The job of a 911 dispatcher in a county with more than 400,000 people has always been a mental challenge, but it got a new twist in May.
Clark County’s dispatchers had used their old computer-aided system for about 19 years, but it was slowing down and officials wanted to benefit from new technologies.
So at 5:35 a.m. on May 10, a time chosen because not much was likely to be happening — and after nearly three years of preparation — the new $3 million computer software from Intergraph Corporation went online.
It went smooth except for some scary freeze-ups of several seconds as technical experts stood by.
Dispatchers notified the company, based in Huntsville, Ala., which put an engineer on a plane headed for Vancouver.
Help dispatched in the nick of time
“While he was in the air, they were able to resolve the problem,” said Keith Flewelling, technical services and support manager for Clark Regional Emergency Services Agency, which operates the 911 center.
No calls have been missed and the system is working, with problems now only sporadic, officials said.
The new system had been in the planning and creating stages for nearly three years, Flewelling said.
About 20 officials from 911, local law-enforcement agencies, fire departments and other agencies had to evaluate and select the maker, and choose and refine customized features needed for this area.
The new system is so complex that dispatchers have undergone intensive training that continues to this day and will go on into the future.
The learning curve is especially steep, several officials said.
“Intergraph generally sends someone here every week,” said John Gaylord, a dispatch supervisor.
A key feature officials wanted was updated Automatic Vehicle Location, which uses GPS technology in police cars and fire engines.
The new system allows dispatchers to pull up maps that show, with updates every several seconds, where those police cars and fire engines are as they rush to a fire or other emergency.
The maps on the dispatchers’ screens show icons of those emergency vehicles. Dispatchers can see where they are and the icons change colors as they leave their station and arrive.
The maps also show the best routes, even updated with road closures.
But the big change, officials say, is that police officers and firefighters now can pull up the maps on the Mobile Data Computers in their vehicles as they head for an emergency and see lines for the fastest routes.
As with a GPS navigation device that ordinary motorists use, a voice can tell them where to turn and which way.
And dispatchers, watching the maps while on the phone with worried callers, can now tell them exactly where the vehicle rushing to help is, which is reassuring.
In Clark County, where police, firefighters and ambulance paramedics have about 250 Mobile Data Computers in their vehicles, it’s a big help, officials say.
These days, 10 dispatchers typically are at work in the 911 center on busy late afternoons and nights. And several more work stations are ready if more dispatchers are needed on a really big night.
A loud, busy place
On a recent visit, dispatch supervisor Gaylord and the other dispatchers were each monitoring six computer screens. Each screen had several windows, and dispatchers typically were using three mouses, four keyboards and a phone dial pad.
The dispatch center can be loud, with the dispatchers chatting, sharing call information, laughing and, when necessary, raising their voices to emphasize a point with a caller.
Besides supervisor Gaylord, who was taking emergency phone calls while keeping an eye on the entire operation, other dispatchers were working specific stations: for the sheriff’s office, Vancouver police, the smaller city police agencies, fire department alert tones, fire department voice communication, and data, which involves running names for arrest warrants and vehicle license numbers to see who owns a vehicle and whether it’s listed as stolen.
Another dispatcher was running the Ops station, ready to focus on a specific major call, such as a big fire, if needed.
And there was a dispatcher who mostly was taking 911 calls and another who took over when any dispatchers took breaks.
Dispatchers say the work stations assigned to police are the most difficult because they must keep track of up to 60 officers, exactly where they are, what they are doing and whether each is in danger.
“It’s a fun job,” said Anna Pendergrass, the 911 operations manager, who calls the job an addiction. “It’s kind of an adrenaline rush. It gets in your blood.”
CRESA, with 52 authorized dispatcher positions, currently has four vacancies.
The specialized initial training takes 18 to 22 months. After that, it never stops, officials said.
John Branton: 360-735-4513 or john.branton@columbian.com.
