Access to the comm center is limited to on-duty comm center personnel, police/fire supervisors and authorized maintenance workers. For this reason, the comm center is locked at all times and access is by key. Dispatchers are not to allow unauthorized persons into the comm center without prior permission from the on-duty comm center supervisor.
FORMS AND PAPERWORK
Virtually all of the information gathered and recorded by dispatchers is entered into the computer-aided dispatch (CAD) program. However, there are still some paper forms that PSDs use:
Tow Log -- Oaktown has a contract with three towing companies for vehicles towed by the police. Towed vehicles are assigned to one of companies on a rotation basis, each company receiving an equal number of vehicles to tow. All towed vehicles are recorded on a log maintained in the comm center.
The log contains spaces for the date, time, license plate, vehicle description, location, reason cited, tow company, case number and handling officer. The tow log is kept on an arch file hung on the logging tape recorders.
Repo Form-- The state licenses persons to repossess vehicles under specific, legal circumstances. Before a repossession is actually made, the person doing it will call the comm center. The person will give the dispatcher information about the vehicle and the identity of the person making the repossession. Instructions are on the back of the form and it is routed to Telecomm for entry into the computer system.
TIME-OF-DAY
All references to the time of day in comm center usage are to the 24-hour clock. The day "begins" at midnight, which is considered 2400. Each succeeding hour adds one-hundred to the time, for example...
5:00a.m. = 0500
2:42p.m. = 1442
10:13a.m. = 1013
8:19p.m. = 2019
INCIDENT NUMBERING
Police
Each police incident that is a crime report or non-criminal report (NCR) is assigned a CAD case number. All miscellaneous service calls (MSCs) should also receive a case number. Other CAD entries, such as information broadcasts, cancelled calls, etc. do not receive a case number.
The CAD software does not allow one case number to apply to more than one incident. However, it does allow one incident to have multiple case numbers. More information on assigning case numbers is given in the "Police Radio Dispatcher" section.
Fire
Each separate fire incident shall receive an unique incident number except as follows:
No incident numbers are assigned if the fire companies were recalled before they left the firehouse or never arrived on the scene.
FIRE JOURNAL BOOK
Firefighters are required to report off on sick leave no later than 7:00a.m. of the day they are to work. When a firefighter calls the comm center reporting off, the dispatcher shall enter the sick leave under Shift A, B or C in the journal book, showing the name, company, time and reason for sick leave, which may be one of the following:
sick leave
family sick leave
death leave
comp
The Assistant Chief of the oncoming shift will call the comm center between 7:00a.m. and 7:15a.m. to find out which firefighters reported off. He may then request overtime to be hired that same morning to fill vacancies.
It's important to make sick leave entries as soon as you receive them and to record them under the proper shift. If you make a mistake in recording the leave, the oncoming assistant chief will hire, or not hire, the proper number of firefighters for his shift, which causes additional money to be paid.
POLICE BULLETIN
The police department's Daily Bulletin lists all reported crimes. The incidents are listed by case number and show the time, victim, handling officer and nature of the offense. The bulletin is a valuable tool for researching information about prior incidents which may be needed by officers or callers.
The bulletin is also valuable for learning of trends or continuing situations with which you should be familiar. The bulletin is read during each patrol platoon meeting and you should read it after returning from your days off to catch up on what has been happening.
The bulletin is prepared and printed by the CAD software, and is periodically distributed to several places during a shift by an assigned PSD.
COMM CENTER TIMESHEET
The communications center timesheet lists those persons assigned to work a particular shift. The Senior PSD is responsible for signing employee sign in and out on this sheet each day. Any sick leave, vacation or other time off is indicated, as well as any trades, comp time taken or special assignments.
Forms for trades, overtime and time off are also available and must be completed each time you trade your shift with another dispatcher, do not work your assigned shift or work extra time. Trades and requests for time off should be submitted to your supervisor for approval prior to the actual date. Overtime forms should be signed by your supervisor before you leave work.
Approved requests for time-off are kept in a small packet in the supervisors office. If you plan to take time off, check the approved forms first, to see if your request conflicts with an existing request. If no one has requested the shift off, there's a good chance your request will be approved. If one or more persons already have the shift off, check with your supervisor about taking time off.
SOURCES OF INFORMATION
In order to more efficiently perform the job, comm center personnel have access to reference material and computer-based information. It's important to know how to access each source and what each contains so that you can find information quickly.
CAD
The CAD software provides a wealth of information about incidents, addresses, personnel and telephone numbers. The information files associated with taking calls and dispatching units is explained in the CAD Trainng Guide. The other files are:
Notes -- This file includes over 125 topics, including call-out lists, personnel rosters, and policies and procedures for all types of extraordinary incidents.
Employee-- This file contains the names and home telephone numbers of all police department personnel.
Telephone Books
Local telephone directories are available in the comm center. Directories for other cities are available from the Warrant Bureau in Service Division. The directories are useful for obtaining telephone numbers of businesses and their owners and persons needing police contact.
A directory of City of Oaktown and police department numbers is also available for referring callers to other city departments or police units.
Reverse Directory
A directory with listings by address is available for Oaktown and surrounding cities. You may use the directory to obtain the telephone number for a known address or to confirm the name or address of a person. Most commonly, officers in the field will identify an address, then request the dispatcher to determine a telephone number for that address.
A directory with listings by telephone number for most of the East Bay is available from the homicide detail or the UC Police dispatcher. You may use the directory for determining the address of a known telephone number. Most often, you will use it to locate a person or place when you only have the telephone number.
Alarm Books
The owner of every business with a police alarm connection has been asked to fill out a form listing persons to call in case of emergency and their telephone numbers. The forms are filed by module number in green binders. The forms may be used to locate responsible persons when a premises has been the subject of a crime or damage.
"No Response" List
Premises which experience more than three false burglary or robbery alarms within 90 days may be fined by the city and police response denied. A list of premises which do not receive any police response to alarms is published by the Crime Prevention Bureau monthly and entered into the CAD premise file with an "E" code. When receiving an alarm, check for the presence of a premise alert "E" before accepting the alarm from the calling party.
Questions regarding fines, payments or the no-response policy should be directed to their officer during weekdays.
Business License File
Periodically, the the city's Tax & License unit will print out a listing of all persons/businesses issued a Business License. The listing runs several hundred pages and lists the business name, address, owner and associated telephone numbers which can be used to contact a person responsible for the premises.
The list is useful for locating a business address from only the name, for contacting the owner of a business and for verifying addresses.
Restraining Orders
At the request of an attorney or citizen, the courts may issue restraining orders for specified periods of time, naming specific persons who are prohibited from performing specific acts. In most cases, the orders pertain the maintenance of the peace and include sections which prohibit a person form coming within a certain distance of a residence, business or person.
When a restraining order is signed by a judge, the holder of the order may choose to file a copy of the order with the local police department. It is not required that they do so and failure to file such a copy does not invalidate the order.
When a restraining order is filed with Oaktown, Service Division will telephone the comm center, request that a facecard be time-stamped and a case number assigned. The number is written on the order and a copy is then routed to the comm center.
When the order arrives in the comm center, it is filed in a binder under the last name of the primary party. In addition, you should write the secondary party's name on the appropriate index page so that both names may be found.
Press Releases
A copy of all police department press releases is kept on a clipboard in the comm center, to be used when responding to inquiries from the press or public about incidents. Further inquiries should be directed to the police press officer at the number listed on the release.
