Fri, 12 Mar 2010 09:42:13 -0500 http://pbc9-1-1.org/ PostNuke Powered Site en-us http://pbc9-1-1.org/images/logo.gif http://pbc9-1-1.org/ madler@pbcgov.org http://pbc9-1-1.org/index.php?name=News&file=article&sid=23 The 9-1-1 Public Education Team originated in April of 2002 as a group of 9-1-1 telecommunicator/dispatchers who were concerned about the proper use of 9-1-1. It was their consensus that the system could provide more effective service if the general public understood how 9-1-1 worked, what are its capabilities, and how to appropriately utilize 9-1-1. A slide presentation was developed for use in educating adult users. To see this presentation CLICK HERE. To arrange for a presentation to your club or group by a qualified 9-1-1 dispather, contact Mark Adler at (561) 712-6486, or madler@pbcgpv.org. Fri, 12 Mar 2010 09:42:13 -0500 http://pbc9-1-1.org/index.php?name=News&file=article&sid=22 On December 15th, 1981, Palm Beach County put only the second Enhanced 9-1-1 System in Florida into service. Calls to 9-1-1 were routed to the correct Public Safety Answering Point (PSAP) with the telephone number of the caller's phone and location. 27 years later, times have changed. The majority of 9-1-1 calls come from wireless telephones, although we have been able to provide the wireless caller's telephone number and location, new technologies are not able to access the 9-1-1 system such as text messaging utilized by the deaf community and many young people, internet chat, video, pictures and automatic crash notification information from vehicles. Thu, 16 Oct 2008 16:13:03 -0400 http://pbc9-1-1.org/index.php?name=News&file=article&sid=21 Pranksters, clueless callers block lines for legitimate crises By Alex Johnson Reporter MSNBC updated 6:30 p.m. ET, Tues., Aug. 5, 2008 Which of these is an emergency? • A Subway sandwich shop in Florida leaves the mayo and mustard off a customer’s order. • A Texas man can’t get a cab. • A Tennessee man’s stepfather keeps nagging him to do the laundry. To hear callers to 911 emergency lines tell it, all are. Eddie Mitchell, a 911 dispatcher in Rancho Cordova, Calif., near Sacramento, likes to tell the story of the caller who demanded to know why the Transportation Department hadn’t mowed the grass. Another wanted to know how to use his cell phone. Wed, 06 Aug 2008 09:43:06 -0400 http://pbc9-1-1.org/index.php?name=News&file=article&sid=20 Published June 8th, 2008 By John Johnston Managing Editor, Boca Raton News What do New York City and Los Angeles have in common with Palm Beach County? “Beam me up Scotty” is about to become more of a reality as all three are on the cutting edge of developing the next generation of 911 emergency systems. And in the Palm Beach County case, more than $10 million has been approved by the State E-911 Board to upgrade the county’s 911 system to an Internet Protocol (IP) based system. Three separate grants are involved said commissioners, requiring a total county match of $4.25 million that is available from existing non-ad-valorem 911 funds. The Changes What this means in real life could include the following: A retailer calls 911 to report a robbery and submits the suspect’s photo via cell phone. A deaf person sends a 911-text message reporting a fire. Motorists traveling I-95 receive cell phone alerts warning of a hazardous materials spill, or a jackknifed 18-wheeler ahead. Videos of a fast approaching storm can be sent to 911. Mon, 30 Jun 2008 15:15:53 -0400 http://pbc9-1-1.org/index.php?name=News&file=article&sid=19 The true first responders are the telecommunicators that answer your 9-1-1 calls. The first voice you hear, when you need help, whether it is a loved one that is injured or critically ill on a holiday, a fire alarm or intruder in the wee hours of the morning, or an automobile accident on the way to work, they are there to gather pertinent information and dispatch the police, fire/rescue or medical help and even provide instructions to manage the situation until help arrives. We often say thank you to the responders on the scene. This week we take time to thank the true first responders. At the Board of County Commissioners meeting on April 10, 2007, Commissioner Jess R. Santamaria presented a proclamation declaring the week of April 8 - 14, 2007 as “Public Safety Telecommunicators Week” in Palm Beach County. Pictured above (l to r): Commissioner Jess R. Santamaria, Pat Wehrle, Mark Adler and Eric Smith. PROCLAMATION OF THE BOARD OF COUNTY COMMISSIONERS OF PALM BEACH COUNTY, FLORIDA, DECLARING THE WEEK OF APRIL 8-14, 2007, AS PALM BEACH COUNTY PUBLIC SAFETY TELECOMMUNICATORS WEEK WHEREAS, thousands of dedicated public safety telecommunications personnel daily serve the nation by answering 9-1-1 calls for police, fire, emergency medical services, and dispatching the appropriate assistance as quickly as possible; and To view the proclamation CLICK HERE. To view pictures of the 2007 NPSTW Cruise CLICK HERE. Thu, 12 Apr 2007 08:45:17 -0400 http://pbc9-1-1.org/index.php?name=News&file=article&sid=17 In an effort to assist teachers and 9-1-1 professionals teach young o­nes the proper use of the 9-1-1 telephone system, the public education team has produced an o­n-line coloring book that can be viewed and printed as often as necessary.  