Fire Department Dispatching Requirements 1 Running head: FIRE DEPARTMENT DISPATCHING REQUIREMENTS Executive Leadership Fire Department Dispatching Requirements in a Consolidated County Emergency Communications Center Lyle D. Armstrong Rock Springs Fire Department Rock Springs, Wyoming December 2008
Fire Department Dispatching Requirements 2 CERTIFICATION STATEMENT I hereby certify that this paper constitutes my own product, that where the language of others is set forth, quotation marks so indicate, and that appropriate credit is given where I have used the language, ideas, expressions, or writings of another. Signed:
Fire Department Dispatching Requirements 3 Abstract The problem was that the dispatching requirements for the county fire departments had not been researched for the proposed Sweetwater County, Wyoming consolidated emergency communications center which could affect fire department response objectives. The purpose of this research was to identify the requirements for fire dispatching in a county wide consolidated emergency communications center. Research answered questions about federal regulations, national consensus standards, and state criteria for dispatching fire departments in a county wide consolidated emergency communications center. Descriptive research was conducted using questionnaires and semi-structured interviews. Results were used to make recommendations to the involved entities for dispatching fire departments in the county wide consolidated emergency communications center.
Fire Department Dispatching Requirements 4 Table of Contents Abstract....Page 3 Table of Contents....Page 4 Introduction...Page 5 Background and Significance Page 6 Literature Review..Page 11 Procedures. Page 19 Results...Page 20 Discussion. Page 25 Recommendations.....Page 29 References.Page 33 Appendices Appendix A: Questionnaire... Page 37 Appendix B: Emergency Communications Center and Contact Person...Page 42 Appendix C: Summary of Responses to Questionnaire... Page 43
Fire Department Dispatching Requirements 5 Introduction Communication is the process of conveying information from a sender to a receiver with the use of a medium in which the communicated information is understood by both sender and receiver (Communication, 2008, para.1). The back bone of emergency response is the ability to communicate. Communications occur at several levels ranging from interpersonal to interagency to interstate. With the advance of communication technology over the past several years, there has been an increased capability for emergency services to communicate with each other. The efficiency of this technology has also created the ability to consolidate resources. The Rock Springs Police Department (RSPD) currently provides dispatching services for the city of Rock Springs, Wyoming including the Rock Springs Fire Department (RSFD). The cities of Rock Springs and Green River, Wyoming and Sweetwater County, Wyoming are in the process of doing a feasibility study of combining the existing county and two municipal emergency communications centers into a consolidated county wide emergency communications center. The problem is that the dispatching requirements for the county fire departments have not been researched for the proposed Sweetwater County, Wyoming consolidated emergency communications center which could affect fire department response objectives. The purpose of this research is to identify the requirements for fire dispatching in a county wide consolidated emergency communications center. This information will be used to provide guidance to the involved entities of Sweetwater County, Wyoming involved in the consolidation and regionalization of the county emergency communications centers.
Fire Department Dispatching Requirements 6 Descriptive research will be utilized to answer the following research questions by using questionnaires and semi-structured interviews of personnel operating existing consolidated emergency communications centers in the state of Wyoming. An analysis of literature related to laws, requirements, and standards for dispatching fire departments will also be conducted. The research questions are: 1. What are the federal regulations for dispatching fire departments? 2. What are the national consensus standards for dispatching fire departments? 3. What are the state criteria for dispatching fire departments? 4. What criteria are used by other Wyoming agencies utilizing consolidated emergency communications centers for dispatching fire departments? Background and Significance Sweetwater County is located in southwest Wyoming. The county encompasses 10,491 square miles and is sparsely populated having approximately 37,613 people (U.S. Census Bureau, 2002, p.19). Interstate 80 and the main east-west Union Pacific Railroad line create a major transportation corridor which runs through the center of the county. The two main cities are centrally located in the county and approximately 15 miles apart along Interstate 80. Green River has approximately 11,808 people (U.S. Census Bureau, 2002, p.19) and Rock Springs has approximately 18,708 people (U.S. Census Bureau, 2002, p. 20). The rest of the population is distributed throughout four small towns and a sparse rural population. For the past five years Sweetwater County has been experiencing rapid growth due to the development of regional oil and gas resources. While there are no updated census figures for the county, there are estimates that the population has grown by as