BOL's
Officers and other agencies will periodically issue "Be On the Lookout" bulletins (BOL's), describing persons or vehicles wanted by the police. A copy of most bulletins is kept in a file adjacent to the #1 console, to be referred to when an officer inquiries about a wanted vehicle or person.
Crime Analysis Bulletin
A bulletin describing most wanted vehicle and persons, fugitives and general department notices is issued by the police department twice-weekly. A copy of all bulletins is kept on a clipboard in the comm center, to be referred to when an officer inquiries about persons or vehicles.
Computer Sources
Oaktown has access to several useful computer systems via computer terminals. You will learn to operate the terminal and many of codes which permit you to obtain information from computers in Oakland, Sacramento or Washington, D.C. within five seconds of the request. Information on operation of specific computer systems and their commands are described in another manual.
Access and use of any information from computer sources is strictly controlled by state law. Police department and comm center rules and procedures limit access and use of information from police reports or any local information files. Information is available only to authorized persons who have a need to know, and it may not be divulged to any unauthorized persons. Violation of state law is a misdemeanor. Violation of local rules or procedures may result in discipline or dismissal. Several sections of the Penal Code pertaining to release of criminal history information are included in the Appendix
Manuals for all the computer systems are kept on the bookshelf contain information on making inquiries and updates to the files.
PIN-- The Police Information System (PIN) contains warrant, parole and probation information filed by police agencies in the nine-county Bay Area. Information is available from a person's name or vehicle license number. In addition, this computer system provides a connection to the state and federal computer systems listed below.
CORPUS-- The "Court-Oriented Records Unified System" contains criminal histories, court and jail records for the county. It contains records of all arrests, court activities and is used to administer the handling of prisoners in jails and courts throughout the county. Information in available from a person's name or numeric identifiers.
DMV-- The Department of Motor Vehicles (DMV) maintains information about licensed drivers and registered vehicles, including citations, Vehicle Code section arrests and official actions. Information is available from a person's name or driver's license (DL) number, and license plate or vehicle identification number (VIN).
Department of Justice-- The Department of Justice (DOJ) maintains computer files of lost, stolen or recovered property of all types including vehicles, firearm registrations, wanted persons and a state file of criminal histories. Information is available from a person's name or numeric identifier, property serial number or license plate number.
FBI/NCIC-- The Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) maintains the National Crime Information Center (NCIC) for warrants, stolen or wanted vehicles, certain stolen property and missing persons. Information is available from a person's name and birthdate, license plate or property serial number.
Badge/Name Rooster
A list of all police officers is available by last name, badge number and assigned platoon. The list is useful for determining if an officer is or will be working when a citizen inquiries, for determining an officer's name for typing on the Bulletin and for determining in what unit the officer works (Patrol, Service, DD, etc.).
Comm Center Procedure Manual
The training manual for the comm center contains procedures and techniques with which all dispatchers should be familiar.
Comm Center Reference Manual
The most pertinent lists of names, telephone numbers and procedures are contained in binders which are kept at the #1 and #7 consoles. The books also contain the latest copy of on-call personnel in the Detective and Administrative Divisions. You may refer to them for call-outs and special situations.
Laws
Copies of the State Penal Code, Vehicle Code and the City Ordinances are available on the bookshelf.
Maps
Maps of Oaktown showing the police beat and federal census boundaries are posted on the walls. Maps of adjacent counties are contained in the map book.
The Public Safety Communications Center is on the third-floor of the Hall of Justice building. It contains several rooms, each with a specific purpose and with different equipment. The main comm center contains seven dispatchers' consoles and a supervisor's office.
There are adjacent rooms housing telephone equipment and tape recorders. During your tour of the Hall of Justice, your trainer will point out the various rooms and the equipment they contain.
RADIO
The fire department's radio system allows quick access to both apparatus and individuals. All fire department apparatus have radios, fire officers carry portables radios and other key personnel carry pagers.
The fire radio console has controls for the fire, police and local government radio channels. The dispatcher can receive or transmit on one or more of these channels in any combination. Some of the channels can be connected together to allow intra-channel broadcasts.
Operation
The dispatch console contains all the equipment for communicating with radio equipped field units. The controls for each police channel are contained on individual "modules" and overall operation is is controlled at a master panel. This console arrangement allows flexibility in broadcasting or receiving on one or more channels, via speaker or headphones.
Individual Modules
XMIT button red, broadcasts on an individual channel whether it has been SELECTed or not; press to transmit; press to transmit
SELECT button green, prepares channel for transmitting; moves receive audio from UNSELECT to SELECT speaker (or headphones if plugged in) and sets the volume to full level, regardless of the setting of the individual volume control; permits the operator to transmit on the master XMIT button; cancels any other channel(s) selected unless you use SIMUL button; press to SELECT a channel
SELECT light green, indicates the channel is selected
CALL light red, flashes when a radio broadcast is being received on the channel, stops 3-4 seconds after a broadcast ends
TRANSMIT light red, lights continuously when you transmit on a channel
BUSY light yellow, not used
VOLUME button disables the volume control and sets the channel audio to full volume; depress to disable
VOLUME control adjusts the audio level on UNSELECTed channels
VOLUME light yellow, indicates that volume control is active
PATCH button green used for cross-patching fire channel 1 with police channel 1; depress to connect channels; see operation below in Techniques
UNSELECT white, not used
REPEATER ENABLE white, not used
F1/F2 orange, on channel 2 module only, allows channel 2 transmitter to transmit and receive on channel 1 if that channel's transmitter is out of order; depressed is channel 1, extended is channel 2; normal position is F2; associated lamps lights to show chosen channel
MONITOR white, on consoles #1 & #2 only; depress to use Tilden Park receiver site
CHANNEL 1,2,3,4 white, on consoles #1 & #2 only; depress one button to monitor that channel from Tilden Park receiver site
Master Control Panel
XMIT (transmit) red, broadcasts on channels that have been SELECTed at the individual modules; press to transmit
MONITOR white, deactivates the special "filter" which cuts out interference and nearby stations on Oaktown's police channel. It allows other departments to temporarily be received at the comm center; press on, press off
INTERCOM CALL button orange, allows local conversation among all the dispatcher positions; press this button, then touchpad for number of console, then "I'COM TALK" button
I'COM TALK button orange; used to communicate with another dispatcher after alerting them with INTERCOM CALL button
SIMUL select green, allows the operator to select more than one channel for simultaneous broadcasts; press this button WHILE pressing, one at a time, the SELECT buttons of individual channels you want to group together conversation will be broadcast on the radio
ALL MUTE white, reduces the volume of all unselected channels to a preset level, regardless of the volume of the individual channel volume control; press to begin all mute timing, press again restore full volume
ALL MUTE light yellow, lights when ALL MUTE timer is lowering volume
PATCH/XMIT button transmits on both of the PATCHed channels
PATCH/XMIT light indicates that two channels are patched; flashes 30 seconds after all activity has stopped on the two PATCHed channels
ALERT tone orange, used during dispatches to gain attention; it is broadcast ONLY on the SELECTed channel(s); press to sound the tone
VPA button orange, turns on Voice Privacy Adaptor, which scrambles the radio transmissions to prevent eavesdropping; the mobile unit must be similarly equipped; used only by certain police mobile units
VU meter shows the strength of the outgoing voice signal VOLUME controls....for both SELECT and UNSELECT speakers; when headphones are plugged in, they are controlled by the SELECT volume knob
FIRE button sounds tone in fire dispatcher's console, used by complaint dispatcher to alert radio dispatcher of incoming fire call; only at rear, CD positions
To transmit--You must first prepare one or more channels by pressing a SELECT button on an individual module. That channel's SELECT light will light and the channel's audio will be routed to the SELECT speaker or the headphones if they are plugged in. Once SELECTed you may transmit on the channel by using the module's XMIT button, the master panel XMIT button or the right footswitch. You may SELECT more than one channel by pressing the SELECT button of the channels you wish to group together WHILE holding down the SIMUL button on the master panel.