This coloring book is in Adobe Acrobat format for universal access.  To view and print the 9-1-1 Coloring & Activity Book CLICK HERE. Test Your ability to know when to call 9-1-1! To view and print the Is It 9-1-1 or not Work Sheet CLICK HERE. Are you willing to take the pledge to use 9-1-1 properly. To print out The PledgeCLICK HERE. Mon, 13 Feb 2006 12:20:59 -0500 http://pbc9-1-1.org/index.php?name=News&file=article&sid=16 Some o­ne-hundred-fifty thousand residents of Palm Beach County have a significant hearing loss. About ten thousand use a telecommunications device for the deaf also known as a TDD or TTY. For those who cannot hear a telephone, a TTY enables them to communicate by typing back and forth between TTY users. How can a TTY user get help in an emergency? (See “Hearing & Speech Impaired & 9-1-1” o­n the F.A.Q. Page.) Mon, 13 Jun 2005 13:29:50 -0400 http://pbc9-1-1.org/index.php?name=News&file=article&sid=13 The following CONSUMER ALERT was issued by the Attorney General of the State of Texas. To view a copy of the actual document click here.Consumers who are considering buying Internet-based telephone services should be aware that not all such services provide access to the 9-1-1 network. Sometimes 9-1-1 service is provided but is not the full service we are used to receiving via regular wireline telephones. When a person calls 9-1-1 from a wireline telephone, emergency service providers automatically know the caller’s location and can direct emergency personnel to that location even if the caller is not able to provide an address. Wed, 16 Feb 2005 09:29:07 -0500 http://pbc9-1-1.org/index.php?name=News&file=article&sid=12 08:12 AM CST on Friday, February 4, 2005 By Vicente Arenas / KHOU 11 News, Houston A young girl found out the hard way Thursday that not all phone companies provide a connection to emergency services. As her mother and father were being shot during a home invasion, she tried to call 911, but couldn't get through. Joyce John tried to call 911, but the Internet phone service her family uses didn't offer that capability. This problem could affect thousands of people who use the Internet for their phone service. Peter John describes how bullets flew through his home as he and his wife tried to fight off two would-be robbers. "And he point the gun toward me like this. The guy put the gun to my chest. I told him that my daughter's upstairs," said John. "Next thing I know, I hear shots in two or three seconds. She was screaming Joyce, Joyce call the police call 911," said his daughter, Joyce. Fri, 04 Feb 2005 13:07:31 -0500 http://pbc9-1-1.org/index.php?name=News&file=article&sid=10 A new technology stands ready to transform the landscape of telephone service. Consumers with an existing high speed internet connection such an BellSouth’s “Fast Access” or Adelphia’s “PowerLink” will be able to purchase telephone service that utilizes the internet to make and receive telephone calls.. They also offer free or inexpensive long distance calling to the whole northern hemisphere along with other new features that are unavailable or expensive with conventional wire-line telephone service. Vonage is o­ne company that presently offers “broadband” or VoIP telephone service. AT&T, BellSouth and others will be rolling out this new technology within months.One feature of this service is the ability to make and receive telephone calls wherever a high speed internet connection is available. This means that if I travel, I can take my phone with me and plug it into high speed or broadband connections wherever I go.Unfortunately, this new technology currently DOES NOT support traditional enhanced 9-1-1 service! Since the VoIP telephone is mobile and because of the nature of the internet, routing calls to 9-1-1 answering points automatically over 9-1-1 lines is not possible. Currently, there is no provision to transmit the caller’s telephone number and location to the 9-1-1 call-taker. Fri, 19 Mar 