OCTOBER 2011

Local telecommunicator named Trainer of the Year

Connie Felten, lead communications specialist at the Lee's Summit Police Department, was named Trainer of the Year at the 77th APCO International Conference and Expo held in August.

Felten has worked in the field of public safety communications for more than 26 years. She started as a calltaker for the Kansas City, Mo., Police Department, and worked her way up to shift supervisor before joining the Lee's Summit Police Department more than 12 years ago. Felten oversees the agency's communications training officer (CTO) program and always makes herself available to answer questions or offer guidance when a CTO is dealing with an unusual or difficult training situation.

"Connie is one of the best partners you could ask for," Carrie Rader, lead communications specialist with the Lee's Summit Police Department, said in the nomination she submitted to APCO International. "She never fails to have your back, and when the going gets tough she is there to pick you up and help you continue to march." More»

Public Safety Communications Board appoints new
RIC Committee co-chair

The Public Safety Communications Board has appointed Steve Hoskins, PSAP manager of the Kansas City, Mo., Police Department, to co-chair the Regional Interoperable Communications (RIC) Committee.

Hoskins will fill the Missouri co-chair position vacated by Major Jesse McLendon, formerly of the North Kansas City Police Department. McLendon, who served as the RIC Committee co-chair for seven years, retired in August.  

The RIC Committee is a policy working group representing public safety agencies throughout the MARC region. Dwight Purtle, technical systems manager for the Johnson County Emergency Communications Center, is the Kansas co-chair of the RIC Committee.

Staff contact: Nikki Thomas, 816/701-8323

Region observes 9-1-1 Day at T-Bones' ballgame

Telecommunicators from across the region brought their families out for 9-1-1 Day at the Ballpark and watched the Kansas City T-Bones try and pull out a win against the Lincoln Saltdogs. Unfortunately, the T-Bones lost 6–3, but 9-1-1 Day at the Ballpark was still a great success.

MARC’s Public Safety program hosts this event to recognize and show appreciation to the more than 600 emergency dispatchers and calltakers throughout the region. During 9-1-1 Day events, which have included everything from a night at the Royals or T-Bones ballparks to a day at the Kansas City Zoo, allows telecommunicators to celebrate with one another during an outing designed for the entire family to enjoy. More»

Share these disaster communications tips with your communities

The Federal Communications Commission (FCC) and the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) have developed tips for communicating before, during and after disasters.

“Between the East Coast earthquake, Hurricane Irene, Tropical Storm Lee, and wildfires in Texas and California, we have had a lot of powerful reminders lately that disasters can strike anytime, anywhere — and can often make it difficult for the public to communicate with friends, loved ones or emergency personnel,” said FEMA Administrator Craig Fugate.

This September, the two agencies highlighted the importance of including plans for overcoming communications challenges as part of National Preparedness Month. More»

Staff works with PS911 customers and provider to improve data accuracy

Many businesses, local governments and schools in the area subscribe to private switch 9-1-1 service (PS911). This service allows customers that have multiple phone lines — which may be spread out over different buildings or branches — to input the location of each phone number individually. While this service has the potential to be very useful in providing information in an emergency, in many cases the data is not updated frequently enough to be accurate if 9-1-1 is called. More»

2012 training calendar will feature community celebrations

This year's training calendar highlights various events and festivals hosted by the communities we serve. Large-scale events, festivals and celebrations undoubtedly impact PSAPs and first responders due to increased call volume and radio traffic. But they are also an excellent public outreach and education opportunity for public safety personnel to provide information about the proper use of 9-1-1 and to interact with and share preparedness messages with the communities they serve.

Look for the 2012 public safety communications calendars to arrive at your PSAP very soon.

You can submit Outstanding Performance Award nominations throughout the year

The deadline to submit nominations for the 2012 OPAs is Monday, Feb. 6, 2012; however, you're encouraged to submit nominations as events and situations happen. The details and information will be fresh in your mind and supporting documentation, like recordings and reports, will be more readily available if you prepare your nomination immediately following the incident.

Review the award criteria and submit a nomination form online or on the public safety intranet.

Staff contact: Adam Geffert, 816/701-8221

Reminder: Submit error reports through Info Manager

Have you answered a call that returned incorrect information, was misrouted or displayed a “no record found” message? If so, please remember to promptly submit an error report using Info Manager directly from your 9-1-1 workstation or by following your agency’s procedure. This helps staff improve the quality of ALI records in the regional 9-1-1 database.

Staff contact: Saralyn Hayes, 816/701-8314

Upcoming Training Opportunities

Oct. 18: 9-1-1 Crisis Calls

Oct. 20: Refresher TTY

Oct. 20: 9-1-1 Equipment Training

Oct. 24: 9-1-1 Liability

Oct. 25: Compassion Fatigue

Oct. 26: 9-1-1 Customer Service

Oct. 27: Refresher GeoLynx

Nov. 1–4: Communications Training Officer (CTO)

Nov. 10: Violence in Public Settings

Nov. 15: 9-1-1 Technology

Nov. 22: TTY Training

Nov. 22: 9-1-1 Equipment Training

Dec. 5–9: Basic Telecommunicators Training

Dec. 13: 9-1-1 Equipment Training

Dec. 13: Refresher TTY

See a complete list of upcoming
9-1-1 training opportunities and GTI courses included in the 9-1-1 training consortium membership.

Special Events and Trainings

Nov. 17: Professional Development Series — Working with the Media

Maintenance Services

In non-emergency situations, you may email maintenance requests or questions to 911techs@marc.org.

If your issue requires immediate attention, or if you think it might, please call 816/421-2911 any time day or night.

Remember, it is important to reboot your 9-1-1 workstations at least once each week, Monday through Friday between 8 a.m.–5 p.m., when a MARC communications technician is available should you experience any problems. This will automatically update the GeoLynx map data on your workstation.

PSAP Managers Forum

The PSAP Managers Forum is an excellent resource for managers and supervisors to share and exchange ideas, concerns and suggestions.

Have a story you want to share?

Email Jen Houston or call 816/701-8394.