FY2010 Arlington Fire Department Annual Report FY 2010

Newsletter Title Page 34 The 9-1-1 Dispatch Center serves as the entry point for all calls for emergency services, including Fire, Police and ambulance. Dispatch Services is committed to providing cost-effective, prompt, and accurate processing of emergency and non-emergency calls for service. Call Takers are trained to handle emergency calls for Fire and Police service requests. These employees receive additional training in CPR and Emergency Medical Dispatch (EMD) in order to process medical calls for service. This additional training enables Call Takers to provide life saving pre-arrival instructions, while emergency responders are en route. Bilingual employees, fluent in Spanish and Vietnamese, are available for interpretation. Arlington 9-1-1 also subscribes to the AT&T Language Line, which can translate over 140 languages. Each call take station is equipped with Telecommunications Device for the Deaf (TDD) equipment and employees are trained to take calls from hearing impaired callers. In Fiscal 2010, the Dispatch Center processed 433,815 incoming calls, and dispatched a combined total of 442,328 Fire, Police and Ambulance calls. In addition to calls for service, Dispatch Services responded to 1,709 open records request by citizens and the District Attorney Office. The Commission on Accreditation for Law Enforcement Agencies, Inc. (CALEA) establishes credentials representing excellence in public safety. Our Dispatch Center became accredited by CALEA in 2004 and must reaccredit every three years. During our 2010 reaccreditation, we were designated as a Flagship Agency for our exemplary compliance to standards, policy development and file maintenance. Proudly, we are now looked to for ―best practices‖ by other agencies seeking accreditation. In 2010, Dispatch Services also received CALEA‘s Tri-Arch Award for having concurrent accreditations for public safety communications, public safety training, and law enforcement. Working Together to Make Arlington Better. 34

FY2010 Arlington Fire Department Annual Report FY 2010 | Page 34