To receive--Incoming broadcasts are heard either thru the SELECT or UNSELECT speakers or the headset if it is plugged in, depending on whether the channel has been SELECTed or not.
The volume of incoming broadcasts may be controlled in several different ways. All channels have a volume control at the individual module. This volume control is disabled when you SELECT the channel or it may be manually disabled by extending the button. When enabled, a green lamp lights and you can control the channel's volume. When disabled, channel volume is switched to full.
Volume to the speakers may be controlled by knobs at the SELECT and UNSELECT speakers. Thus, you may control the combined output of several channels you have SIMULed together.
You can temporarily lower the volume of all channels by pressing the ALL-MUTE button on the master control panel. To reset normal volume, press the button again. A lamp lights when the channels are muted.
Lastly, you can control the volume of SELECTed channels thru the headset by a knob at the headset jack.
FIRE CHANNELS
The Fire Department uses four channels, or frequencies, to dispatch equipment and co-ordinate activities. All channels were authorized by the FCC at one time and are identified with the single call sign KZZ 888. All fire channels are available at all consoles.
CHANNEL 1 is the main frequency and is used for all routine and emergency voice communications with mobile units. All department apparatus and portable radios have the ability to use this channel. The actual frequency is 154.01 MHz.
CHANNEL 2 is the alternate communications channel for Oaktown. If a large emergency occurs, units will handle it on Channel 1 and all other routine fire incidents would be handled on Channel 2.
CHANNEL 3 is the frequency for transmitting coded tones to each fire station, to dispatch them to emergency calls. Communication is designed to be one-way only--from the comm center to all fire houses; however, several of the newer portable radios have the capability to use this channel. On occasion, one of the assistant chiefs may use channel 3 to transmit confidential information from the scene of an incident to the fire dispatcher. The base transmitter is low-power and is designed to cover only Oaktown. The frequency is 153.83 MHz.
CHANNEL 4 is the state-wide mutual aid frequency (the "white" fire channel), used during major Oaktown emergencies and for inter-department co-ordination. Also, the A/C may use this channel to relay "confidential" information from a fire scene to fire alarm. When using this channel, preface all unit designations with "Oaktown 1" such as "Oaktown 1 to Oaktown chief 3..." At the conclusion of each set of transmissions, identify the station by broadcasting the call sign "KZZ 888."
The Channel 4 module has a selector switch that allows the module to transmit either on the fire white channel or OFD Channel 1 as a back-up transmitter.
All department apparatus and portable radios have the ability to use channel 2. Virtually all fire departments in the state have radios on this channel, too. The frequency is 154.28 MHz.
Some Oaktown apparatus and all of the chiefs' vehicles have additional radio channels as follows:
Mapletown 154.325
Pinetown 154.285
County Mutual Aid 154.070
Oaktown's portable radio's have the following channel capability:
Channel 1 Oaktown main 154.100
Channel 2 mutual aid 154.280
Channel 3 station paging 154.830
Channel 4 Pinetown Fire, channel 2 154.355
Channel 5 Albany Fire, channel 1 154.385
Other public agencies have some of the same channels which Oaktown has, as follows:
Agency Channel 1 Channel 2 Others
Pinetown chiefs base,mobiles any channel,chiefs
Mapletown mobiles base,mobiles
County fire
Parks District mobiles mobiles
Coast Guard helicopters helicopters any channel
University Police base,Sgt's base Med-Net,base
Channel 1 & 2 Operation
You are required to have fire channel 1 SELECTed and routed to your headset at all times. You may also listen to other channels thru the headset, but they should never interfere with incoming transmissions. Whenever apparatus has been dispatched, it is a good practice to SELECT only fire channel 1 and switch any other channels to the UNSELECT speaker so you are alert for calls from fire officers thru your headset. If units are in the field, the receiver panel should indicate that all receivers are ON.
Channel 3 Operation
In addition to the individual radio controls associated with channel 3, the radio console allows fire station paging on channel 3. The controls include a eight station tone buttons and a transmit button.
To page one or more stations, press the associated station tone button. The station's pager ID appears in the radio console display. To page all stations, press the ALL CALL tone button.
After selecting one or more stations, press the XXXX button. The pager will automatically select channel 3, transmit the pager tones and then re-select the radio channels previously selected.
During the time that the pager tones are being transmitted, you will not have channel 1 audio available in your headset. The tones typically take less than 4 seconds to transmit, so you won't usually miss an channel 1 transmissions. However, if channel 1 is very busy, you should turn up the UNSELECT radio speaker so you can hear any channel 1 transmissions during the page.
In the firehouse(s), the receiver will be activated and a tone will alert the firefighters that information is about to be broadcast.
Typical Console Set-up
The most common way to set up the fire dispatcher's console is to have:
--fire channel 1 and 3 SELECTed and routed to headphones
During very quiet periods you may also wish to monitor police channel 1 or 2 in your headphones. However, if you do, you must then use the module XMIT button when broadcasting on fire channel 1. You should monitor any police channel thru the headphones, as output from a speaker could cause feedback from the nearby police dispatcher's console.
Terminology
The fire department does not use codes in any of its radio transmissions. Instead, all broadcasts are in "plain English"--what you say is what you mean. However, you should avoid using terms such as "drunk" or "crazy" on the radio. Most firefighters understand the legal term "51-50" to mean a psychiatric patient and the medical abbreviation "ETOH" for an intoxicated person. For other situations, you might be able understand the circumstances of an incident from the fire officer's abbreviated description, without his saying "We have a crazy drunk down here. Send the police."
When identifying fire department units on the radio, it is important that you be clear and unambiguous. You shall use the following format when addressing field units on the radio:
Engine 5, are you in-service?
Techniques
There are often high noise levels associated with fire department field operations which make radio reception difficult. Also, there is no volume control associated with transmitting. So, proper positioning of the headset mouthpiece is very important. The tip of your microphone should be placed just above or below your mouth, about 1/2" away from your face. Do not place the microphone in front of your mouth, as breath noises will distort your transmissions.
Your radio voice should be slow and steady. You should always listen before transmitting so as not to interfere with other broadcasts. A common mistake is not synchronizing your speaking with pushing the transmit button, which cuts off part of your radio broadcast. You should push the transmit button, wait a moment, give the broadcast, wait a moment, then release the transmit button.
Whenever you need to broadcast letters of the alphabet and wish to avoid any misunderstanding, use the "phonetic" alphabet. This technique uses peoples' names for each letter, such as Adam, Boy, Charles, David, Edward, Frank, etc. You should learn the complete phonetic alphabet in the Appendix.
When calling a field unit, use just that unit's designation, for example "2246." You may acknowledge calling field units by saying "Check" or the unit designation and "check", such as "Check, 2245" or "Check, 45." Identify yourself as "Oaktown one" during all transmissions. For example...
"Oaktown one, twenty-two forty-six is on the scene."
"Chief 2, Oaktown one."
When a field unit calls you, they may use two different forms....
