Raytown Fire
Protection District
Press Release
PIO
Assigned: Matt Mace Fire Marshal
Follow
up Info: Matt Mace 816-737-6034
The Raytown 911 Communications Unit is celebrating the week of
April 8-14, 2012 as National Public Safety Telecommunicator's Week! This week,
sponsored by the Association of Public-Safety Communications Officials (APCO)
International and celebrated annually, honors the thousands of men and women
who respond to emergency calls for help, dispatch emergency professionals and
equipment, and render life-saving assistance to the world's citizens.
"What is the location of your emergency?" starts the process that
defines the nature of the emergency, which in turn sets the emergency response
in motion. These professionals are the critical link not only for the caller
but also for the Firefighters and Paramedics in the field. Their role is
critical to the outcome of the incident and many times contributes to the
survivability of our patients. Working 12-hour shifts these trained
professionals routinely handle over 21,000 calls received a year. The
Communication Unit Dispatchers are not normally the first personnel that are
thought of in Fire and Medical Emergencies, but they are a vital component in
every Fire Department response. Our Dispatchers are the unseen first responders
whose work is invaluable and critical to the successful handling of any
emergency situation. Additionally, these men and women help countless people
who may not have an emergency situation but are just trying to get an answer to
a troubling circumstance. This week provides an opportunity for our community
to show their appreciation for the difficult job that our Dispatchers perform
daily and the quality service they provide to everyone. Our Dispatchers are an
important and vital part of our community, and maintain that role with
professionalism, integrity, and competence. You can help us help you when
calling in an emergency by following these simple tips:
Be prepared to answer the question, "What is the location
of your emergency?" -Stay on the line until you are directed to hang up.
-If possible, when at home use your home phone, not your wireless phone. 9-1-1
calls on wired lines provide caller name, phone number and address as well as
other information that is useful for processing the 9-1-1 call. -The use of
cell phones accounts for 72% of 9-1-1 calls we receive. When using your
wireless phone, know where you are. 9-1-1 calls on wireless phones provide only
the phone number. In many cases, depending on type of phone, the carrier, and
the signal strength, the location of the caller may plot on a map, but we may
not be able to obtain an accurate address.
**END**
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