| Central
Dispatch Information |
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2007 E-911 Central Dispatch Annual Report  (281 KB) |
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| Central
Dispatch is charged with the following primary tasks: |
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 Answer
all 911 and non-emergency calls within St. Joseph County
and provide direction or instruction
to those callers |
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Dispatch
a total of 22 police, fire and ambulance services |
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Provide
an after-hours answering point for the Human Services
Agency and all county Department of Public works |
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 14
extensively trained full-time and 2 authorized part-time
personnel staff the center 24 hours, 365 days a year,
providing service to our county’s 62,422 residents
in an area of 512 square miles. The center also houses
the Emergency Operations Center (EOC), used in the event
of a large casualty or extended duration event; the EOC
is also used by various agencies and groups for meetings
and training. |
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| When
You Need Help |
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| To
report a potential life or property-threatening incident,
dial 911.
It may take up to 7 seconds before you’ll hear a
ringing tone while your call is routed to our center –
do not hang up and call back! Once your call is answered,
tell us: |
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The
location where help is needed |
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The
phone number you are calling from |
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What
exactly is going on now |
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Your
name |
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| The
telecommunicator may ask questions to determine what kind
of assistance to provide – these questions will
ultimately allow us to help you or those in need. Depending
on your problem, we may ask: |
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For
a description of your residence or property |
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If
you are willing to help the person |
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Who
else is nearby |
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A
description of any persons or vehicles involved |
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Other
questions related to the specific type of incident |
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All
full-time dispatch personnel are Emergency Medical Dispatch
certified and are able to provide “pre-arrival instructions”
to callers on everything from infant CPR to managing a
seizure patient. Several children in St. Joseph County
have been delivered by our staff using these techniques.
If you need help but are unable to speak dial
911 and leave the phone off the hook.
If you’re calling from a non-cellular type phone,
we most likely will get the address you are calling from
and will dispatch the appropriate agency(s) based upon
what we hear and the type of call history from your location.
Call our non-emergency number, (269) 467-4195,
for things such as: |
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Barking
dogs, noise complaints or loud vehicles |
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VIN
inspections (providing you have the necessary Secretary
of State paperwork) |
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Peace
officer standby’s |
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Events
that occurred more than 24 hours ago |
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| How
911 Works |
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If
you are calling from a non-cellular phone, your phone
provider routs the call through various switches; these
switches determine which call center to send you to. It
may make up to seven seconds for this to happen. Do not
hang up!
Once the call is answered by the 911 center, things happen
all at once. After a couple of seconds the following information
should be displayed: |
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The
phone number you’re calling from |
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The
name of the person who the phone is registered to |
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The
address where the phone is located |
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What
emergency providers cover your area |
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Any
notes about the location we may have added, such as house
description or known problems |
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At
the same time, the address will be plotted on our GIS,
or mapping, software; additionally, call information is
sent to our Computer Aided Dispatch (CAD) system, which we use to
enter calls, keep track of units, identify known hazards
or prior responses to specific locations and keep record
of individual contacts, among many other functions.
When you dial “911” from a cell (wireless)
phone, the closest cellular tower picks up the call and
sends it to the 911 center that services the area the
tower is located in. In most places, only your cell number
is shown. St. Joseph County uses “Phase 2 Wireless”,
which will plot your location on our mapping software
to within 300 feet or less – we have recently had
a test call that was within 10 feet of the cell phone.
If you accidentally dial 911, do not hang up. After you
press the last “1” the call will be sent to
the call center. Should we be unable to make contact with
you, a law enforcement officer will be sent to your location
to make certain things are okay. This may keep someone
else who legitimately needs help from getting it sooner.
Make it easy for help to find you
Be certain your address is correctly and prominently displayed
in front of your residence! Reflective green and white
address signs are available from many locations (call
Central Dispatch for a list) and are an inexpensive and
easy way to make your home easy to locate. Tell the telecommunicator
if your home is not visible from the roadway or is down
a lane.
Not only does posting your address help emergency services
find you, it’s also required by St. Joseph County
ordinance. For further information on this ordinance,
contact dispatch director Andrew Goldberger or Loretta Jarnefelt
in the county Land Resource department at (269) 467-5576. |
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| Numbers
of Note |
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6,043 – Number of fire
responses dispatched in 2005 |
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85,409 – Number of police
events fielded by Central Dispatch in 2005 |
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31,674 – Total number for 911
calls answered by Central Dispatch in 2005 |
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Over 175,000 – non-emergency
calls answered by Central Dispatch for 2005 |
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| More
questions? |
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If you have other questions about Central Dispatch or
would like to arrange for a group tour, please contact
the center at (269) 467-4195 or email us by clicking here. |