Clearance.....[Oaktown one, twenty-two forty-six.] Go ahead, twenty-two forty-six. [Twenty-two forty-six in-service.] Check, Twenty-two forty-six.
Non-Stop.....[Twenty-two forty-six in-service.] Check, Twenty-two forty-six.
The choice of method is made by the field radio operator and depends on the type and amount of other radio traffic. If the channel is busy, they will precede their call with a clearance request. At non-busy times, they will broadcast their message in one transmission.
If another public safety agency uses our frequency, they will preface their communications with their agency name. If another comm center calls, they will use the term "control" to indicate it is a base station. You should use the same terminology when calling other agencies on any channel. For example...
"Oaktown one, UC-23" UC police mobile calling comm center
"Oaktown one, UC control" UC police base station calling comm center
"County fire, Oaktown Fire" Oaktown calling county fire base
"Twenty-one forty-one, Oaktown fire" Oaktown calling other city mobile
All normal fireground radio traffic is handled on channel 1. During a greater alarm, all units dispatched to the major emergency work on channel 1, while units working unrelated emergencies should work on channel 2. If an major emergency occurs bordering another city, all Oaktown units should use channel 1, but the A/C may co-ordinate out-of-city units on channel 2. In these cases, the fire dispatcher should monitor channel 2 to receive requests for assistance.
Quite often it is important to distinguish between the apparatus and the officer who is away from the apparatus with a portable radio. Use the suffix "X" to denote the officer using a portable radio. For example...
"twenty-two forty-five-X, do you need the police there?" or "Chief 3 to Engine 6-X, take you men to the south side."
Other Considerations
Never acknowledge a field unit on the radio unless you fully understand their broadcast. If you did not hear or understand any part of it, ask them to repeat, for example....
"twenty-two forty-five, we copy you need a truck company. What else did you need? [wenty-two forty-five, we need a police officer here.] wenty-two forty-five, check.
When two units are calling at one time, avoid replying "Unit calling repeat," as both units will again broadcast simultaneously. Try to determine one unit's identity, tell them to stand-by and ask the other unit to repeat, for example...
"twenty-two forty-five stand-by. Other unit calling?"
At times of simultaneous emergencies, you may have to direct the radio transmissions to allow priority broadcasts. In these cases, ambulance radio traffic usually takes precedence, unless the nature of the fire traffic is of a life-threatening nature.
If a field radio is shorted out by water or the `transmit' button is held down accidentally, the continuous radio signal may block out other radio transmissions. This is called an "open mike." Reception of other radio broadcasts depends on the strength of their signal, which varies with distance location and if it is a portable or mobile radio. For example, an open mike on a portable radio will block other portable broadcasts to comm center, but not radios from apparatus, which have more powerful transmitters.
Because of the way radios are designed, the person with the open mike radio does not receive any radio broadcasts. If you broadcast that there's an open mike, the person with the open mike will be the one person that doesn't hear you. However, at an emergency where there is more than one radio, the affected firefighter might hear your broadcast from another, nearby radio. So, if you have an open mike, sound the alert tone once or twice, then broadcast "All units check your mikes. We have an open mike." If the problem persists, you may contact the on-scene chief or another unit to physically check radios or you can have units switch to channel 2.
In some cases, two field units cannot hear each others broadcasts and you will have to relay, as follows:
twenty-two forty-five, wenty-two oh-fourcannot hear you. We'll relay. [Check. Tell wenty-two oh-four the engine is stalling. Can we go to the corp yard?] Twenty-two oh-four, Twenty-two forty-five's engine is stalling. Can they go to the corp yard? [Twenty-two oh-four, that's affirmative.] Twenty-two forty-five, twenty-two oh-four says affirmative.
Note that you do not have to acknowledge the calling unit's broadcast. Simply re-broadcast the message as you hear it. When relaying broadcasts, avoid saying "Twenty-two oh-four, did you copy?", as he invariably will say "No." Simply repeat the message and wait for the field units to acknowledge.
If you intend to broadcast a lengthy piece of information to a field unit, ask them "Are you clear to copy?," so they may prepare to write down the information.
Whenever you need to use channel 2, tell the field unit "Switch to channel 2."
The radio console is capable of cross-patching fire channel 1 and Oaktown police channel 1 and UC police channel 1. To do this, press the PATCH button on both the fire and police channel 1 modules. This will connect the two via a voice-activated transmit relay and light the PATCH indicator lights on both modules. The dispatcher may transmit on both the patched channels by using the PATCH/XMIT button on the master console panel. To use the patch, mobile units on either channel begin each transmission with the keyword "fire", if calling a fire unit, or "police", if calling the police unit. Since the link is voice-activated, this will turn on the other channel's transmitter. When broadcasting, mobile units should not pause long between words, as the patched transmitter will turn off. At the end of receiving a transmission, a unit should wait 1-2 seconds before beginning a reply. During a transmission, all communications is one-way. At the end of patched communications, press the PATCH button again to break the connection. The PATCH/XMIT light will begin to flash after about 30 seconds if the patch is active and no communications have taken place.
Channel patching is done only with the permission of the A/C and only for emergency co-ordination of fire and police units. The channel patch to UC police is one-way only---UC transmissions are repeated on the fire channel but fire broadcasts are NOT heard on UC's radio system.
If it is necessary for you to use a police channel during co-ordination of joint emergencies, use the term "fire dispatch" to designate yourself, for example...
Adam-six, fire dispatch. [Adam-six, go ahead.] Meet the fire officer behind the house to take the report. [Adam-six, check.]
Note that the format for police broadcasts is different than used by the fire department. The order is "(called unit) from (calling unit)." You might try mentally putting of the word "from" between the two unit designations in order to make the order clearer to you.
Oaktown's channel 1 and 3 are identified on the half-hour by broadcasting the call sign "KMA 704." During the evening hours when the marina attendant is on-duty and the comm center is monitoring the local government channel, identify that frequency with the call sign "KMK 859."
You should use the following standard radio phrases as appropriate:
"You're unreadable" radio unit calling cannot be heard clearly
"Units are covered" two or more radios are calling at once
"You're loud and clear" radio reception is okay during radio tests
"Unit calling, repeat" you did not hear or understand, repeat
POLICE CHANNELS
The police department's radio system allows quick access to all units and individuals. All police department vehicles have radios, police officers carry portables radios and some key personnel carry pagers.
The police radio consoles have controls for the fire, police and local government radio channels. The dispatcher can receive or transmit on any of these channels in any combination. Some of the channels can be connected together to allow intra-channel broadcasts.
The police radio is a repeated type of system. This means that incoming radio transmissions from field units are received and then simultaneously rebroadcast by the base station to other field units. This method improves portable-toportable transmissions and insures that each field unit hears all broadcasts.
There are number of satellite receivers throughout the city which pick up transmissions from field units and relay them via telephone lines to the Hall of Justice. The radio system compares all incoming signals, picks the best one and sends that signal to the radio console. These remote receiver sites permit better reception of weak signals from inside buildings, "shadow" areas of the city and from portable radios.
Each radio channel actually consists of two frequencies--one for mobile transmissions and one for base station transmissions. Therefore, the base station and field units can broadcast independently of one another and at the same time without interference. However, field units broadcasting at the same time will interfere with each other.
The base station equipment is arranged so that the dispatcher may transmit and receive at the same time. Therefore, even tho you are broadcasting on a channel, you can hear a mobile call you. Mobile units do not have this arrangement and may only hear a broadcast when they are not transmitting.
