It’s virtually impossible to overstate how precious time can be in an emergency situation, especially the time between when an emergency is called in and when public safety workers arrive. Be it a fire, a search and rescue mission or a hunt for a fugitive, every second is precious.
But time isn’t the only thing that can change the outcome of an emergency. Data is important, too. Every public safety worker needs as much information as a 911 dispatcher can give them about an emergency situation.
That data can be culled from many different sources by PSAP workers. There’s geographic information systems, wireless communications, global positioning systems, and a full range of public safety software solutions, among others. These can be used in many ways.
Here are just a few of the ways that better call data can improve the outcome of any emergency.
Reducing the potential for emergency vehicle crashes
According to a 2015 report by the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration, over the 20 years between 1994 and 2014, there were an average of 4,500 ambulance crashes per year across the United States.
Many of them were due to traffic congestion, an unavoidable part of driving on city roads or highways. However, for public safety workers and the PSAP personnel supporting them, this problem doesn’t have to be unavoidable. A dispatcher can guide an ambulance driver through or around areas of heavy traffic if they have accurate traffic data compiled through GPS.
The best thing for any emergency victim is if the people dispatched to help them get there quickly and safely. Knowing the best, safest route to an emergency is one big way to make sure both of those things happen.
Better response time
A couple of years ago in Jersey City, NJ, a concentrated effort was made to bring better data analytics to the city’s emergency dispatch call centers.
After doing so, the average emergency response time in the city dropped from almost nine minutes to under six. Imagine how many lives that might have saved? A similar experiment was done shortly afterwards in San Francisco with similar results.
It’s a common-sense equation: The more data a PSAP can analyze and disseminate to emergency service providers, the more quickly and efficiently they can do their jobs, and thus lives are saved.
Cost reduction
Yes, there might be a significant expense upfront to better outfit PSAPs to analyze data, but the savings in the long run, both in human and financial terms, are too hard to ignore. Think about the man-hours that could be saved if the police department, fire department, and EMS workers were able to do their jobs more quickly and efficiently.
Think of those 4,500 ambulance crashes, and the amount of repairs that had to be done - not to mention hospitalization for the EMS workers. What if better data could help a city, county or township avoid a large portion of that cost?
Better knowledge that can save lives
This is perhaps the most important use of data in an emergency situation: Sending public safety workers into a potentially dangerous scenario with as much information as possible.
In a natural disaster, those workers should have as much information as possible about the weather conditions still in a given area.
In a fugitive hunt, they should have as precise a description as possible of the criminal and what vehicle he or she might be driving. They should know as specifically as possible where he or she might be headed, or what general direction they might be going in.
This is vital information not just for the safety of the public safety workers who are putting their lives on the line, but for that of every person between them and the disaster or emergency, as well.
To learn more about how technology can save lives, read our post “How Technology is Keeping Public Safety Workers and Citizens Safe.”
Every important job has standards, and that’s certainly true of the positions of emergency dispatcher/telecommunicator and emergency telecommunicator. It’s a critical occupation in which an employee has to work quickly and efficiently with decisive action, because lives are quite literally on the line.
In short, it’s not a job for everyone. But when a public safety organization needs a new emergency dispatcher/telecommunicator/telecommunicator, what do they look for? What are some of the key factors they take into account before hiring?
One good way to find out is simply to look at the employment ads for dispatcher/telecommunicators. In a brief job description, you can generally figure out what it takes to do this job right. Here are some tips from real-life emergency-dispatcher/telecommunicator-wanted ads.
The basic skills
In virtually all cases, an emergency dispatcher/telecommunicator will need a high school diploma or GED. They will need to be proficient in Windows-based computer systems and have effective written and verbal communication skills.
They must be able to use maps and other geographical reference materials to make sure the police or EMS services are getting where they need to go.
The appropriate responses
There are certain situations where an emergency telecommunicator doesn’t just answer urgent calls; they answer non-emergency and administrative calls, as well. In situations like this, a good telecommunicator will know how to respond to each call based on its importance.
Prioritizing calls is a vital skill for someone in this field, and it has to be a skill that one can learn quickly. The training will be provided, obviously, but instinct and common sense play their roles, as well.