Fire Department Dispatching Requirements 7 much as 50 percent to approximately 54,000 residents. Some of the problems associated with this rapid growth are insufficient municipal infrastructure and strains on delivery of emergency and municipal services. The majority of mineral severance taxes are funneled to state government, which leaves local governments struggling to cope with the financial aspects of local growth problems (T.A. Kaumo, personal communication, October 20, 2008). There has been a high level of cooperation between county and city emergency response agencies and they are reasonably effective in their operations considering they sometimes have to perform multiple functions. Emergency planning for the county has been actively facilitated by the Sweetwater County Emergency Management Agency. A comprehensive emergency operation plan for the county has been developed with sections covering purpose, situation and assumptions, concept of operations, organization and assignment of responsibilities, and administration and logistics. Since many of the resources for the county are located in the cities of Rock Springs and Green River, the plan is written to be inclusive of the cities. Sweetwater County emergency service agencies consist of two municipal police departments, the county sheriff s office, eight fire departments, and six transport ambulance entities. These organizations are dispatched by three county emergency communications centers. Each of the cities of Rock Springs and Green River have an emergency communications center which is operated by their respective police departments with the third emergency communications center operated by the Sweetwater County Sheriff s Office which serves the remainder of the county. The State of Wyoming response agencies are dispatched by state emergency communications
Fire Department Dispatching Requirements 8 centers located in Cheyenne. Each emergency communications center has its own jurisdictional responsibilities for dispatching and has only one shared frequency, state mutual aid. There is a limited sharing of information technology networks and data bases. The RSFD is a career department employing 35 personnel to provide fire and life safety services out of three fire stations. Firefighters are trained to be multi-faceted. The RSFD provides the community fire suppression, medical first response with advanced life support engines, light and heavy rescue, and hazardous materials response services. The RSFD is also the host agency for the Wyoming Region 4 Regional Response Team. This team is responsible for responding to and assisting with mitigation of weapons of mass destruction and hazardous materials events in three Wyoming counties that cover approximately 17,000 square miles. With the local growth, the RSFD responded to 1,546 emergency calls in 2007. This represents a 19 % increase in call volume over 2003. The RSFD is currently dispatched through the RSPD emergency communications center. This center dispatches the RSPD, the RSFD, two private transport ambulance services, and the Rock Springs Streets Department. The emergency communications center activity has increased immensely over the past five years and current staffing ranges from one to three depending on time and day. All dispatchers are multifaceted in that they answer call lines and dispatch all city response agencies. Over the past several years there has been discussion of consolidation of the three Sweetwater County emergency communications centers however, local politics and turf battles have prevented consolidation. Executive management of the three agencies that operate the emergency communications centers are currently exploring the benefits that
Fire Department Dispatching Requirements 9 may be gained from consolidating their centers into a single emergency communications center. An executive committee has been formed that is comprised of the heads of each agency that currently operate the existing emergency communication centers. This executive committee has employed a consultant to conduct a needs assessment on the consolidation project. The State of Wyoming is currently engaged in a multi-year effort to establish a statewide communications backbone referred to as WyoLink. The system consists of a Project 25, a national standard developed by the Association of Public-Safety Communications Officials (APCO), digital, trunked VHF/150 MHz infrastructure. This system utilizes 57 sites with interconnectivity via the Wyoming Department of Transportation microwave backbone and planned extensions. When WyoLink is completed, it will provide statewide mobile radio coverage for state agencies and local jurisdictions that choose to participate. This system will further provide portable coverage in areas in close proximity to WyoLink sites. WyoLink will also provide statewide interoperability functionality so that state, county, and local jurisdictions will have access to a common communications platform. This interoperability will allow agencies to coordinate their activities during large scale emergencies (State of Wyoming Public Safety Communications Commission, 2007, p.1). Funding for the Wyolink system is coming from various sources including the Wyoming Transportation Commission, Homeland Security grants, and the Wyoming Legislative General Fund. Through the Wyoming Public Safety Communications Commission (PSCC), grants are available to the local dispatch centers to assist them to
Fire Department Dispatching Requirements 10 upgrade components and consoles that will allow them to connect to the WyoLink system (State of Wyoming PSCC, 2006, p.1). With the advent of WyoLink and the possible consolidation of the three Sweetwater County emergency communications centers there is a potential to increase the efficiency of the dispatching services that are provided to both the public and the emergency services of Sweetwater County. The RSFD is the only career fire department in Sweetwater County and provides a broader spectrum of emergency services than the other county fire departments and has specific needs of a emergency communications center that are imperative to the RSFD s mission. Dispatching services vital to the RSFD s mission include expeditious dispatching of fire units for first response medical calls, emergency medical dispatching (EMD), and fire dispatching services that meet the RSFD s needs and meet the requirements of the Insurance Services Office s (ISO) public protection classification program that are part of RSFD s ISO rating. As a dialogue progress on the consolidation of Sweetwater County s dispatching services, it is essential that the needs of the county s fire departments and the RSFD be identified and addressed. The Developing Self as a Leader Unit of the National Fire Academy s Executive Leadership course describes how providing the information people need to plan and do their work effectively is a fundamental part of transactional leadership (U.S. Department of Homeland Security, United States Fire Administration, National Fire Academy [DHS, USFA, NFA], 2005, p. SM 3-9). This applied research project will gather information on any laws or standards pertaining to dispatching fire departments and review best practices which have been developed by other consolidated emergency communications centers in Wyoming. The
