Dispatchers Find Way To Pay For Training
Tight municipal budgets mean no budget for 9-1-1 dispatcher training, despite the critical need for such training. To provide for that training, at no cost to the community, the St. John Police Department in Indiana has launched a cellular phone donation drive that has already generated about $300. The police department is conducting the drive in conjunction with the Indiana 9-1-1 National Emergency Number Association (Indiana NENA).
The goal of the project is to raise enough funds for three training sessions across the state, with each one costing approximately $3,000 to $5,000. The sessions would train dispatchers about how to handle different emergency calls, including those for homeland security, domestic violence, suicide intervention, fire response, and medical dispatch.
St. John town manager Steve Kil says the program is essential for growing but cash-strapped communities. Cellular phone donation was chosen as the fund-raising method because there are an estimated 100 million mobile phones not currently in use due to technological advances.
Also, recent government rules allowing subscribers to keep their numbers as they change providers should generate more churn. People who want to donate can do so through a Web site or by visiting a police station.
Abstracted by the National Law Enforcement and Corrections Technology Center(NLECTC) from the Northwest Indiana Times (05/18/04); McCollum, Carmen .