2004 14:01:20 -0500 http://pbc9-1-1.org/index.php?name=News&file=article&sid=9 The Master Street Address Guide or MSAG is a list of streets and their attributes used to determine the routing of 9-1-1 calls to the appropriate 9-1-1 answering points. Palm Beach County 9-1-1 Management has provided the ability to SEARCH THE MSAG to see which police and fire/rescue agency responds to 9-1-1 calls originating o­n a street. By entering the street name, all the streets with that name will be displayed. Since some streets may run through various jurisdictions or there are multiple streets with the same name, the address ranges and community will further identify the street and or address you are looking for. You may also sort that list by clicking o­n the heading that you wish to sort by. This list will be updated o­n a monthly basis to ensure the most current information is made available.  Fri, 19 Mar 2004 07:46:01 -0500 http://pbc9-1-1.org/index.php?name=News&file=article&sid=8 What dose it take to be a 9-1-1 call-taker? DEDICATION. You have to love people and welcome the possibility of helping others in order to entertain the idea of working nights, holidays and weekends. You have to have the versatility needed to shift from calm and serenity into sheer pandemonium in a matter of seconds, especially when the victim is a child or loved one. The following prose was written from a 9-1-1 dispatcher's perspective and it sheds a metaphoric light on how it feels to work in the this field of intensity and uncertainty. Hopefully, it will help others to understand the nature of the job and to appreciate the level of dedication involved. The Voices Written by: Sabrina Harris The voices on the other side are unfamiliar yet somehow quite compelling, The draw us in with the force alike that of a powerful vacuum, We are drawn into their space, their world, their zone. Instinctively, of the voices we are not afraid for we understand that we were drawn here for a purpose, For within these voices we can detect a sense of urgency, a plea, a question, a demand, a need. And instantly a flame of good-will ignites within us like a searing hot torch, Obediently, the voices we oblige and go beyond what is expected to provide to the best of our ability, The valid needs and wants of those who rely on us. And even though the voices are many and the challenge is great, A dedicated dispatcher unwaveringly welcomes the opportunity and takes great pride in a job well done. Wed, 28 Jan 2004 07:09:04 -0500 http://pbc9-1-1.org/index.php?name=News&file=article&sid=7 The 9-1-1 Public Education Team originated in April of 2002 as a group of 9-1-1 telecommunicator/dispatchers who were concerned about the proper use of 9-1-1. It was their consensus that the system could provide more effective service if the general public understood how 9-1-1 worked, what are its capabilities, and how to appropriately utilize 9-1-1. A slide presentation was developed for use in educating adult users. To see this presentation CLICK HERE. To arrange for a presentation to your club or group by a qualified 9-1-1 dispather, contact Mark Adler at (561) 712-6486, or madler@pbcgpv.org. Wed, 24 Dec 2003 13:34:39 -0500 http://pbc9-1-1.org/index.php?name=News&file=article&sid=5 What happens when you abuse the 9-1-1 system by calling when you do not have a real emergency. You might tie up incoming 9-1-1 lines that other people whoes life, health, or property are truely endangered. Read this reprint of an article By William H. Mason in the December 1996 National Emergency Number News Magazine. It is a fictional account of what could happen. Tue, 25 Nov 2003 14:02:55 -0500 http://pbc9-1-1.org/index.php?name=News&file=article&sid=4 How critical is having your street address clearly posted so that it is easily visible from the road? What would happen if you were all alone and unconscious from diabetic shock? If you dial 9-1-1 from your home telephone, the telecommunicator / dispatcher would probably receive your address information and relay that to the paramedics but if your address was not visible, they could waste valuable time trying to determine which house the call came from.To see a poster to remind you the importance of posting your address click here. Tue, 25 Nov 2003 08:58:59 -0500 http://pbc9-1-1.org/index.php?name=News&file=article&sid=3 Can you find me now? When I call 9-1-1 on my land line telephone the dispatchter knows the telephone number(ANI) that I am calling from and the location of the telephoen(ALI). What will they know when I dial 9-1-1 on my cellular, wireless, or PCS telephone? Fri, 14 Nov 2003 12:38:01 -0500