The Perfect Time for 9-1-1 Education Month and Public Safety Telecommunicators Week

Throughout April, public safety entities will celebrate 9-1-1 Education Month and National Public Safety Telecommunicators Week (NPSTW), April 10^th -16^th, 2022. For over 50 years, 9-1-1 has served as a vital component of emergency response, and telecommunicators (sometimes referred to as 9-1-1 call-takers or dispatchers) have helped save countless lives. They answer the calls for help day and night, handling the most challenging situations. 

9-1-1 educators will be out in the community sharing many important 9-1-1 education messages this month, such as Know Your Location; Call if You Can, Text if You Can’t; and Lock It in Your Pocket. They will also be educating businesses or other locations using multi-line telephone systems about Kari’s Law and providing direct access to 9-1-1 in an emergency.

Let’s review some of the critical messages now.

Know Your Location

It is imperative to practice awareness and know your location at all times. You never know when you might be in an emergency and will need to call 9-1-1 for help. One of the first questions a call-taker usually asks is, “What is the location of your emergency?”

The call-takers do not know your exact location when calling 9-1-1 from your cell phone. If you are in an emergency and do not know the address of your location, you can still provide the nearest mile markers, cross streets, and landmarks. Make sure to answer all the call-takers questions too.

Call if You Can, Text if You Can’t

Many 9-1-1 call centers now can accept text messages to 9-1-1. This message is a good reminder that it is always important to call 9-1-1 when in an emergency. Sometimes, placing a call may not be possible. If you have texting available on your cell phone, you can place a text to 9-1-1. Should the text not be able to be delivered, you will receive a message from your carrier with instructions to place a call to 9-1-1.   

Examples of when to use  Text-to-911:

·       You are deaf or hard of hearing

·       Your safety would be compromised if you were to speak out loud

For more information on Text-to-911, please visit the FCC website at https://www.fcc.gov/consumers/guides/what-you-need-know-about-text-911.

Lock It in Your Pocket

Cell phones can easily pocket dial anyone, including 9-1-1. To ensure you do not accidentally contact 9-1-1, always lock your cell phone before putting it away. You can help eliminate non-emergency calls from tying up the lines needed for actual emergencies when you “Lock It in Your Pocket.”

NPSTW History

NPSTW was created to recognize the significant contribution of 9-1-1 telecommunicators in ensuring the community has access to emergency services. This important week of recognition was started in 1981 by Patricia Anderson of the Contra Costa County Sheriff’s Office in California. To read more on the back- story, please view this link: NPSTW History.

Take the time to thank our 9-1-1 telecommunicators for their critical and dedicated service. Below is Texas Governor Greg Abbott’s Proclamation for NPSTW. If you ever find yourself in an emergency, please do not hesitate to contact 9-1-1 for help. 

Joining the 9-1-1 Organization(s) for You!

There are many organizations in the 9-1-1 world, and someone new to the industry might not be sure where to start, which organizations to join, or which conferences to attend. This blog breaks down a few organizations and who is usually involved in each organization.

Association of Public-Safety Communications Officials (APCO)

Mission Statement

“APCO is an international leader committed to providing complete public safety communications expertise, professional development, technical assistance, advocacy, and outreach to benefit our members and the public.” 

APCO is the oldest and largest public safety communications professionals’ organization globally and has many resources for all 9-1-1 professionals. Many 9-1-1 industry leaders enjoy participating in their annual national conference. Not only do they have an annual national conference, but they also have local Chapter conferences and training available to empower those in 9-1-1. 

You can learn more about APCO by visiting their website at https://www.apcointl.org/. APCO also has an annual membership fee, which provides many opportunities for 9-1-1 professionals.

National Emergency Number Association (NENA)

Mission Statement

“The 9-1-1 Association improves 9-1-1 through research, standards development, training, education, outreach, and advocacy. Our vision is a public made safer and more secure through universally-available state-of-the-art 9-1-1 systems and trained 9-1-1 professionals.” 

Many might argue that NENA has a little bit of something for everyone, whether you are a 9-1-1 coordinator, a PSAP manager, or a 9-1-1 call-taker - and they certainly do! Not only do they have a national conference each year, but many local Chapters also hold annual conferences. There are opportunities for you to work with your peers, get various training and certifications to boost your 9-1-1 knowledge, keep up to date on pending legislation, and more.

There is a fee to join, but you get a lot of perks with your membership. You can learn more about NENA by visiting their website here: https://www.nena.org/.

National Public Safety Educators Forum (NPEF)

This organization was created over 12 years ago between passionate 9-1-1 public educators who saw a need for more education and training geared toward public educators in the industry. They formed NPEF and started providing an annual conference. They offer many resources for educators to use at their fingertips on the NPEF Dropbox and their website. NPEF also regularly provides live webinars (recordings provided on the NPEF website after) and e-blasts with updated conference and outreach information about the conference.

Want to learn more about this non-profit organization for public safety educators? Visit their website and become a member for free (www.911npef.org)! Registration is now open for the 2022 Virtual NPEF conference on July 26^th and 27^th. Register here: https://www.911npef.org/event-details/2022-npef-virtual-conference. NPEF will be back in person in Austin in 2023.

No matter what organization(s) you decide to join, you are sure to learn more about the 9-1-1 industry and how it all operates.