CHANNEL 1 is the main frequency and is used for all routine and emergency voice communications with mobile units. The actual frequency is 460.100MHz.
CHANNEL 2 is the tactical and car-to-car frequency. All department vehicles and portable radios have the ability to use channel 2. The frequency is 460.200 MHz.
CHANNEL 3 is a special car-to-car frequency that shares one of Channel 2's frequencies. It bypasses the normal radio repeater and allows direct communications with another unit, so the range is limited to about 5-10 blocks, depending on surroundings. The channel is monitored only--you cannot transmit using the Channel 3 module. To broadcast on Channel 3, XMIT on Channel 2 and listen on the Channel 3 receiver speaker. The frequency is 460.300 MHz.
Incidentally, mobile transmissions that are rebroadcast on channel 2 are also received on the Channel 2 module. The channel 3 receiver is disabled during base station transmissions on channel 2.
CHANNEL 4 is used for inquiries to Telecomm for computer checks on warrants, vehicle registration, stolen vehicle checks, etc. It may also be used for mobile-to-mobile and base-to-mobile communications and special events. The frequency is 460.400 MHz.
LAWNET 3 is a state-wide net which allows police departments throughout the state to communicate with each other. It is not currently used by Oaktown, altho you may hear transmissions among other departments. The frequency is 156.075MHz.
LEMARS is the state-wide police mutual aid frequency. Although no Oaktown radios have this channel, most other state departments have the capability to operate on this channel. In some cities, such as Oakland, the channel is used as a car-to-car frequency in addition to mutual aid operations. The frequency is 155.55 MHz.
Channels 1 through 4 are assigned the radio call sign KZZ 889 and are available at all consoles. Channel 5's call sign is KZZ 890 and Channel 6's is KZZ 891.
Oakwood Transmitter Site
receivers for 1 and 2, but they feed the voting system
receiver for channel 3 routed directed to module
small transmitter site
Normal Operation
You are required to have police channel 1 SELECTed and routed to your headset at all times. You may also listen to other channels on the UNSELECT speaker, but they should never interfere with incoming police calls. In most cases, you will listen to channel 2 for officers call Control on that channel.
Typical Console Set-up
The most common way to set up the police dispatcher's console is as follows:
--channel 1 selected --both speaker volumes up slightly
--channel 1 and 2 module volumes up slightly
--other channels turned down
This set-up insures that, regardless of what channel you have SELECTed, you will hear channel 1 and 2 from the speakers. You can also monitor any other channel merely by turning up its individual volume control.
Terminology
The police department uses codes in all of its radio transmissions. You should be familiar with the 10-code and various law sections in order to effectively communicate with officers on the radio.
When calling police officers units on the radio, refer to them their badge number. For reasons of security and professionalism, never use officers' names on the radio. The Oaktown badge numbers are...
1 to 90 officers
S-1 to 10 sergeants
L-1 to 5 lieutenants
C-2 to C-3 captains
C-1 chief of police
It's important that you be clear and unambiguous when calling field units on the radio. The proper format for radio traffic is "(called officer) FROM (calling officer)". When control calls a field unit the broadcast would be:
Adam-six, from Control
In most cases it will be obvious that the base station is calling the mobile unit and you may omit the word "control" when calling a field unit, saying simply "55." If there might be a misunderstanding, such as when several units have just called an officer, use "55, Control" to indicate who is calling the field unit.
When calling an officer, you may use just the officer's badge number, for example "55." You may acknowledge a calling field unit by saying "10-4" or the badge number and "check", such as "10-4, 55" or "Check, 55."
Officers calling control will use the same format, such as "Control from 55." In most cases, they will omit the "from" and simply use the two unit designations, such as "Control, 55."
The field unit may use two different forms, either calling Control or just broadcasting their badge number. For example, "Control, 55" or just "55". In addition, the officer may request clearance or just begin broadcasting, as follows:
clearance.......Control, Adam-six. [Go ahead, Adam-six.] I'm 10-8 from my stop.
non-stop........Control, Adam-six. I'm 10-8 from my stop.
The choice of method is made by the field radio operator and depends on the type and amount of other radio traffic. If the channel is busy, they may precede their call with a clearance request. During non-busy times, they may broadcast their message in one transmission.
Techniques
There are often high noise levels associated with police department field operations which make radio reception difficult. Also, there is no volume control associated with transmitting. So, proper positioning of the headset mouthpiece is very important. The tip of your microphone should be placed just above or below your mouth, about 1/2" away from your face. Do not place the microphone in front of your mouth, as breath noises will distort your transmissions. The radio volume should be loud enough to hear but low enough that it doesn't produce "feedback" into the microphone.
Your radio voice should be slow and steady. You should always listen before transmitting so as not to interfere with other broadcasts. A common mistake is not synchronizing your speaking with pushing the transmit button, which cuts off part of your radio broadcast. You should push the transmit button, wait a moment, give the broadcast, wait a moment, then release the transmit button.
Whenever you need to broadcast letters of the alphabet and wish to avoid any misunderstanding, use the "phonetic" alphabet. This technique uses peoples' names for each letter, such as Adam, Boy, Charles, David, Edward, Frank, etc. You should learn the complete phonetic alphabet listed in the Appendix.
If another public safety agency uses our frequency, they will preface their communications with their agency name. If another comm center calls, they will use the term "control" to indicate it is a base station. You should use the same terminology when calling other agencies on any channel. For example...
"Oaktown, U-23"............University police mobile calling control
"Oaktown, University control".......University police base station calling control
All incident dispatching and normal co-ordination is handled on channel 1. Lengthy, non-urgent and car-to-car communications should be made on channel 2. Special detail co-ordination, surveillance and other non-patrol activities may also use channel 2 as necessary.
Sometimes it is important to distinguish between an officer using a vehicle radio or a portable radio. Use the suffix "X" to denote the officer using a portable radio. For example...
"Adam-six-X, are you Code 4?" "Control, Adam-six-X, send me an 11-98, please."
Never acknowledge a field unit on the radio unless you fully understand their broadcast. If you did not hear or understand any part of it, ask them to repeat, for example....
"Adam-six, I copy you need a tow truck there. What else did you need? [Adam-six, I need OFD here for a washdown.]
When two units are calling at one time, avoid replying "Unit calling repeat," as both units will again broadcast simultaneously. Try to determine one unit's identity, tell them to stand-by and ask the other unit to repeat, for example...
"Adam-six stand-by. Other unit calling?"
At times of simultaneous emergencies, you may have to direct the radio transmissions to allow priority broadcasts. In these cases, crimes in progress have first priority. Other priority broadcasts include car and ped stops, calls from officers checking alarms or at domestic disturbances, etc.
If the `transmit' button is held down accidentally on a field radio, the continuous radio signal may block out other radio transmissions. This is called an "open mike." Reception of other radio broadcasts depends on the strength of their signal, which varies with distance location and if it is a portable or mobile radio. For example, an open mike on a portable radio will block other portable broadcasts to comm center, but probably not vehicle radios, which have more powerful transmitters.
Because of the way radios are designed, the person with the open mike radio does not receive any radio broadcasts. If you broadcast that there's an open mike, the person with the open mike will be the one person that doesn't hear you. The base station can transmit over the open mike but, if static or background noise from the open mike is excessive, other field units may not hear your transmissions.
