Operations
Shelby Gloude’s Second Career: Dispatcher
July 13, 2011It’s never too late in life to change your career. In her early 40s, Shelby Gloude returned to her hometown to become a public safety dispatcher with the Portsmouth (Va.) Police Department. Fast forward more than 16 years, and Gloude is a supervisor who is active in and passionate about the profession.
Read full articleBerkeley 9-1-1 Dispatchers Honored
July 13, 2011When Berkeley 9-1-1 dispatcher Kevin Houston took a call the evening of June 1, all he could hear was labored, heavy breathing. Then the line went dead. Houston immediately knew the person who called 9-1-1 on a cell phone was in grave danger. He also knew that, without the person giving her location, it was going to be difficult to find her.
Read full articleDealing with the Unexpected
June 30, 2011Stress, anxiety and fear are common emotions people experience during disasters—both natural disasters and personal crises. As a public safety telecommunicator, on duty you’re familiar with how to calm others in life-and-death situations, but what about you personally? How do you stay calm? Here are seven techniques to help you stay calm when dealing with the unexpected.
Read full article‘Unfunded Mandate’
June 29, 2011Politicians tell us the recession ended last year. If you ask a person standing in an unemployment line in New York, Philadelphia, Denver or Los Angeles if they agree with that assessment, they’d probably say no. If you take a close look at many state and local budgets, prosperity is hard to find. More and more, the states are withholding funds that used to be passed on to municipalities to help with their projects.
Read full articleStarting from Scratch
June 29, 2011Developing training, whether it’s a single class or a comprehensive agency program, can be daunting. You may find it more manageable, if you follow four simple steps.
Read full articlePocatello Police Dispatcher Deals with Life and Death Situations
June 29, 2011Pocatello, Idaho — Nicole Langsdorf was troubled by one of the first calls she took as she was training to become a Pocatello police dispatcher. The call left her with a mental image of her son, Buddy, in distress. Langsdorf, 32, has worked for the department for four years. While she was in training, she received a call by a man whose 2-month-old boy had stopped breathing.
Read full articleLisa Figueredo Brings Pride to the Job at Miami-Dade FD
June 22, 2011Lisa Figueredo, a supervisor for the Miami-Dade (Fla.) Fire Rescue Department, discusses her experiences and work-life balance after 25 years on the job with the department.
Read full articleThe Politics of Perfume & Your Co-Workers
June 22, 2011Dear Radiohead: One of my co-workers likes to practically bathe in their favorite scent. I’m not someone with a “sensitive nose,” but sometimes I can’t concentrate it’s so strong. Should telecommunicators really be allowed to wear perfumes and colognes on duty? What do I do? — Signed, Eau de toilette
Read full articleThe Well-Traveled Delegate
June 9, 2011In his 30-year communications career, Manfred Blaha has attained an international level of expertise in the ever-changing and wide-ranging world…
Read full articleManaging Your Own Emergency
June 2, 2011In a world where technology affects almost everything we do, we must ask how it’s improving our lives and creating challenges. Next Generation 9-1-1 (NG9-1-1) and IP-based emergency communications will eventually allow us to process calls more effectively, receive vast amounts of data and share functions between PSAPs. But NG9-1-1 does not provide a venue for setting realistic expectations for a public that may already rely too heavily on technology.
Read full article