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Click here for other contact numbers Dispatch: 269-657-3101 Admin: 269-657-2006 Jail Information: 269-657-2171 |
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Mission Statement
911 information
VoIP Click on blue underlined links for more information. |
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Statistics
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The Dispatch Division is Supervised by 911 Central Dispatch Director, Jeri Tapper (269-657-3101 Ext. 221 or by email). Central Dispatch has 13 full time dispatchers working 24 hours a day and are responsible for answering and disseminating calls to 14 different Fire Departments, 13 EMS Services, and 17 different police agencies throughout the county. |
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To provide
professional services to the community and public safety agencies
with team oriented, courteous and trained telecommunicators. If 911
service is interrupted for any What is 9-1-1? 9-1-1 is the telephone number that provides direct access to police, fire and medical assistance and initiates a coordinated response. When to use 9-1-1? In an emergency call 9-1-1 to report a crime in progress, a fire, a serious illness or injury or any situation requiring immediate response of the police, fire or ambulance services. What the 9-1-1 dispatch needs to know: Speak slowly and clearly. Let the dispatcher ask the questions the responders must know. They include: address where help is needed, nature of the problem, your name and telephone number. IMPORTANT: Call 9-1-1 first in all emergency situations. Do not call family members or friends. Do not attempt to transport a seriously ill or injured person. We can get qualified help to the victim much faster and safer than you can get the victim to help. *Stay on the phone and answer all of the questions. Do not hang up until told to do so. Help is on the way as you are speaking. Do not call 9-1-1 for: Road - travel information, road conditions, legal advise, civil matters, telephone directory assistance or requesting rides. Your telephone book has these numbers. Road and weather updates can be found by calling AAA at 1-800-411-4823 or by calling MSP Travel Advisory Hotline 1-800-381-8477. Did you know? If you call 9-1-1 using your cellular telephone, the emergency operator does not have your address? As you drive down the roadway, make sure to check street signs and landmarks in the event you call for help. Help us to help you! Be aware! Due to the
type of technology currently in place, you can receive a busy
signal dialing Has the cellular telephone you carry in your pocket, purse or on the console next to you dialed 9-1-1 accidentally? A simple touch of the keypad can send a 9-1-1 call. Central Dispatch agencies answer numerous accidental calls each day. When answered, the emergency operator has an open line with the cellular telephone. All conversations, music from your radio, or any kind of noise in your vehicle are heard by the operator. Use care where you put your telephone, especially when traveling.
Telephones continue to be the primary means to receive requests for service. The type of technology used has become the major factor in our ability to receive process and dispatch quickly and efficiently. Currently 9-1-1 calls are received from conventional (landline) and cellular (wireless) telephones and the newest technology, Voice over Internet Protocol (VoIP). For 2008 the call volume statistics include 11,811 landlines calls and 31,662 wireless calls, and 260 VoIP calls. The wireless calls continue to increase from 70% in 2006 to 73% in 2008. Cellular telephones are still not as reliable as landlines telephones. As more and more people disconnect their landlines phones for cellular or Voice over Internet Protocol (VoIP), we are receiving an increase in the number of emergency calls from citizens that we cannot hear well enough to determine what type of emergency they are having or are unable to determine their location to respond to their call for help. This is very frustrating and potentially dangerous situation. Our 9-1-1 center has the capability of processing Phase II cellular location technology from all of our known cellular phone providers, providing the cellular phone can send the latitude and longitude and the signal is strong enough. The wireless calls take an average of four to seven times longer to process than a landline 9-1-1 call and the telecommunicator has to manually extract the necessary information from the caller. Please be prepared to verbally give your location to the 9-1-1 operator. Cellular calls are also subject to “signal bounce”. If the tower closest to you is busy, your call will be bounced to the next tower, and so on, until the signal finds an available tower and is transferred to a landline. Voice over Internet Protocol telephone services are not as new as you might first think. It is based on technology that has existed for many years on the Internet but the quality and reliability were often poor and typically required the user to make and receive calls using special software on the personal computer. Significant strides in technology and the rapid increase in broadband internet connections into homes has made VoIP as viable an option as traditional phone service. It is important
to note that all VoIP service providers are not created equal when
it comes to emergency 9-1-1 service. The FCC mandates that all
VoIP service providers enable 9-1-1 calling and provide a callback
number and location information. Some of the VoIP providers have
yet to meet these FCC requirements. Currently there are two ways
your VoIP call can be processed. With VoIP Basic emergency
calling, the call is not routed to your local 9-1-1 center on
emergency lines. Instead, it is sent to a remote private call
center on a non-emergency line without location information and
possibly without your callback number. This can delay an emergency
response. VoIP Enhanced 9-1-1 calling is routed over a dedicated
Here are some questions you might want to ask the VoIP provider:
Before you need 9-1-1:
The information above is from the website:
http://www.911voip.org/voip.htm In 2008, Central Dispatch received 34,291 - 911 calls for police service, EMS calls totaled 10,490 and 1,636 fire calls. In addition to over 46,417 - 911 calls for service, the Dispatch Center processed 162,330 non-emergency calls. View detailed reports below to see the service area locations and when these calls evolved.
► Calls to Central Dispatch for Service in 2010 - Click here to view summary report by month. ► 911 Calls in 2010 - Click here to view detailed report by month and year.
In 2006 we continued to see the trend of 911 calls generated shift from traditional landlines to wireless means. Last year 70% of our emergency calls were made from wireless devices. Thankfully we completed our Phase II deployment that allows us to display the callers location, to within 6 meters, on GPS equipped phones. We were also given a new challenge last year, the introduction of Voice over Internet Protocol (VoIP) devices. Because of the relatively low cost of this service we anticipate a dramatic increase in their use, essentially setting back 911 service 20 years due to the lack of location enhancements. We are also planning for future advances that will allow us to operate a wireless 911 network system and our ability to accept video 911 calls. As you are
aware, Van Buren County Central Dispatch was a pioneer in the
state with the development of our 800 mhz radio system for all of
our public safety agencies and local entities. Our surrounding
counties are bringing up their systems so our interoperability is
now on a truly regional basis.
Decatur-Hamilton Fire Department - www.localfirehouse.com/department/5412.html Helpful Links for Dispatch-Telecommunications Association of Public Safety Communications Officials (APCO) National Emergency Number Association (NENA) Emergency Telephone Service Committee
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