TERT Update: Focusing on the Dispatcher's Role in Successful Emergency Communications

Minutes after the first bomb detonated at the finish line of the Boston Marathon on April 15, recordings show a police dispatcher stepping in to command a chaotic situation: "Units stay off the air! Units stay off the air!" The dispatcher's order was crucial to ensuring radio transmissions were limited so supervisors could pass along essential information.

Jurisdictions nationwide have made strides in emergency communications planning, training, preparedness, and response. COMLs and COMTs have been trained in every state and are being used to manage communications in the field through disasters, storms, and large planned events. However, the staff at Public Safety Communications Centers (PSCC) or Public Safety Answering Points (PSAP) must also manage incidents and implement interoperability solutions. The dispatcher who receives that first call is often the first communications leader-calling out resources, keeping communications running among disparate agencies, and assigning radio channels or talk groups ...

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National Emergency Number Association