January Coffee with the Chief

The training room at the Woodstock Police Department was packed tonight, in spite of a light snow and cold weather. Chief Lowen introduced Sgt. Dick Johns, who described the operation of the telecommunications center and introduced two of the nine dispatchers, who shared some of the personal stories about life in the eye of the hurricane.

Are dispatchers (telecommunicators) busy? Nine dispatchers cover the 21 shifts of a work week. Last year there were 14,000 calls on Woodstock’s 9-1-1 emergency lines and 80,000 non-emergency calls. That’s 257 calls/day, on the average. Obviously, calls are not evenly spaced out at 10 an hour. Recently, eight calls came in one night in about 15 minutes, and the one dispatcher on duty had to handle all of them.

Sgt. Johns presented some history of the 9-1-1 system. The first 9-1-1 call in the U.S. was in 1968, although an emergency telephone system had begun in Europe more than 30 years earlier.

Sgt. Johns gave some do’s and don’ts around 9-1-1 numbers; for example, if you dial 9-1-1- by mistake, don’t hang up. Your number is immediately trapped by the system. Stay on the line and explain to the dispatcher why you called. If you don’t, the dispatcher will call you back to inquire whether there is an emergency. If he can’t reach you or verify your safety, an officer will be dispatched. This is done for your safety. The dispatcher will pay close attention to determine whether you could be under duress; if so, he will dispatch an officer.

I’ve been writing “he” here, but Woodstock has one female dispatcher. It was she who handled the rush of eight calls in a short time, and Chief Lowen complimented her for doing so.

The 9-1-1 system displays your address on a computer monitor. Note: if you get your phone bill at a Post Office box, call the phone company and ask to have the physical address of your telephone shown via computer to the police department. If your bill goes to your P.O. box, you might also dial 9-1-1 from your home phone (try to pick a time when you hope the dispatch will not be too busy; avoid Saturday night!); tell the dispatcher why you are calling – to inquire about the address displayed to him.

Do you use internet telephone service? Vonage? Or have telephone service through your cable provider? Call the VoIP and register your address. Ask how 9-1-1 calls are handled by your VoIP carrier, so that your understanding will be correct.

Be sure that your house number is visible from the street. Chief Lowen said officers and other emergency responders have problems in Woodstock, because not all residents display house numbers. If you call for help, turn on the porch light. Numbers should be placed where the light will shine on them.

One man in the audience said the Woodstock Fire/Rescue District sells house numbers for $20.00. For information, call the Woodstock Fire/Rescue District at 815.338.2621