911 Center Helps In Time Of Emergency
DISPATCHERS HANDLE CALLS FROM MEDICAL ISSUES TO DISTURBANCES
The McDonald County 911 Center stands ready to help friends and neighbors in their time of emergency.
The center is the backbone for dispatching approximately 55,000 calls for service every year.
A full staff of 12 full-time dispatchers handles calls for six police departments, 10 fire departments, and one ambulance service, said Lisa McCool-Rataczak, center director.
The center, located in Pineville, covers 600 square miles in McDonald County. For each 12-hour shift, two dispatchers and one shift supervisor are on hand to tackle calls, ranging from medical issues to disturbances.
Dispatchers undergo extensive training, which is imperative for the wide range of calls received. The center requires professional certifications for anyone who dispatches or answers an emergency phone, McCool-Rataczak said.
Training includes: Basic Dispatch APCO or ETC 24-hour classroom and exam; MULES certification 40-hour classroom and exam; EMD 24-hour classroom and exam; health care provider level CPR; basic NIMS, a minimum of 452 hours of in-house training hours and ongoing training to maintain those certifications.
The center also handles a variety of other duties, including creating and installing blue road signs; assigning addresses; maintaining seven radio tower locations, as well as equipment and backup power equipment at those towers; and maintaining call and dispatch records for the agencies the office serves.
Staff members also enter and maintain the warrants, orders of protection, stolen property, and missing persons records that are entered into the Missouri Highway Patrol and NCIC databases, as well as staying current on security and training requirements for these systems, McCool-Rataczak said.
The 911 staff members maintain an in-house accounting department, maintain their budgets and comply with all audits, while maintaining meeting minutes.
The center is also responsible for handling the 911 Board of Directors paperwork, implementing a notification system, and establishing and maintaining the testing of the storm sirens throughout the county.
A system enabling texts to 911 was recently established so that dispatchers may communicate with callers through silent communications to help handicapped callers or callers who may be placed in further peril through voice communications, she added.