Tracking 911 hangups

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The Monday edition of The Oklahoman featured a front-page story about technology that helps track disconnected 911 calls. Check it out.

Here is an excerpt:

Hanging up on 911 operators is a crime in Oklahoma, and so is interfering with someone else's efforts to make an emergency call. It's a misdemeanor punishable by a fine up to $4,000 and a year in jail.

 

Tulsa World: 911 dispatchers are unsung heroes

The Tulsa World published an article on Sunday about dispatchers in the 911 Operations Area on East Oklahoma Street, Tulsa Fire Department, Tulsa. The article calls emergency dispatchers as unsung heroes. It's a great article. Check it out!

KWTV News9 airs story on shortage of 911 dispatchers in Oklahoma

Please go here to read the story. Great job, News9! We like it, and yes, there is a shortage. Don't forget to check out our job board, folks. We couldn't have planned that timing if we tried.

EagleMed announces memorial for pilot, medic

EagleMed , Oklahoma City, announces a memorial service for their fallen crew. The critical care transport service will host a combined memorial service in memory of Al Harrison and Ryan Duke. The two were fatality injured in a helicopter accident on July 22 outside of Kingfisher, Oklahoma. The service will be held Thursday, July 29, beginning at 10:00 am at Crossings Community Church 14600 N. Portland Avenue Oklahoma City, Oklahoma 73134. A fly-over will take place outside the church prior to seating for the service. ny requests from outside emergency agencies with regards to the planned

Our thougths and prayers are with the families of friends of Al and Ryan during this difficult time.

Tornadoes bring rise in 9-1-1 calls; U.S. Cellular offers storm tips

Last week brought a rash of deadly storms to the Sooner State. Check out artist Debby Kaspari's firsthand account of the May 10 tornado, A Most Unearthly Sound. The F4 tornado destroyed her Norman, Oklahoma home. 

Yesterday, the Tulsa World published a story that featured storm tips from the Nancy Fratzke, a U.S. Cellular spokeswoman for Oklahoma.

During the May 9-10 tornadoes, dispatchers in the 911 ACOG system answered more than 2,300 calls - 874 on May 9 and 1,352 on May 10. In fact, on May 10, the Norman Police Department dispatchers received more than 200 calls between 5 and 9 p.m.

The percentage of calls for Noble and Cleveland County Sheriffs showed a significant increase also, well over 200 percent.

Photo by Debby Kaspari originally posted on her blog, Drawing the Motmot. Debby wrote: The west wall blew outwards, exposing my studio. You can see the side of the wooden flat file in the upper left corner. It contained dozens of drawings and sheets of paper.

9-1-1 call to dispatchers leads to discovery of infant twins

On May 3, infant twins, a boy and a girl, were left outside a fire station in Shawnee, Oklahoma . A call to local 9-1-1 dispatchers led to their discovery. The story was covered by all major media outlets in Oklahoma. Click on KWTV 9 for more details and to view the story.

Oklahoma House of Representatives approves HB 2556

The State House of Representatives approved Senate amendments to House Bill 2556 this morning. HB 2556 is collaborative legislation from public safety and the wireless industry utilizing a model developed by the National Conference of State Legislators. This legislation changes remittance of 9-1-1 service fees for pre-paid wireless telephones to retailers who collect the service fee at the point of sale. Retailers will remit the 50-cent service fee to the Oklahoma Tax Commission who will distribute to the 9-1-1 entities in the state based upon population.

“This legislation is important for long-term financial sustainability of
9-1-1 systems in the state.” said Rep. Steve Martin. Prepaid cell phones make up 20% of wireless market, and this group is expected to continue to grow by 10-15% each year in the future according to the Cellular Telephone Industry Association.

HB 2556 would become effective January 1, 2011 if signed by Governor Henry. 9-1-1 ACOG encourages our public safety partners to contact the Governor’s Office to ensure his support.

Photo: Oklahoma State Rep. Steve Martin (R-Bartlesville)

9-1-1 ACOG Program Director Selected for 40 Under 40

Steve Willoughby, 9-1-1 ACOG Program Director

was recently selected as the recipient of the Journal Record's

Achievers Under 40.

Congratulations, Steve!

California to track 9-1-1 calls through centralized system

California is deploying a solution that could cut the time it takes to gather the state's 911 call data from months to a matter of minutes. California officials have identified the following advantages of the system called Emergency Call Tracking System (ECaTS) .

Comparative data will be available on all reports, which will reflect the call statistics for a single PSAP, and compare averages based on size and proximity. In the future, the system will be able to compare data from the previous year.

Calls transferred from one PSAP to another can be tracked for investigative purposes. This feature was virtually impossible in the past with two separate systems.

The state will have standard rules to calculate various measurements like answer times and call durations.

Call centers may choose to make their data available to other center managers or county coordinators.

Read more details at GovTech.com.

KOSU coverage of 9-1-1 Day at the Capitol

Here is the link to the KOSU story about HB2556. Special thanks to reporter Michael Cross for including us in his daily coverage of the 2010 Oklahoma Legislative Session.

9-1-1 Day at the Oklahoma State Capitol

Here are some pictures of 9-1-1 Day at the Oklahoma State Capitol.

It was a beautiful day in Oklahoma!

Johnny Irons with 9-1-1 ACOG sets up a booth in the capitol rotunda.

Lysa Baker with 9-1-1 ACOG: Ronnie Freeman with AT&T and Gene Thaxton, Chair, 9-1-1 Statewide Advisory Board.

Lysa Baker with 9-1-1 ACOG and Ronnie Freeman with AT&T.

Michael Cross, reporter, KOSU, interviews Steve Willoughby, 9-1-1 ACOG.

Norman Transcript features 9-1-1 ACOG's "pay it forward" celebration for dispatchers

Congratulations to the Norman Communications Center for their feature in the The Norman Transcript .

Norman honored the Edmond Communications Center during National Telecommunicator Week. 9-1-1 ACOG's theme was Pay it Forward.

Pictured above: Norman and Edmond Communications Center Personnel

KSBI TV coverage of 9-1-1 Dispatcher of the Year for Central Oklahoma

Special thanks to KSBI-TV, Fox 25 and KFOR for their coverage of the 9-1-1 ACOG Dispatcher of the Year!

9-1-1 ACOG to participate in Yukon's Festival of the Child

9-1-1 ACOG will participate in the City of Yukon Parks and Recreation Department's 14th annual Festival of the Child, May 1, 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. at Yukon City Park, 2200 S. Holly. Fifty different activities will provide a full day of fun for children ages 2 to 13 years of age.

The Festival of the Child is an outdoor event that offers a day of fun that promotes wholesome and creative experiences for children and their families. "It celebrates a special time of childhood," explains Jan Scott, director, Yukon Parks & Recreation Dept. "It is a fun filled, safe and well coordinated atmosphere."

The festival has become one of Yukon’s top family events. For more information visit the City of Yukon's Web site.

Image: Red E. Fox, the 9-1-1 Mascot.

KOCO-TV: Oklahoma's Grady County deals with E911 issues

Steve Willoughby, Program Director of 9-1-1 ACOG (Association of Central Oklahoma Governments) was interviewed by KOCO-TV (Channel 5, Oklahoma City) recently about a 9-1-1 incident in Oklahoma's Grady County. Click here to read the story and view the video.