Honoring ‘heroes under the headset’ From the Frederick News Post BOARD OF CONTRIBUTORS

I received my first fire monitor for Christmas when I was 14 years old — two years before I was old enough to join the volunteer fire department.

I was already hooked. I wanted to be a dispatcher.

I graduated from high school in 1971. By the end of the year, I was working as a part-time dispatcher. In July 1972, I was hired full-time at Frederick County Central Alarm.

In 1972, there was no 911, no house numbers and no computer- aided dispatch system, just one person on duty and quite a few big maps.

We had a street index, “box” cards with the response assignment that corresponded to the response areas on the maps and yellow legal pads.

Ten calls a day was a busy day. Oh, how times have changed.

The second week in April is National Public Safety Telecommunicators Week, dedicated to those individuals who live “under the headset.”

These committed first responders are the heart and soul of the emergency services. They are the front line, the first responder’s first responder.

In most jurisdictions, emergency telecommunicators are not considered first responders.

But in Maryland, 911 telecommunicators have been added to the definition of “first responders.” However, the majority of these dedicated individuals are still under the same retirement schedule and retirement system as clerical employees.

Nationally, the trend is beginning to take hold to reclassify the members of this specialized emergency service into a uniformed retirement and decrease the number of years needed to retire.

Often, 911 telecommunicators and emergency communications specialists are treated as a stepchild of the emergency services.

Emergency communications centers are frequently placed within a police department, fire department, emergency management or even public works. While 911 centers directly serve the public, they also serve many public safety services and should be a separate entity within the local government to work directly with partner agencies.

Emergency communications has developed into a distinct public safety discipline equal in importance with fire service or law enforcement.

Several national organizations exist specific to 911 and public safety communications.

Emergency communications is not emergency management. The two disciplines are distinctly different and should be managed as such.

In some jurisdictions, the emergency communications centers are forced to also answer 311 calls or other non-emergency phone calls.

These actions have a negative effect on morale and add additional frustration and pressure on already stressed work environment.

Requiring an emergency communications center to act as an answering service needlessly increases the telephone call volume in the emergency communications center and creates unnecessary additional stress.

Emergency Communications Specialist applicants are highly scrutinized with various tests, including a psychological test, before being offered a provisional position.

The dedicated personnel in Frederick County complete over 400 hours of specific training, including an academy that includes national certification in Emergency Medical Dispatch, Emergency Fire Dispatch and Emergency Police Dispatch.

The Emergency Communications Specialist of today is a highly trained professional in a unique public safety career path. They are not receptionists and shouldn’t be treated as if they are.

Every individual who answers a telephone in county government is important. Emergency Communications Specialists are critical.

Nationally, 911 emergency communications centers have a high level of personnel turnover. Frederick County is not immune.

We have lost over 100 years of experience and leadership over the last year just through retirement.

April 13 to 19 is National Public Safety Telecommunicators Week, honoring the “heroes behind the headset.”

According to the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration, public safety communicators across America receive over 240 million 911 calls each year.

Unless you have lived “under the headset,” it is difficult to imagine the stress, both physically and psychologically, these dedicated public safety professionals absorb every day.

This coming week, take a moment to appreciate and thank those who are there 24/7, 365 days a year, to ensure the safety of the citizens of our county.

Clarence E. “Chip” Jewell was an early member of the staff at Frederick County Central Alarm. He also served in the Montgomery County Fire-Rescue Communications Center. In 2006, he returned to his “roots” as the director of the Frederick County Department of Emergency Communications. He retired in 2017 as the director/deputy chief of the Division of Volunteer Fire & Rescue Services.

COMMENTARY

Chip Jewell