If there's a chance that the officer with the open mike is near someone else with a radio, you should sound the ALERT tone once or twice and broadcast "All cars, check your mikes. We have an open mike." You should also all-call the station on the intercom in case the officer is in the Hall of Justice. If the problem persists, you should have all units switch to channel 2, and then give each officer a "ring" to insure that they have properly switched channels. Once the open mike is located or clears, switch back to channel 1 and give rings again.
If you intend to broadcast a lengthy piece of information to a field unit, ask them "Clear to copy?," or "10-63?" so they may prepare to write down the information.
Do not use the radio INTERCOM between consoles during any police radio transmission, as your conversation will be transmitted on the police radio. You do not have to be pressing the transmit button yourself. Any radio broadcast while you are using the INTERCOM will cause your conversation to be transmitted over the radio.
Oaktown's police channels are identified on the half-hour by broadcasting the call sign "KSL 359." You may use the SIMUL function to broadcast the ID on all channels at once or simply ID one channel at a time.
You should attempt to use the following standard radio phrases when appropriate:
"You're unreadable (10-1)"...radio unit calling cannot be heard clearly "Cars covered.........two or more radios are calling at once "You're loud and clear"....radio reception is okay during radio tests "Last car (unit) (10-9)"...you did not hear or understand, repeat
LOCAL GOVERNMENT RADIO
The police department console has the capability to operate on Oaktown's "local government" (LG) radio system, used by public works, parks and marina, electrical and other city agencies. These two channels, designated UHF and VHF, are monitored only from 1700 to 0700 daily and 24-hours on weekends and holidays. For further information, see the LOCAL GOVERNMENT RADIO section in this manual for LG procedures.
TELEPHONES
Each dispatcher position has a 100-line console with business, emergency and direct telephone lines. Each set of telephone lines is used for a specific purpose and is handled differently by the dispatcher. You must be aware that you may receive emergency calls on ANY of the public numbers. Also note that not all these telephone lines are available at all of the rear dispatcher positions.
Business Lines
All police department business offices have direct, Centrex lines. However, the numbers 644-6743/8 are maintained for citizen calls who do not have the correct Centrex number or who are reporting non-emergency incidents. These lines are shared with the fire department and shall be answered "Oaktown Police and Fire." Calls on these lines from outside numbers can be transferred to other Centrex telephones. Callers using this number to reach officers, units of the police department or other city administrative offices should be given the new Centrex number and then transferred. You may use these lines to make local, outside business calls.
Emergency Lines
While over 90% of department emergency calls are received on 911 lines, you may also receive fire and medical emergencies over 644-6161/8. These lines should be answered "Oaktown Police and Fire." Only calls received on the -6161 line can be transferred to other telephones.
If you receive a non-emergency call on these lines, tell the person it is an emergency line, give them the proper Centrex number and ask them to call the number directly.
Business Lines-Fire
Most fire department business offices have direct, Centrex lines. However, the numbers 644-6743/8 are maintained to answer citizen calls who do not have the correct Centrex number. These lines are shared with the police department and shall be answered "Oaktown Fire and Police." Calls on these lines from outside numbers can be transferred to other Centrex telephones. Callers using this number to reach firehouses, firefighters, fire prevention or other administrative offices should be given the new Centrex number and then transferred. You may use these lines to make local, outside business calls.
Dispatch Lines-Fire
The "dispatch" telephone line links all fire houses and the ambulance quarters with the comm center. It is not part of the public telephone system but works in a similar way. It is to be used only for dispatch-related conversations.
Each point in the system has been assigned a number or symbol as follows:
01.....station 1
02.....station 2
03.....station 3
04.....station 4
05.....station 5
06.....station 6
07.....station 7
0*.....Rescue 12
0#.....Rescue13
8.....comm center
09.....all-call
To reach a station(s) on the system, lift the handset. You will not hear a dial-tone. Press the number(s) or symbol(s) you wish to reach--to reach more than one station, just press another number or symbol. There will be no ringing. The officer answering will identify the station. To call all stations on the circuit dial 0 (zero)--you don't need to dial all station numbers individually--and wait for all the station light to appear.
The DISP telephone rings until someone picks it up or until a preset period of time elapses. If the station does not answer within 30-40 seconds, redial the station(s) again to re-start the ringing process.
Beside the dispatch line button are nine buttons labeled with the station numbers 1 thru 7 and 12 and 13. These buttons are not connected to any telephone lines. Rather, they light up when the dispatch line is answered at the particular house, providing a positive indication of who is on the line during an all-call.
The DISP telephone system has a fuse which protects the circuit from an overload. If the fuse blows, an alarm will be received on module #33 of the police alarm board. If this occurs, notify the radio technician either at the Corporation Yard or via the answering service.
Administrative Lines-Fire
The two Centrex lines 4-6768 and 4-6788 are used by fire officers and firefighters who want to contact the fire dispatcher for business purposes. Other public safety agencies may also call on these lines during emergencies. This line should be answered "Fire dispatch" and should not be used for making outside calls.
Special-Fire
The unlisted Centrex telephone numbers 644-6252 and 644-6725 have been reserved for incoming emergency calls by fire chiefs in the event that all other lines are busy during an emergency. Dispatchers should answer this line with "Fire dispatch" and should not give out this number to anyone. Do not make outside calls on these lines.
Tip Line
This line is reserved for anonymous information and tips by citizens. Callers can simply dial the (888-0001) to reach the police department. This line should be answered "Oaktown Police." You should not insist on obtaining caller identity information, altho they may give it if they wish. Do not make outside calls on this line.
Direct
The department is linked to several public safety agencies and alarm companies by "ring-down," direct telephone lines. When these lines are picked up, they automatically ring the telephone at the other end. To place a call on one of these lines, simply lift the handset and wait for the telephone to ring at the other end. These lines should be answered "Oaktown Police and Fire."
The direct lines are:
Honeywell
Alarmco
Kask
Red Alarm
PFE
Transit District police
University police
city elevators
Some of these companies maintain fire alarms only and are contacted only by the fire dispatcher. Some, like ADT, maintain both fire and burglary/holdup alarms and might be used by all dispatchers.
If you inadvertently pick up the handset while a direct-line button is depressed, it will start the ringing process at the other end. Even if you quickly switch to another telephone line, the distant telephone will continue to ring. The other party will then answer and find no one on the line. However, their answering will initiate the same process again--- a "ring back." To avoid this, always disconnect from a direct line after yo use it.
These lines are tested at least every 12 hours by the alarm companies, which maintain a record of the tests and mail them to the Fire Prevention office each monthly.
PBX System
The city has a centrally-operatd PBX. It allows special dialing features which permit calls to be transferred, conferenced or put on hold. Virtually all city offices have telephones on this special exchange, which has the prefix 881-.
Because telephone numbers were in short supply, the telephone company also assigned residences and businesses telephones with the 888- prefix. Do not assume that because the phone number begins with 644- that it is a City PBX number.
The four fire department PBX lines terminating in the comm center should be answered "fire department." You may use these lines to make local and toll calls.
All fire department offices, firehouses and chiefs' homes have PBX numbers. The PBX numbers to the chief's homes should not be given out to the public. Only the fire department office and firehouse PBX numbers are public. See Appendix C for a list of Public Safety telephone numbers.
How to Use
Outside callers may call police department offices directly using the 7-digit Centrex number. Callers using Centrex lines dial only the last 5 digits, for example.....
outside to PD unit..............888-6158
PD unit to PD unit................8-6158
To transfer an incoming, outside call received on a Centrex line, press the RECALL button and wait for the new dial tone. Dial the number and await the ring or busy signal. You may complete the transfer by hanging up the telephone or, if you wish to regain the original call, press the RECALL button again. You may then talk to the caller again or retry the transfer with an alternate number.
