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Durham Response to 911 Article
November 08, 2012 | 04:44 PM
The Durham 911 Center is dedicated to promoting, preserving, and protecting the safety and security of all residents and visitors in our community. It is our commitment to the fastest and most efficient response to emergency calls possible, while insuring the safety of police, fire, and E.M.S. personnel. With that said, I appreciate this concern being brought to my attention and the opportunity to answer any questions you may have about our service.
I have investigated your concern that occurred on Tuesday, October 30, 2012, at 8:08 p.m. After listening to the recorded call, which I am happy to provide upon request, I noted that several assertions made in this column are not substantiated by the recorded call. Please note that the logging recorder and telephone software reporting systems produce unalterable records.
It is normal in times of distress to not correctly remember the timeline for how things happened or specific details, which is why the recorded calls are important for placing issues into the proper context. For instance, it only took 10 seconds, or two rings, before the call was answered. Much of the back-and-forth conversation between the communications officer and the caller also did not occur as depicted in this column.
The logging recorder also reveals that the caller was told to stay on the line while we transferred the call to Orange County. The call had already been routed to dispatch before this statement was made. We have a recording of this telephone call as well. This area of the county also requires the response of the Chapel Hill Fire Department, which necessitated contacting Orange County. The caller is also told several times that units are responding. Orange County advises Durham at 8:19 p.m. that they had made contact with the patient and she is okay and does not need any assistance. The Durham E.M.S. unit that was responding is subsequently cancelled.
Unfortunately, calls that are transferred do not provide automatic location identification and it takes a few extra steps to determine the correct responding agencies by inputting the address manually. This call was routed to dispatch in one minute and 52 seconds from the time the phone call was received and before the caller was told to hang on while obtaining the Chapel Hill Fire Department from Orange County.
I believe that we have some of the best communications officers working on behalf of this community and that we correctly followed our protocols during this call. Our rigorous training program has received the internationally recognized APCO Project 33 Certification from the Association of Public Safety Communications Officials International, Inc. (APCO). Additionally, our center is Emergency Medical Dispatch accredited by the National Academy of Emergency Medical Dispatch, and accredited by the Commission for Accreditation of Law Enforcement Agencies (CALEA). In fact, we were the first, and one of only two 911 centers in the world to hold these three accreditations simultaneously.
Please do not hesitate to contact me directly at (919) 560-4191 or by email at James.Soukup@DurhamNC.gov if you wish to discuss this issue further.
Sincerely,
James Soukup
Director, Durham Emergency Communications Center
James Soukup
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