Daring to Be Great, With Every Call
To learn more about RapidDeploy visit - rapiddeploy.com
Dare to be Great Diamond Sponsor Guest Blog
Written by - Adam Timm
Head of Change Management - RapidDeploy
As Dare to Be Great 2 approaches, I’m reminded of how, more than ever, every person who works in 9-1-1 is an agent of change. You are someone who makes a difference each day, and has the power to change lives with every interaction. Amidst the challenges of the day, efforts to further empower those who work under the headset are building momentum, giving dispatchers more power to make a positive impact. Advances in 9-1-1 technology, dispatchers contributing personally to helping each other, and the movement to recognize dispatchers as first responders—each offer additional opportunities to drive change.
On the technology front, things are advancing more quickly than ever, offering dispatchers life-saving tools not even possible just a few years ago. From location accuracy to mapping to real-time environmental data, heightened levels of situational awareness mean that call takers and dispatchers alike can get responders to the scene more quickly, saving more lives.
One such advancement in the technology space is RapidDeploy’s RadiusPlus. Currently deployed in PSAPs across the state of California, Kansas, and Arizona, among others, this application has been helping callers get help more quickly since it arrived last year. In one instance, a caller dialed 9-1-1 and was physically unable to speak due to a medical emergency. The ANI/ALI information only showed the location of the nearest cell tower. Using RapidLocate, one of the features in RadiusPlus, the call taker was able to identify the caller’s exact location, found a photo of the front of the building online (a motel), then texted it to the EMS unit enroute. With this information, the unit was able to determine the section of the motel the caller was in and found her room within minutes.
This technology empowers the people under the headset to do more and be more. In other ways, fellow dispatchers are also helping each other be more effective in their roles, prioritize their well-being, and be the leaders their centers need. Dare to Be Great is a great example of this. Many of the sessions featured across the four days of conference programming are being offered by current managers, supervisors and front line team members from various communications centers across the country.
For example, Melissa Alterio, Director of Communications for the City of Roswell, GA, is presenting her session, How to Deal with Negativity and Improve Morale in the Workplace, after doing this exact thing at her center, on their way to getting to full staffing. Samantha Sturgis, Dispatch Supervisor for Fenton, MI, Police Department, is offering her session, Self-care During a Pandemic. With 15 years in the profession, kids at home, and currently serving on the MI NENA board, Samantha shares from personal experience so that others may continue to thrive in the profession.
On the recognition front, each year more counties and states introduce legislation to officially designate their 9-1-1 professionals as first responders, paving the way for benefits and pay commensurate with the life-saving responsibilities associated with the role. An industry that has characteristically operated behind the scenes doing unsung work while exposed daily to the suffering of others is slowly, but surely, coming out of the shadows. As stakeholders outside the industry fully recognize this work as essential to and on par with the visible police, fire and EMS work done by responding units, additional resources will be directed to the PSAPs that need it, further bolstering the vital 9-1-1 public service.
No matter where in your organization you work, as a 9-1-1 professional you are an agent for change. By stepping fully into role, using the technology and knowledge available to you, there’s no question you will make a bigger difference and save more lives. Each day and with every call, use the tools at your disposal, share the knowledge you have, and stand confidently in your role as the first, first responder.
Find out more information about how RadiusPlus empowers telecommunicators everywhere with more situational awareness.
About RapidDeploy
RapidDeploy is the market leader in Cloud Aided Dispatch (CAD) and 9-1-1 analytics software. The RapidDeploy platform is rich in location-based features and interfaces, easy to deploy and affordable for agencies of all sizes. RapidDeploy was built by First Responders using modern Microsoft Azure Government Cloud architecture, providing mission critical reliability, cybersecurity and state-of-the-art Artificial Intelligence. RapidDeploy’s mission is to reduce response times for all and improve first responder safety by increasing situational awareness.
To learn more about RapidDeploy, visit
https://www.rapiddeploy.com/