Why do the police show up for a medical emergency? A recent
example of this is a call that came in for a choking victim in a local
subdivision. Since lack of oxygen results in brain damage within 4
minutes, it is important to get someone there fast. Our law
enforcement officers are trained in CPR and have four cars that
carry AEDs. They are strategically located with two in the north
and two in the south.
When should I call the police? People call 911 when they don’t
know what to do. The majority of calls outside of the traditional
emergencies involve individuals looking for information.
Telecommunicators have a “Heart of Service”. We enjoy helping
people. Citizens often fail to report suspicious activity because
they may worry they are bothering us and it probably will turn out
to be nothing. That is frustrating for our department because had
someone called in that they noticed there was a car at the neighbor’s
house they did not recognize, we could have dispatched an officer
to check it out and prevented the neighbor from getting robbed or
worse. If you see something suspicious, report it!
Because we are a small city municipality, we have a good response
time. In addition, we take calls that bigger departments wouldn’t
even entertain. We receive calls for snakes, bears, gators, loose or
aggressive dogs, and have even been known to stop traffic to let a
momma duck cross the road with her ducklings.
How can we best show our love and support for our dispatchers?
Through community feedback on the website. A few nice words
go a long way! In addition, this reporter would suggest to our local
businesses, when you are offering special promotions and events to
show your support of Police, Fire, and Medical Services, don’t forget
the Dispatchers! They are the first resource of every call and are
often forgotten for their service to our community.
JULY 2014 |
WINTER GARDEN MAGAZINE
| 25