By KATHY HAGEMAN
Dickinson County public information coordinator
New technological developments are giving 911 dispatch centers more tools to help responders save lives.
One of these tools allows dispatchers to see what is going on at the scene of a call, while another helps pinpoint the location of a caller even when that person has no idea where they are.
In recent months, the Dickinson County Emergency Communication Center began using Prepared Live, a software program that allows dispatchers to see what is happening at the scene by accessing the camera app on the caller’s cell phone – if the caller gives permission to utilize it.
“We ask the caller if they have a smart phone and if they do, we ask permission to send them a link,” explained Dickinson County Emergency Communications Director Emily Nichols. “When they get the link, they answer a few questions, and they have to tap it to give permission and it asks if we can use the camera.”
Once the caller gives permission, 911 can see what the caller is seeing.
“We can flip the camera around. We can block out the screen. We can blur it. We can hide a screen. So, if someone is in a domestic abuse-type situation we can hide it and the people they are with won’t know because the screen is black,” Nichols said.
Once the screen is hidden, the caller is the only one who can unhide it.
The new tool provides situational awareness so first responders know what kind of a scene they are going into.
While the new software has obvious advantages in emergencies, it actually has been used more locally in non-emergent situations, including when residents call in for a controlled burn.
“It allows us to inspect the fire without sending out the fire department to inspect the fire,” Nichols said. “We can see what is being burned and make sure they’re complying with the county’s burn resolution so people aren’t burning what they shouldn’t be burning. Things like trash - which is illegal to burn in Kansas - or construction lumber, processed wood, pallets, 2x4s.
“Most people are very compliant.”
The first time Nichols used the software was during a controlled burn.
“The gentleman was so excited. I told him it was my first time to try the software. He got to see what I was seeing and he thought it was the neatest thing,” Nichols recalled. “Most of our calls where we’ve used it so far have been controlled burns. People have been very good to help us.”
Pinpointing locations
Sometimes an address is not specific enough, or in rural areas, sometimes no address exists, which can make it difficult to get help to the right place during an emergency.
With Interstate 70 running through Dickinson County, travelers sometimes get stranded and have no idea where they call for help. Another relatively new program called what3words helps 911 dispatch determine their exact location.
The program uses technology where every section on Earth was plotted into five-foot squares and assigned three words to describe each square. When a caller does not know where they are, 911 dispatch can send the person a text message, the caller clicks on it, the three words pinpointing their location appears, and they tell the dispatcher the three words.
“Then we plug it into our computers and it will tell us exactly where the person is within inches. Each section has its own little dot,” Nichols said.
Initially developed for mountain rescues, it later was decided the application would work for 911 centers across the world.
“They pushed it out for everybody and we integrated it within our phone system,” Nichols said.
Nichols said the program came in handy recently when a driver broke down on the interstate in Lincoln County.
“He didn’t speak any English and the last exit he remembered seeing was in Dickinson County so they sent him to us. Our system allows us to text in any language so I sent him the link, he gave me his three words, and we had his exact location,” Nichols said. “I let the Kansas Highway Patrol know, they got him the help he needed and he was on his way.”
Calls from anywhere
While nearly everyone knows they should call 911 when help is needed, some do not always understand how 911 calls work.
“People from out of state will call 911 and think they will get 911 in the state they live in. But, that’s not the case,” Nichols said. “You get the location you’re in when your phone calls 911.
“That happens a lot. We’re constantly helping people find numbers in other areas,” she explained.
A recent call into Dickinson County’s 911 dispatch came from a trucker who was driving on I-70. He had received a call from his wife in Texas who told him someone was trying to break into their home. He then dialed 911, expecting to reach emergency dispatch in his home area in Texas, but reached Dickinson County, Kan., instead.
“He was furious until we explained it doesn’t work that way. We were able to get him the phone number he needed so he could call his wife and have her call,” Nichols added.
On the other hand, sometimes people may call 911 - expecting to reach their local emergency communications center - and instead, the phone is answered by a dispatcher in another town, county, jurisdiction or even a different state.
“If there’s a cell tower down, that phone call will bounce until it finds an open tower,” Nichols explained. “We have gotten calls from Utah before because the call kept going until it hit a tower.”
When that occurs, Dickinson County dispatchers go on Google or use other resources available to get the caller the help they need.
“It gives them some reassurance that somebody cares enough to help even when they’re several states away,” Nichols said. “And of course, we apologize and explain how they ended up calling Dickinson County, Kansas, when they’re in Utah or wherever.”
Months of training
Working as a 911 dispatcher is hectic, stressful, rewarding and takes many hours of training.
“Our training is six months long. There’s so much information that gets packed into a dispatcher’s head,” Nichols said.
“There’s a lot of ongoing stress. I encourage them to talk about things,” she said. “They hear some horrible, horrible things. I’ve been on a call listening to someone take their last breath. I’ve had staff members do the same. It’s sad, but at least you are there for them.”
The work life of a dispatcher is 1.7 years. Nichols, who has been with Dickinson County Emergency Communications for 20 years, is an exception. Currently, Nichols is the president of Kansas APCO (Association of Public-Safety Communications Officials).
“I did not expect to stay here as long as I have. I was working in a nursing home, but got really burned out of the medical field. I wanted to do something in law enforcement, but I loved healthcare,” Nichols said, explaining how she ended up working in emergency communications.
“It takes a long time to build up those walls to keep you emotionally separate from everything,” she added. “I encourage my staff to talk to a professional or talk to me. If you hold it in, you burn out.
“There’s a lot of stuff that happens behind the scenes, but you handle it and move on to the next thing.”