Dispatcher

[hemi444]

Do any other states have a standard qualification such as apco that a dispatcher must go through before utilizing a private agency radio terminal?

[N. A. Corbier]

Do any other states have a standard qualification such as apco that a dispatcher must go through before utilizing a private agency radio terminal?

Not that I know of. APCO doesn't regulate private industry, and the only requirement about radios is that the site have a valid FCC license for each terminal.

Florida provides *basic* radio ettiquette, which is basically, "Don't hold the button too long, talk normally, do whatever the client says." The suggestion of 10-codes (APCO, IACP, NFPA, State, etc) is not discussed.

[Taser]

Definitely nothing special where I work. Our dispatchers are okay but definitely not exceptional. One of our dispatchers, UGH, I want to wring her neck. I swear they dropped her in the chair without any training and just gave her some cheat sheets to know what our 10-codes mean. They might have said, "This is a phone. This is a radio. Have a blast." She generally works day shift though so I don't have to deal with her much.

[Charger]

LOL
Sounds like our old dispatch center... The agency I used to work for contracted through the local ambulance company for dispatch services... during our peak hours (7pm-7am) we had our own company-employed dispatcher at the center... but during the day we had to put up with the ambulance dispatchers... Obviously their calls took priority, but there were many times that they made it obvious over the air that they were annoyed that they even had to talk to us... Made for interesting times...

[N. A. Corbier]

Sounds like every dispatch operation I've seen. Most security companies I've worked for, that provided radios, did not have dispatchers. A guard was given a radio, and told to be "the dispatcher." In addition to his regular desk post at an extremely quiet site, he would also handle all radio communications and requests for police / supervisor response.

An Alarm Response Company that used to work in the Tampa Bay area would assign two people as dispatchers. One was the primary supervisor, who had sites to patrol as well - he had the 1-800 number and was in charge of company operations at night. The other was a regular patrolman who handled the attendance, records keeping, and calls for police assistance. While doing his OWN set of patrols.

The only company I know of, in the Tampa Bay Area, that has a dedicated dispatching center is Critical Intervention Services. They maintain audio/visual survelience over themselves, the strip mall they're located in, their security / police school, and several remote monitoring sites, from their "operations center."

I do not believe in giving a supervisor the additional role of dispatcher, while they're trying to do post checks, secondary patrol, or other supervisory duties. If I can't justify paying him to do his primary job without overloading him, then I obviously don't need a supervisor.

He and Him are general terms which are inclusive of both genders.

[jimmyhat]

A trend that is becoming very popular in my area is the outsourced Dispatch Service. Because Security companies are a dime-a-dozen here, the market is big. It's essentially a phone/answering service that receives and dispatches calls just like any standard emergency communications center. The catch is, these services have multiple clients, and there's no loyalty to any one company as far as priority dispatch. Also, the system, to my knowledge, only works for companies that use direct-connect or push-to-talk radios/phones. I'm not aware of any service that utilizes a two-way radio system, on an FCC licensed frequency, for dispatch. Often, DC area based Security-types can be sent on a calls from a dispatcher as far away as Houston, TX.

[N. A. Corbier]

A trend that is becoming very popular in my area is the outsourced Dispatch Service. Because Security companies are a dime-a-dozen here, the market is big. It's essentially a phone/answering service that receives and dispatches calls just like any standard emergency communications center. The catch is, these services have multiple clients, and there's no loyalty to any one company as far as priority dispatch. Also, the system, to my knowledge, only works for companies that use direct-connect or push-to-talk radios/phones. I'm not aware of any service that utilizes a two-way radio system, on an FCC licensed frequency, for dispatch. Often, DC area based Security-types can be sent on a calls from a dispatcher as far away as Houston, TX.

Interesting concept. It sounds alot like outsourced alarm monitoring companies. Notice how it works only with Nextel and those systems like it. I think alot of companies are going with Nextel (I plan to) because of the added features that, when used right, can be passed onto clients. They're also a sales pitch, and a lifeline.

I think I'd rather have a dispatcher who was local to the area, and had a vested interest in the safety of my employees, though.

[jimmyhat]

Mr. Corbier,
It is exactly like the alarm monitoring services that we all know and love. One contract I worked on "Aliens Ddebate Toyota" often worked in the capacity of dispatcher, and I'd be willing to bet the whole concept was created in that fashion.

With that said, and I don't want to be a Nextel walking/talking commercial, but you can't beat the GPS feature. Now, supervisors can track their Troops without ever leaving the office. How's that for the lazy-mans convenience?

Also, aside from the "wand carrying security-robot" when clients ask "where was security" you can say: he/she was right here, right then. All backed up on database.

[hemi444]

The only company I know of, in the Tampa Bay Area, that has a dedicated dispatching center is Critical Intervention Services. They maintain audio/visual survelience over themselves, the strip mall they're located in, their security / police school, and several remote monitoring sites, from their "operations center."

Speaking of Fla, I heard and please correct what I have heardis wrong, that some outsourced agencies provide service's to the fire depts in high risk communities for clearing such as crowd management due to not having enough police L/E personnel.

[Huey County]

Do any other states have a standard qualification such as apco that a dispatcher must go through before utilizing a private agency radio terminal?

^That's kind of funny.
My department officers work both Communications and Patrol. The only qualification that we need to work the Communications is from the Illinois State Police to be able to use LEADS (Law Enforcement Agencies Data System.) Everyone else can and is trained "in-house." Allot of us have been sent to training for Disaster Comm., but not a must to have. To deal with 911 calls; Common sense, practice, and the release button is what we use.

If private agencies require you to have standard qualifications for dispatchers and Police Depts or Police/Fire Depts don't, that's pretty sad. That's good for the states that do have that for private security. Illinois sadly does not.

[hemi444]

If private agencies require you to have standard qualifications for dispatchers and Police Depts or Police/Fire Depts don't, that's pretty sad. That's good for the states that do have that for private security. Illinois sadly does not.

I only know of one security agency that requires that but they require alot more than just that.

I know for one of the sites, for a patrol position that, everyone must have emt, apco, haz mat awareness, state lethal weapons training, oc, baton, handcuff, confined space entry and many more.

I know that the supervisor has to be a certified paramedic with national incident command.

The reg start rate for a patrolman is about 38,000 and the supervisor starts out in the area 50,000

[N. A. Corbier]

Speaking of Fla, I heard and please correct what I have heardis wrong, that some outsourced agencies provide service's to the fire depts in high risk communities for clearing such as crowd management due to not having enough police L/E personnel.

I'd never seen that in Pinellas, but then again, the Fire Department would use their own personnel for crowd control. LE may be there, or they may not.

[Echos13]

Speaking of Fla, I heard and please correct what I have heardis wrong, that some outsourced agencies provide service's to the fire depts in high risk communities for clearing such as crowd management due to not having enough police L/E personnel.

Not sure about some agencies but the 911 system in some Floirda counties out source thier dispatchers. And there has been some fall out with it while in some places it has been failry successful.