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KATU TV reporting that a fire destroyed the historic fort --- and that a 911 call taker told the woman making the first report of the fire that what she was seeing was "likely just the play of light in the rain and fog" -- and did NOT dispatch the first fire alarm until a second call was received -- several minutes later. OOOOPS !

The second call was received and dispatched by a different call-taker... who apparently took it seriously... which is good...

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I taste copper.
Comments, views, opinions - and trails of destruction - are my own.

Very true. The second caller was connected to another 911 operator. However -- calling 911 should not be like buying a ticket in a local Lotto. 911 has to work 100% of the time -- or lives and property can be lost. This time only a log fort was lost. What about next time ????

You could call several agencies with the same story and each one will give you a different respone. Each agency has their own perception of what constitutes an emergency and apparently in this case each call taker...now I'm not saying let's mandate a level of response for every car that's called in as having a little lane travel but some key words like "i see smoke" should at least provoke a standard minimum response...you'd think.

_________________
I taste copper.
Comments, views, opinions - and trails of destruction - are my own.

This site hasn't gotten into it othen -- but there are State laws and standards for 911 centers -- as well as the training of Police Officers -- POST. Just as EMT paramedics must be certified -- so do call takers and Dispatchers. "Interoperability" is not just for radio communications -- but operations and procedures. A set level of service SHOULD be required from any Public Service. You pay for such services from taxes. Back in 1968 -- you only had to have an 8th grade education level to become a Police Officer in Las Vegas, Nevada. There was no CSI.

State law or standards doesn't mean much if there is no oversight from the top on down. After 5 pm when the manager has gone home who besides the shift supv. is overseeing the protocol? I've called the WSP for deer in the roadway and one dispatchers response was "what do you want us to do bout it"? He could of said 'thank you for the info' and hung up but he provoked an argument which should be a big no no in the 911 world--never argue with the caller. Sure they have a tough job, but if it's not working out from a public safety standpoint letting the status quo remain only gets worse.

:D I agree with you 100% Icom. How many times do you hear an officer or dispatcher use the term "Adam Henry" ???? Is there a real need to call a "Non insider" a name -- other than "CP" or "RP" for a person reporting a problem or crime. "Subject" or "Suspect" work just fine. Should we all do what Matlock does on TV and call everyone a Jackass. I sure could think of a few -- but it's RUDE and un-called for. Just remember -- they record all 911 calls and they get reviewed. Some even get to court.

I would rather have the fire department dispatched to a call for a fire and have it be nothing than have the fire department not dispatched and have something.

Nick

You guys should really sit in sometime and listen to the number of morons that call 911 for the dumbest things. Most of that crap never hits the airwaves. If you take KCSO, who answers 400,000 + calls a year, and if you figure one gets messed up in that time, that's still a 99.99975 % accuracy rate. Can any of you claim that at work ? I can't. We hired 2wayguru, and I'll be paying for that one for years.....

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I generate Board Warnings

Yeah that may be so but you should still take all calls as if they are the real thing until proven otherwise.

Nick

:D :D I have listened to 911 calls. I was a tele-com manager of a small PSAP in Los Angeles County. But I was trained as a professional announcer / broadcaster. You have to know where the line is -- and how not to brake that line. 911 is for providing service to the general public and not for building the egos of the employees. I have no problem with cops talking their street talk. But "Street talk" does NOT belong on the radio. "AH" or any other slang code, should NOT be used in refering to the general public --. The public is the employer.

MTM,

I almost always agree with all your posts and appreciate your insight. However, on this I may disagree. Yes indeed, most of the time the general public is the employer. Though, I pay taxes and therefore consider myself to be partially self employed. I do agree that slang terms such as "adam henry" are generally not appropriate, sometimes that is the only one appropriate to describe the individual. Besides, I was always taught that meant agitated and hostile :wink:

:D Boy -- it sure is nice to get someone that doesn't agree with me or my views -- that doesn't wish me harm or is rude. Thanks -- If I were a street cop -- I would be using a lot of four letter words -- when I had to deel with the scum of society -- day after day -- year after year. I just do not think that "Over The Air" use of such terms should be allowed. If you can't call someone a jackass to their face -- and you use a code to demean someone -- you are not much of a human being -- or a good cop. And in most cases -- "AH" is used as a personal jab at someone. That is my gripe. Police are paid to respond to the calls -- regardless of who or why they call. Even if it's only to reasure a little old lady that calls every weekend -- because she is alone and afaid. A good cop can understand and accept that this is also part of the job -- Protect and to Serve. To all of the GOOD COPS -- Thank You -- from all of us. To keep this on track -- the whole thing is being "professional". A 911 call taker or dispatcher must stay cool and awake -- at all times. In the case of the Astoria area dispatcher -- her mind was in an asleep mode -- that cost "response time" and that could have been responsible for the loss of life. A very heavy burdon to bear --. But just like the street cop -- at no time can you let you gaurd down. It can cost a life. That is also why we should be proud of and respect the 911 dispatch crews. A dame hard job. MTM out

"Adam Henry" hahahaah

I do believe thats the best way to put it to the general public and for those that can't or won't tolerate the "AH" word.

If you can't handle something so far off from the actual word, your either very sheltered or need to get out more, waaay out!

Can we be adults here? Or is that a bad word too?!?!

Great response MTM (sorry, I tend to agree with him)

I agree...Agitated and Hostile :-)

But one thing we can't do is armchair quarterback this call. There are TONS of times we sit in the room and read about an incident in the paper and it's all wrong. Now, does it look like the ball was dropped this time, sure. Were there things learned from this mistake, you bet. Will things change, you bet...

Now, about the public and relating to this call too...Yikes...These days every idiot has a cell phone. At my center I read a statistic that year to date about 45% of our incoming 911 calls are from cell phone callers. Though I don't have the numbers, a lot of those people have no idea where they are, or what they are really reporting. People don't use common sense when they call. I took an minor injury accident, one car of the road one night and the caller had no idea where they were. After about 10 min of trying to figure out where they were I had to hang up. They were calling from a phone that didn't have the GPS capability and even if it had it is rarely reliable. Finally, hours later, an officer happened across it, we had put the information out on the accident so at least the road people had an idea there was an unk injury, unk location accident somewhere in the county.

People need to know where they are, what they are reporting, and take the extra step to make sure of what they are seeing before they call. A very small group of people do that now. I take my job very seriously, I have been in dispatch for 8 years and involved in public safety for 13 years now and we deal with mmmm interesting ungreatful people for the most part that think my name is f****r or a*****e. I really love the ones that yell, "I pay your wages!!!!" and expect 10 cops to show up lights and sirens blazing for a barking dog complaint...No lie people want that.

Whew, that was alot said. I guess in a nut shell we aren't a part of the investigation, and until we are we need to keep into account there may be more to the story then what the news decides to report. None of us wants to mess up and wind up in the supervisors office, but we are all human and we will make mistakes at some point in our careers. Those of us that do will also more than likely let that 30 second phone call haunt us for 30 years or more. Most of us want and love to serve our communities, sometimes it is harder than others and we get down because we have been yelled at and called names for 50 times in one night. That wears a person out, I don't care how strong you are, it gets old and gets under your skin.

In the end though, we are there for you, 24 X 7 X 365...