To conference a call between an incoming call, a second party and yourself, use the above transfer technique, then simply press the RECALL button after the third party answers and stay on the line.
To hold a party while you confer with another party, use the transfer technique above. When the third party answers, confer with them and, at the conclusion of the call, press the RECALL button to regain the original caller.
Calls between Centrex extensions cannot be transferred. Give the caller the new police department Centrex number.
911
The County has installed an "enhanced" nine-one-one (911) emergency telephone system. It allows callers to dial just three digits to reach all public safety agencies from anywhere in the county. It allows callers from telephone booths to make emergency calls without using a coin. Features of the system include a display of the caller's telephone number (Automatic Number Identifier, ANI) and address (Automatic Location Identifier (ALI), the name if a business, simplified transfer to other public safety agencies or any 7-digit numbers and a foreign language translation.
Each address in the county has a designated Public Safety Answering Point (PSAP) which handles all emergency services for that area, or directly refers emergency requests to the proper agency. When a call is placed via 911, the telephone company computer determines that number's PSAP and then routes it there.
There are seven incoming 911 emergency lines in the Comm Center. When a 911 call is received, the calling party's telephone number, address is displayed. The screen also shows if the premises is a residence, business, city sidewalk (CSW), a coin phone, a PBX or Centrex. The public safety agencies serving the address are listed at the bottom of the screen. The display remains visible until another call is received (the old information then "scrolls" off the screen) or you press the RESET button on the base of the display.
A caller on 911 may be transferred to another nearby public safety agency by pressing a button on the transfer box. Call may be transferred to any 7-digit number by pressing "ADD," waiting for a dial tone, then entering the number on the telephone's Touch-Tone pad. If you make a mistake or the number is busy, you may regain control of the original call by pressing the CAN button and then try again.
You may also transfer calls to certain jurisdictions using special two-digit numbers. To do this, look up the two-digit number, press ADD, then enter the two-digit number. You may also reach these jurisdictions yourself on 911 lines by simply entering the two-digit number when you hear the dial tone.
The one-button transfers for the 911 system are as follows:
Above the transfer buttons are three "windows" which displays numbers. The first window displays a two-digit trouble code. The next window displays the first three digits of the telephone number, the third window the last four digits of the telephone number.
All 911 call time information is recorded on a printer in a room adjacent to the comm center. The print-out includes the console number, calling party's number, the time the call was received, answered, transferred (if transferred to another agency) and disconnected. You can have your supervisor refer to this printout when trying to recontact callers.
You should record the calling party's number on all police dispatch cards. You should never make outside calls on the 911 lines. These are used for both fire and police incoming calls, so these lines should be answered "Oaktown emergency." State standards require that you not say just "Oaktown Police" or "Oaktown Fire."
Elevator Lines
The emergency telephones in several elevators in city buildings are connected to the comm center by direct, ring-down lines. There is also a direct-ring telephone in the city council chambers, inside the school administration building, 2140 Main St. Callers may be reporting crimes or medical problems or that they are stuck in the elevator. If the line goes "off the hook," dispatch a police officer to investigate. These lines should be answered "Oaktown emergency."
Tacphone
The county maintains a microwave-based telephone system linking all county public safety agencies. It is termed the "Tacphone" and all numbers are three digits. The police department uses this telephone for communications with other police agencies and with the county during times of disaster. It does not connect to adjacent cities in a different county. The Oaktown police and fire departments have separate Tacphone numbers, but either may used when making outgoing calls. This line should be answered "Oaktown Police/Fire."
Station Private Lines
Firefighters in each firehouse have installed telephones at their own expense for their private use. The telephones are billed separately from the department and are usually used by friends and relatives. The telephones numbers are not ordinarily given out to citizens. However, friends or relatives requesting the private line number to a firehouse may be given the number. In an emergency, you can use these telephones to reach a firehouse.
Local
There is one line used for local calls between telephones in the comm center. It is labeled "ICM" and the position's number. There is no dial tone and you do not hear the dialed number ring. Each position has a one or two-digit number which sounds a buzzer at the called telephone.
Screening, Forwarding-Fire
When you receive a call for another person or department, you should handle it as follows:
A/C if during office hours, transfer to A/C's office; if after hours, ask who is calling and announce call to the A/C
The Console
All telephone lines terminate in a 100-button station built into the console. Each telephone line is connected to one button. To connect to a telephone line for answering or originating a call, push the button. To disconnect or hang up from a line, push the button again. Only one line may be active at a time, so you may have only one button depressed at a time. If you engage a second button, that line will not become active until you disengage the first line.
A light behind each button indicates the status of the line---steady if the line is in use, slow flashing if a call is incoming, fast flashing if a call is on hold. A low-volume warble tone signals an incoming call.
To the right of the 100 buttons are five control buttons and a Touch-Tone pad. To put a line on hold, press the HOLD button, then press the line button to disengage it. When you press the hold button, it will light as red and the line button will flash quickly. You must disengage a line on HOLD before using any other line.
To transfer Centrex calls, press the RECALL button to obtain a second dial tone and then dial the number. Disengage the line button to complete the transfer. For instance, you answer a call and the person wants Fire Prevention. Press the RECALL button and you will receive a dial tone. Dial 4-6189 and the distant telephone will ring. Disengage the line button to complete the transfer.
Toll Calls
Dispatchers should attempt to minimize the cost of toll and long-distance calls by using the proper routing method, as follows:
No personal toll calls are permitted on any city telephone lines. If a personal emergency demands that you place a toll call from the comm center, notify your supervisor, who will arrange for you to place the call.
If you reach a wrong number while making a toll call, you should immediately call the telephone company operator and give them the information, so that they may correct the billing.
Phone Security
Whenever you receive a call on a public line, you cannot assume who the caller is. However, if you receive a call on the Tacphone or ring-down lines, you can safely assume that the call is coming from a public safety agency. Whenever anyone reports an alert, requests mutual aid or requests official information, you may have them call on one of the private systems or request a call-back number, to insure that the request is authentic.
Personal Use of Telephones
Dispatchers shall not use any comm center lines for either in-coming or outgoing personal calls except in urgent cases with the permission of their supervisor. Personal use of city equipment or making personal toll calls is not allowed.
In addition, many people listen to the comm center tapes on a regular basis, including the Police Review Commission, judges, private investigators, private attorneys, Internal Affairs and the Public Defender's office. It is unprofessional and often embarrassing for these people to listen to personal telephone calls while reviewing the logging recorder tapes.
ALARM BOARD
The alarm board on the west wall of the comm center is the receiving point for alarms installed in Oaktown banks and other businesses. Each business is connected to a module by a telephone line. The module shows the status of the alarm, an alarm light and a switch to silence the audible alarm. The modules are arranged in three banks, with each bank having a master alarm light.
When an individual alarm module is activated, the module meter moves to the "ALARM" or "TROUBLE" position, the module alarm bulb lights, the group master alarm indictor lights and a tone sounds. To silence the alarm, simply turn the toggle switch on the module to the UP position. The master light will go out, the tone will be silenced but the module light will remain on until the alarm is reset at the business. There is no way that the alarm system can be reset from the comm center.
The meter on each module indicates the status of the alarm circuit, as follows:
It is important that all alarms be reset as quickly as possible after activation to insure the safety of the business. If an alarm shows trouble for an extended period of time, you should notify your supervisor, who will attempt to notify the business owner to have the system reset or repaired.