Coordination
A good emergency dispatcher/telecommunicator will become skilled in working with other agencies, citizens or businesses to gather the important information needed or to give the necessary instructions. Teamwork in emergency situations is a must for any dispatcher/telecommunicator.
Training and certification
The diploma or GED you’re required to have is just the beginning of the process. In an emergency dispatcher/telecommunicator position there will be constant training and further education that are required to stay up to date on all the new protocols and technologies that come along. Media and call recorders, Next Generation 911, FirstNet – these are all important public safety technologies that emergency dispatcher/telecommunicators have to be knowledgeable about and comfortable with.
Given the rate at which technology can change over years, months or even weeks, it’s important to be prepared to evolve within the dispatcher/telecommunicator position as needed. It’s not just about the hours you put in taking calls; it’s about what you do in addition to that role that could help you excel.
Medical terminology
Speaking of education, an emergency dispatcher/telecommunicator will very likely need some basic medical knowledge to do their job well. It’s not that you need to have the same amount of information as a doctor or nurse or EMS worker, but there will be some terms and conditions you’ll need to be familiar with to better communicate with people in those fields.
The more a dispatcher/telecommunicator can tell an EMS worker, firefighter or police officer about the condition of someone in danger, the better prepared they’ll be to help in any given emergency situation.
Flexibility
A good emergency dispatch worker is one that’s flexible when it comes to scheduling. This isn’t the typical 9-to-5 job, because life-threatening situations occur 24 hours a day. Anyone who steps into this position is going to need to be able to work nights, weekends and holidays, depending on what the call center requires.
They’ll also need to be on-call for large-scale emergencies and willing to work overtime if it’s needed. It’s certainly not the typical occupation, to be sure, and some sacrifices simply have to be made if one is working in this field.
So why put in all that work? Well, in addition to the higher-than-average pay that a typical emergency dispatcher/telecommunicator can make (averaging around $20 an hour or more, before overtime), this is a chance to truly do some real good in your community.
In what other job can you honestly say that you save lives by answering the phone?
Risk is part of the job for many, if not all, public safety workers - but unnecessary risk should never be. Keeping those workers safe in the event of a natural disaster so that they can then keep the public safe is crucial, and agencies should seek the best possible ways to do so. Luckily, we live in an era when technology can be a big help to all those in the public safety field.
There are new programs, services and apps being developed every day to help in the cause of public safety, and the innovations seem to be endless. Here are just a few of the ways that new technology can keep you, and the public, safe during a natural disaster, mass casualty event, or other major catastrophe.
The KOVA Emergency Alert Notification System (KEANS)
KEANS can communicate with multiple agencies in multiple locations, as well as business partners and public address systems like loudspeakers and bullhorns all at the same time. This can save time, resources and lives.
In the KEANS system, dedicated circuits, fixed endpoints, and even public address systems are constantly monitored. The easy-to-read dashboard displays all available endpoints with green indicators, which allows operators to see the condition of the fixed components and know that the system is operating properly.
The Facebook “I’m Safe” app
This app is automatically activated if a large amount of people in an affected area post about a natural disaster or other event. Once the feature is activated, it prompts the user to go to a Safety Check area that will let friends and loved ones know that you’re safe.
Even better, you have the option with the app to invite other friends to join, helping people stay connected should a natural disaster occur.
American Red Cross mobile apps
The Red Cross offers a comprehensive collection of apps that can be invaluable during a natural disaster, including first aid instructions (for humans and pets), an emergency app that allows you to monitor 35 different Severe Weather Alert systems, and individual apps that track hurricane, tornado, flood, earthquake and wildfire watches and warnings.
The Natural Disaster Monitor for Android
This app, available from the Google Play store, monitors the latest natural disasters, including volcanoes, earthquakes, cyclones, floods and tsunamis and displays them as color coded icons in a list, and on a Google Maps backdrop; the color of the icons indicates the alert level: red, orange and green.
Wearable tech & sensors
One of the most interesting developments in safety preparedness technology, and one that’s admittedly a few years from being fully functional and accepted, is the idea of wearable indicators, within your clothing, that will pinpoint your location in the event of a natural disaster.
