Communications / 9-1-1

 

 

 

 

Service and Communications

Emergency and routine communications (Dispatch) for Police, Fire, and Medical assistance in South Lane County are the responsibility of the South Lane County 9-1-1 Public Safety Answering Point (SoLCOMM PSAP). The PSAP is housed within the Cottage Grove Police Department and open 24 hours a day with one Communication Specialist on duty at all times.

The responsibilities of the Telecommunications Center include:

  • Emergency medical and fire dispatch
  • Emergency and routine police dispatch
  • Police business telephone reception
  • Counter reception
  • Computer entry and records searches. 
  • Statewide Teletype communications
  • Alarm and jail monitoring
  • Communications coordination between agencies
  • Miscellaneous essential clerical tasks

Special programs include the RUOK program, which provides routine checks for senior citizens, and emergency communication services for the hearing and speech impaired (TDDY).

The Communications Center has 5 full-time employees who are all trained in first aid, cpr and emergency medical dispatch.

Custom Micro Inc. Supply's the department with the software necessary
for Computer Aided Dispatching, Records Keeping, and much more. 
Visit their web site at www.custommicro.com

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Responsibilities of the 9-1-1 Dispatcher

Emergency medical and fire dispatch for the entire So. Lane fire district. This area is between the Douglas County border and Creswell, from Dorena in the east to Lorane in the west. During a large fire or motor vehicle accident, it's not unusual for the dispatcher to take 50/60 911 calls in a 10 minute period. Every call must be handled as quickly as possible but each one must be dealt with because hiding somewhere in that barrage may be another problem like a heart attack victim. While handling the 911 calls, the same dispatcher must "tone out" and dispatch the appropriate units for the quickest response possible.

Emergency and routine police dispatch for the city as well as the surrounding county area (same as So. Lane fire district.) Within the city limits, Cottage Grove police officers are dispatched. In the surrounding county area, we dispatch the Oregon State Police or the Lane County Sheriff, possibly with a Cottage Grove Police Department unit as "backup." Officer safety is one of our primary responsibilities so the dispatcher must constantly monitor the radio, be aware of where all of their officers are and what they're doing.

Police business telephone reception for the city and county. This is where citizens report crimes and request assistance of a non-emergency nature. In 1999, the center handled 10,845 calls for service including 2245 police reports. Some of these calls came in through the 911 line but the majority of them were received via the business telephone lines. The calls ranged from requests for vacation house checks to bank robberies and domestic assault.

Counter reception. The dispatch center has many visitors every day with business that can't be handled over the phone such as picking up report copies, bringing in evidence or paperwork, requesting fingerprints, requesting to talk to an officer or investigator, registering bicycles, picking up impounded vehicles/dogs, etc..

Computer entry and records searches are performed by the dispatcher whenever requested by an officer or investigator. This ranges from a simple vehicle or operator's license check during a traffic stop to criminal history checks of person's arrested by this agency.

Statewide Teletype communications are the messages that must be sent out to other agencies concerning local crimes, wanted person checks, stolen vehicles, etc..

Alarm and jail monitoring. We have four jail cells located in the basement and two holding cells, one downstairs and one upstairs. Each of these are monitored by audio and video equipment with displays in the dispatch center. The dispatcher must constantly be aware of the condition of any prisoners and must coordinate an hourly "jail check" for those prisoners kept downstairs.

Communications coordination between agencies. The dispatcher must keep other agencies apprised of conditions that may impact those agencies such as our responses to fire/ambulance calls out in the county. We also relay messages from deputies and troupers who are unable to directly contact their agencies. 

Miscellaneous essential clerical tasks covers all the other routine tasks that the dispatcher must do, such as copying, filing and making the computer entries that pertain to the officer's activities. Each call that comes in gets a "log note" entry in the computer system. The dispatcher must document all staff activity in the computer as well as things like vehicle mileage for fuel, etc..

 

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Pictures

Pictures of the 9-1-1 / Police Dispatch Center coming soon!

                         

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