Procedures for handling alarms received from this board are contained in other sections of this manual.
JAIL ALARMS
There are two panels associated with the 3rd floor police jail:
These buttons should only be used in an emergency and only after directing officers to provide security to the northside jail fire escape and other exits.
This panel also contains an alarm, and an alarm "on-off" switch. This switch should always be in the "on" position unless directed to turn if off by the jail supervisor.
RADIO ALARM
To combat particular burglary problems, the Property Crimes unit may temporarily install a radio alarm in a premises. The alarm consists of a metal box containing a motion detector and a radio transmitter set to channel 2. The alarm is usually turned on by the owners as they leave work and then turned off again when they return to work, and they will notify the comm center when this occurs to verify the alarm being tripped.
If the alarm senses motion within the area where it's set, it broadcasts a series of particular tones on channel 2 for about 10 seconds. The tones identify which alarm (1-4) has been activated. A panel at comm center console #4 senses the tones on channel 2 and lights up a push button indicating which alarm has been received and sounds an alert tone. To silence the alert, push the lighted button. You may have to push the button several times, as the panel will continue to sound as long as the alarm is transmitting--about 10 seconds.
TAPE RECORDER
All telephone and radio traffic at each position in the comm center is constantly recorded. Telephone calls are recorded both on a instant playback machine (ECHO) at the telephone dispatcher's consoles, and on a 24-hour logging recorder in an adjacent room. A "beep" on the telephone line every 15-seconds indicates that the conversation is being recorded. All radio channels are recorded on the logging recorder.
The ECHO recorder is used to record all calls for immediate playback. It is readied for operation by pressing the RWD button until the end-of-tape (EOT) lamp lights, pressing STOP and then pressing the REC button. Now, whenever you pick up the telephone the conversation will be recorded. It records on a 30-minute, continuous loop of tape. It places a marker "beep" at the end of each conversation. To play back the last conversation, merely hit the RECALL button. The tape will be rewound to the last marker "beep" and begin playing. To replay the next previous conversation, press the REPLAY button again. You may continue to do this until you reach the first conversation. When the recorder reaches the end of the conversation being played, it will stop automatically and resume the record mode. The two arrow buttons are momentary rewind and fast forward, the STOP button stops the tape drive and the FWD button is fast forward. The volume control turns the recorder on/off and adjusts the speaker output.
The logging tape recorder continuously records on 24-hour reels of tape. It is mainly used for replaying radio and telephone conversations days or weeks old. However, in the event of a instant-playback malfunction, it is possible to replay logging recorder tapes to verify addresses.
Two copies of tapes are produced on the recorder--one is kept for seven days, the other for 100 days. The tapes are changed each day at about midnight, labeled and kept in a locked storage cabinet. Complete instructions for changing the tapes are displayed on the tape storage cabinet.
GENERATOR TEST
Each Monday morning the Electrical Division of the city tests the emergency generator which provides power to the Hall of Justice and the comm center. During this test, they will cut power to the building and the generator will then automatically start. The generator will run for three to five minutes and then main power is restored.
During these tests, there may be periods of 1-3 seconds when there is no power at all. Most of the comm center electrical equipment is not affected by this outage, but some are.
The logging tape recorders have a tension sensor which continually feels the tape. During the power interruption the tape may stop and sag somewhat. When power is restored, the tension sensor will not allow the recorder to restart. No trouble audible signal is given when this occurs. So, after each generator test, you should check all four logging recorders to insure that they are all moving. If you is not, simple move one of the reels to tighten the tape path and press "Record" and "Run" at the same time.
The radio consoles allow you to listen or transmit on several channels at once with the SIMUL function. In some cases after a power outage, the console will lose the SIMUL'ed channels and revert back to only channel one. In this case, simply reset the channels that you want to hear using the SIMUL button.
The EOC
The room directly north of the main comm center is used as the Emergency Operations Center during large incidents or disasters. It has provision for operating on fire channel 1 and police channels 1, 2, 3 and 4. It has several telephones with their own telephone numbers, as well as connections to the Tacphone. There are large-scale maps of Oaktown for plotting movements of persons and equipment.
The EOC also has one telephone which connects to each of the seven positions in the main comm center. This telephone may be used by EOC personnel to monitor incoming calls during an emergency. It may also be used by supervisory personnel to assist during training during other times.
PROBLEMS
You should tell your supervisor about any equipment problems as soon as they are discovered. The problem will either be reported to the proper agency immediately or to the 2nd platoon supervisor for follow-up.
In addition, you may fill out a Defective Condition form, kept on a clipboard on the west wall, and route it to the 2nd platoon supervisor for action.
Radio
Common comm center problems include broken headphones, knobs or push buttons, and burned-out indicator lights. Infrequently, you will not be able to transmit or receive, usually at a particular console.
In the field, common problems include broken microphones or antennas, weak or exhausted batteries or water-logged portables and problems at the remote receiver sites. Mobile radios are usually very reliable, while portables are subject to more abuse and fail more often.
For all comm center or field radio problems, notify your supervisor who will probably have you contact the radio technician either at the Corp Yard or thru the city's answering service.
Telephone
Common comm center problems include broken or loose connections, stuck buttons and burned-out indicator lights. Infrequently, you will have circuit problems that disrupt outgoing or incoming calls. Electronic problems with the 911 equipment may disrupt your ability to receive or transfer calls. These problems are either related to the instruments or the telephone lines.
For EQUIPMENT problems the City of Oaktown Electrical Department has responsibility. Contact them either at the Corp Yard or thru the city answering service.
For LINE or 911 problems, Pacific Bell has responsibility. For regular lines, contact them at 611. For 911 line problems, contact the special service number listed.
If the line problems involve the 911 system, incoming emergency lines or the dispatch lines to the fire stations, you should tell the repair operator that repair is a priority. Obtain the operator's name and get a specific commitment for the repair. If there is any question about the time it will take for repairs, notify your supervisor.
Recorders
On occasion, the logging recorders may detect "dead spots" on the tape and give an audible signal. When this occurs, simply press the red RESET button on the recorder, press STOP, then restart the machine by pressing RECORD and RUN at the same time. If the problem is not cleared, you should notify you supervisor for assistance.
The city radio technician has responsibility for any problems with the instantplayback or logging recorder. Contact them at the Corp Yard or thru the city answering service.
Other Equipment
For problems with other equipment contact your supervisor, who will notify the proper person for repairs.
VOICE QUALITY
You should speak slowly and clearly on the telephone and with adequate volume. If callers cannot hear or understand you, you will have to repeat your questions, which wastes time.
You voice should project authority and knowledge, backed up by a certainty of what you are telling the caller. If you are hesitant or seem unsure, the caller will probably question your answers or your ability to help.
Use plain, everyday language with the public--never use the Ten Code, legal terms or law enforcement jargon.
TELEPHONE GREETING
Because all calls to the comm center are potential emergencies, you must promptly answer all incoming calls. If you are not able to immediately handle the call because of other incoming calls, radio traffic, etc., ask the caller "Do you have an emergency?" If the caller says "No", tell them "Hold on, please." If the caller indicates they have an emergency, ask them "What is the emergency?", then proceed to handle it if necessary.
Different telephone lines are answered somewhat differently, as indicated in the previous section on Equipment. For review, this is the way you should answer incoming lines:
ANSWERING PRIORITY
The possibility of capturing a crimi