And while wearable tech can help locate survivors, similar sensors can help firefighters contain small fires faster, and notify neighbors quickly.
The In-Case-Of-Emergency (ICE) app
If you’re injured or unconscious in a disaster event, this is a downloadable form that lists your medical information for any doctors or nurses who may be attending to you. There’s even an option to make your phone unlockable to access the form or make it your default lock-screen image.
Life 360
This is another communication app similar to the Facebook “I’m Safe” feature, but it’s more personally connected to your close friends and family. It sets up a personal network so you can send messages, share locations and check in every so often so you family knows where you are. It also allows you to send messages to everyone in your network at once.
You’re even able to look at a map to see where the people you love are, and if need be you can add photos of yourself or your family to that map.
SirenGPS
This might be one of the best apps for public safety workers. It enhances emergency communication, management and response by connecting everyone in a community to first responders, and by allowing first responders to communicate with each other, all on a single platform.
If you’re looking for public safety technology that can make daily life safer for your public safety workers and citizens alike, take a look at our public safety software solutions.
Contact center work can be rewarding because it’s such a great test of quick-thinking, multi-tasking and customer service. Finding an employee who excels at all of those things can be challenging, however, and contact center work can often be the first job of a young person who’s just entered the workforce.
So the challenge is to create a training program that helps these new workers learn the ins and outs of contact center work without becoming overwhelmed or discouraged during the training process.
Here are some tips for creating a training program that will both prepare and encourage your new employees to excel at your contact center.
Introductions Are Key
It might seem obvious, but often, with such a large amount of information, policies and procedures to get through in training, the act of simply introducing the existing team to your new employees can get lost by the wayside.
The more familiar a new employee is with your contact center team, the more comfortable he or she will be communicating with them.
And it’s also helpful to establish a more family-like atmosphere, which can make a new employee feel a lot less unsure or out of place at their new job.
Keeping To The Schedule
We’re not necessarily talking about a training schedule in this case. We’re talking about teaching your new employees that following a schedule once they’re working in the contact center is vital.
Part of what a high-functioning center does is handle calls quickly and efficiently. Customer service is important, but so is getting the right amount of calls taken care of.
Often, the technical aspects of a contact center job, along with the customer service requirements, take precedence, but leaving out the part of the job that concerns keeping to a tight schedule could add more pressure to an employee’s average day later on.
Bringing In The Best Performers
Every contact center has employees that perform above and beyond their job requirements, and they can serve as the best possible example for new employees.
Bringing in those high-level performers will not only give your new hires a chance to learn what these employees do to stay ahead of the curve, but it can also give them a chance to ask questions in a less time-sensitive environment.
Wouldn’t you prefer having an employee ask about how to handle a certain kind of call in the training room instead of the contact center floor?
Make It About Relationships
One of the best ways to avoid making a customer-contact center employee interaction hostile is to present that interaction as the building of a relationship. Yes, the odds are pretty good that, if the caller question or issue is resolved, the employee probably won’t be speaking to them again, but the time they’re on the phone together can most definitely be a relationship, however brief.
The employee should try to think of a conversation with a client as a chance to create a good bond between the business you’re representing and themselves. Thinking of it as a potential good relationship is a great way to do that.
Individuality Counts
If possible, it might be best to coach each new employee individually. This might not always not be possible, but it could be the best way to figure out what each employee’s strengths and weaknesses are.
It can also allow you to tailor an effective training program for that specific employee that works for them based on their level of education, how complex this particular contact center work will be, and the different management strategies that might be involved.
This Is A Recording
Rather than fictional scenarios, it might be a good idea to play actual calls, both good and bad, for your trainees. Few things will teach a new hire how to act, and how not to act, more quickly than listening to a live, real situation rather than a simulation.
Verint Media Recorder is an excellent tool for helping trainees learn, as it allows users to search and playback calls easily. Supervisors can select calls based on specific criteria, making it easy to train new employees on particular scenarios.
To learn more about developing effective contact center training, read “Emotions and Empathy Training for Contact Center Agents.”
