![]() ![]() In fiscal year 1997, the state collected about $7.6 million in user fee receipts, part of which pays telephone company costs for providing 9-1-1 service and part of which helps PSAPs upgrade to fully enhanced 9-1-1 systems. ![]() Minnesota collects a telephone user fee, currently totaling 22 cents per telephone line per month. ![]() The state and local governments share in financing 9-1-1 services. The remaining 18 counties, with about 7 percent of Minnesota’s population, had basic 9-1-1 service in 1997, whereby 9-1-1 callers are connected to the PSAP but the dispatcher receives no information to locate the callers or call them back. Together, these 69 counties with some form of enhanced 9-1-1 represented about 93 percent of the state’s population. In 11 counties, only the telephone number was automatically forwarded. Another 29 counties had "local location identification," where the telephone company forwards the telephone number, but the PSAP’s own database supplies location or address information. With this information, the dispatcher can send help even when callers are injured or panicked dispatchers are also able to call back when a caller is disconnected. In 1997, 29 counties had "fully enhanced" 9-1-1 service, meaning the telephone company forwards to the PSAP the 9-1-1 caller’s telephone number and address. 9-1-1 Dispatching in MinnesotaĪlthough residents everywhere across the state can dial 9-1-1 for access to emergency services, the level of service varies. Many dispatchers around the state also perform other functions, such as jailer, record keeping, or receptionist duties. In some PSAPs, dispatchers also provide emergency medical instructions to callers in advance of the arrival of medically trained personnel. Dispatchers are generally considered to be as much a part of effective public safety as law enforcement officers on the street. In addition to answering calls, dispatchers serve as a vital communication link with police, fire, sheriff, ambulance, and other public safety units in the field. Calls to PSAPs in Minnesota are answered on the average within five seconds of the first audible ring, according to our survey of PSAPs statewide. In dealing with emergencies, dispatchers must process calls quickly and accurately, and are usually required to perform several tasks simultaneously under pressure. ![]() They also receive many calls that are not true emergencies but may require a public safety response, a transfer to another agency, or simply information. The public employees who take the calls and dispatch the appropriate emergency response agencies have different titles around the state to reflect their varying duties, but in this report we refer to all of them as dispatchers.ĭispatchers process 9-1-1 calls as well as other emergency calls made to local law enforcement and fire departments that come to public safety answering points (PSAPs) through seven-digit telephone numbers. By law, counties in Minnesota have been responsible for establishing 9-1-1 emergency telephone systems, either individually or jointly with other counties. This is a review of 9-1-1 public safety dispatching in Minnesota. 9-1-1 Dispatching - A Best Practices Review Summary ![]()
0 Comments
Leave a Reply. |
AuthorWrite something about yourself. No need to be fancy, just an overview. ArchivesCategories |