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The Dare County Board of Commissioners has designated Sunday, April
11 through Saturday, April 18 as National Telecommunicators Week in Dare
County. A proclamation adopted at their Monday, April 5 meeting
acknowledged and thanked the Dare County 9-1-1 Telecommunicators.
``The 9-1-1 Telecommunicators serve as our nation’s first line of
defense,’’ commented Warren Judge, Chairman of the Dare County Board of
Commissioners. “When we are faced with an emergency or crisis, we
call these people first and they are always there to help.’’
In Dare County, a crew of some 25 specially trained Telecommunicators
work in shifts of four answering the 9-1-1 lines 24 hours each day,
seven days each week. They ensure immediate assistance for every
resident and visitor of the county, including the six towns.
``Telecommunicators are trained to provide the proper assistance for any
emergency,’’ added Major Almey Gray, Director of the Dare County
Sheriff’s Office Emergency 9-1-1 Center. ``We dispatch the appropriate
response to the callers: Emergency Medical Services, Fire Services,
Ocean Rescue or Law Enforcement services depending on the nature of the
emergency.’’
Dare County’s implementation of the Emergency Medical Dispatch Program
now offers important pre-arrival instructions to callers until the
Emergency Medical Services (EMS) personnel arrive on the scene.
This training has paid off many times over the past years. Three years
ago, Telecommunicator Richard Lewis had a caller reporting a relative
stricken by a heart attack. Lewis dispatched EMS and then instructed the
caller on how to administer CPR until the medical personnel arrived on
scene. This patient would most likely have died without the CPR
instructions given over the phone.
Telecommunicator Erin Putnam assisted in a similar situation. A female
collapsed and Putnam proceeded to provide CPR instruction until EMS
arrived on scene. Supervisor Debra Remaley provided CPR instruction to a
caller using the ``langue line’’ which provides for instructions to be
translated to the language of the caller. Telecommunicator Eileen
McKenna used this same langue line to provide pre-arrival instructions
to a husband who had just delivered his wife’s baby.
Another advance in Telecommunicators services includes the ability to
more accurately locate a caller. House phones or “land lines” provide
immediate addresses; however, cell phones did not provide addresses
until recently. This becomes an issue as visitors flood into Dare County
each year and may be unfamiliar with their surroundings during an
emergency.
Now, Telecommunicators receive immediate Global Positioning Signals
(GPS) that provide the latitude and longitude of the caller. Telecommunicators
will ask the location of the event and compare the information provided
by the GPS.
As an example of how the system works, the 9-1-1 Telecommunicators
recently received a call from the United States Coast Guard seeking
assistance for a disabled boat in Kitty Hawk Bay. Occupants on the boat
included two children.
It was night time and the fog was so heavy that occupants of the boat
were not able to determine their location when calling the Coast Guard
for assistance. The Coast Guard would be delayed because of weather
conditions so they requested local agencies to render assistance.
When the Telecommunicators found out from the Coast Guard that the boat
occupants had a cell phone with them, they requested that the Coast
Guard radio a message back to the boaters to call 911 from their phone.
Once on the phone with the boater, Telecommunicators instructed them to
set off flares, but the fog was so thick that even the boater could not
see them.
By using GPS technology through the cell phone, 9-1-1
Telecommunicators were able to plot their general location and help lead
rescuers to the boat. Everyone was returned safely to shore thanks to
trained rescue personnel and the Telecommunicators ability to utilize
technology.
Assistant Director and Training Coordinator Lora L. Nock compares the Telecommunicators
work to that of Air Traffic Controllers. ``Every call that comes in can
involve life or death challenges. We continually train to keep our
skills at a high level so we are prepared and ready to help any
caller.’’
A yearly average of nearly 280 calls a day are answered by the Telecommunicators.
The summer months are busiest as the county population increases from
30,000 to 300,000. During the summer months, the Telecommunicators face
challenges in dispatching emergency personnel to the proper locations of
ocean rescues and beach emergencies. In addition, they provide medical
pre-arrival instructions when needed.
Director Major Almey Gray; Assistant Director Lora L. Nock; 911 Systems
Administrator Talmadge Willis; and Jessica Phillips, Office Support
Specialist have 74 combined years of service in Dare County.
A Shift Telecommunicators include: Pamela Meekins, Supervisor; Michelle
Mills, Assistant Supervisor; Merry Kocian, Nancy Stieh and Amy Elkins.
B Shift Telecommunicators include: Debra Remaley, Supervisor; Sherian
Swindell, Assistant Supervisor; Rebecca Cooke, Erin Putnam and Suzanne
Ashley.
C Shift Telecommunicators include: Neries Sullivan, Supervisor; Regina
Etheridge, Assistant Supervisor; Jessica Midgett, Eileen McKenna, Holly
Butler and Joel Balance.
D Shift Telecommunicators include: Beth Edens, Supervisor; Richard
Lewis, Assistant Supervisor; Kimberly Twiddy, Sara Finch and Suzanne
Odum.
Lacy Chronister has stepped down from a full time position and continues
her training and serves the division as a Part Time Telecommunicator
joining any shift when necessary.
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Admin - Emergency 9-1-1 Communications Services are
administered by Major Almey Gray, Director of Communications
(seated); Lora L. Nock, Assistant Director / Training
Coordinator; Talmadge Willis, 911 Systems Administrator; and
Jessica Phillips, Office Support Specialist (not pictured). |
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A Shift 9-1-1 Telecommunicators include, left to right:
Michelle Mills, Assistant Supervisor; Amy Elkins; Pamela Meekins,
Supervisor; Nancy Stieh and Merry Kocian (not pictured). |
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B Shift 9-1-1 Telecommunicators include, left to right:
Debra Remaley, Supervisor (not pictured); Rebecca Cooke; Suzanne
Ashley; Sherian Swindell, Assistant Supervisor; and Erin Putnam. |
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C Shift 9-1-1 Telecommunicators include, left to right:
Regina Etheridge, Assistant Supervisor; Joel Balance; Neries
Sullivan, Supervisor; Holly Butler; Eileen McKenna; and Jessica
Midgett. |
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D Shift 9-1-1 Telecommunicators include, left to right:
Kimberly Twiddy; Sara Finch; Richard Lewis, Assistant
Supervisor; Beth Edens, Supervisor; and Suzanne Odum (not
pictured). |
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