Fire Department Dispatching Requirements 11 information gathered will be used to make recommendations for fire department dispatching needs in a consolidated Sweetwater County, Wyoming emergency communications center. This research has the potential to support four of the five operational objectives of the United States Fire Administration by reducing the loss of life from fire in the age group 14 years old and below; by reducing the loss of life from fire in the age group 65 years old and above; by reducing the loss of life from fire of firefighters; and by responding appropriately in a timely manner to emerging issues (NFA, 2008, p. II-2). Literature Review Emergency communication centers are the nerve center of an area's emergency services. Although each emergency response agency is different in its needs, the emergency communications center is generally the common thread that they share. The operations of emergency communications centers may vary from jurisdiction to jurisdiction, but the primary focus is to coordinate communications and help facilitate activities of the emergency service entities. As demands and costs increase, there is a trend towards consolidation of emergency communication centers to enhance efficiency and decrease expenses. During consolidation efforts, it is important to make sure that the requirements for dispatching fire departments are met. A literature review was completed that focused on the four research questions: (a) What are the federal regulations for dispatching fire departments? (b) What are the national consensus standards for dispatching fire departments? (c) What are the state criteria for dispatching fire departments? (d) What criteria are used by other Wyoming
Fire Department Dispatching Requirements 12 agencies utilizing consolidated emergency communications centers for dispatching fire departments? In researching the federal regulations for dispatching fire departments a research for by the Federal Communications Commission (FCC) requirements found that frequency licensing is the primary focus of the FCC in relation to emergency communications centers and fire department communications. A listing of all public radio frequencies and their allowable use was found in the Code of Federal Regulations (CFR) in 47 CFR 90.20, Private Land Mobile Radio Services (2007). The eligibility requirements for public safety licenses were also found in that section. The FCC is mandating narrowbanding of frequencies by 2013 to create more frequency capacity from what already exists. Narrowbanding will assign frequencies down to a four decimal range from the current three decimal range. An example would be taking a three decimal frequency that is assigned today, 154.130, to a four decimal frequency, 154.1301. This process requires an update or replacement of equipment to accommodate the narrowbanding of frequencies (Werner, 2006). Guidelines for emergency communication centers offered by the Public Safety and Homeland Security Bureau of the FCC were found. These guidelines included suggestions for preparation for emergencies, backup of communication systems and power for these systems, security for facilities and systems, and mutual aid agreements (FCC, n.d.). While these items were all pertinent to the larger picture of emergency communications centers, there was no reference to any federal laws or requirements for fire department dispatching.
Fire Department Dispatching Requirements 13 The Occupational Outlook Handbook, 2008-09 Edition states that state or local government civil service rules usually govern police, fire, and emergency medical dispatching jobs. Candidates for civil service positions may have to pass written, oral, and performance tests (U.S. Department of Labor, 2008). If the state or local dispatch positions are not under civil service rules there may be no mandatory licensing requirements although many states require specific types of training or certification from a professional association (U.S. Department of Labor, 2008, Dispatchers, Training, Other Qualifications, Advancement section, 3). Homeland Security Presidential Directive 5 (HSPD-5; 2003) called for the establishment of a single, comprehensive National Incident Management System (NIMS). The NIMS is a system that improves response actions through the use of the Incident Command System (ICS) and other standard procedures and preparedness measures. It also encourages development of multi-jurisdictional, statewide, and interstate regional methods for coordinating incident management and obtaining support during large-scale or complex incidents. HSPD-5 orders that federal departments and agencies make adoption of the NIMS a stipulation for obtaining federal preparedness assistance funds (Bush, 2003). Part of the NIMS compliance directives is interoperability of equipment and communications and establishment of plain language communications standards (Federal Emergency Management Agency [FEMA], 2008). Part of the literature review consisted of looking at national consensus for dispatching fire departments. The Office of Management and Budget (OMB) Circular A- 119, Revised defines standards as common and repeated use of rules, conditions,
Fire Department Dispatching Requirements 14 guidelines, or characteristics for products or related processes and production methods and for related management systems practices (OMB, 1998, Standard Section, 1). Voluntary consensus standards are standards developed or adopted by standards bodies. The term is widely used among standards development organizations, industry, and government agencies. The term voluntary means the standard is voluntarily developed and the decision to use it is also voluntary. However, once a voluntary consensus standard is placed in a contract, cited as a requirement, or required by law or regulation, compliance becomes mandatory (DHS, 2008, 2). FEMA s Incident Management Systems Integration (IMSI) Division identifies guidelines, protocols, and standards that assist emergency managers and responders from all levels of the public and private sectors organize effective responses to emergency incidents and planned events. In support of that mandate, IMSI creates the annual Recommended Standards List (RSL) that describes voluntary consensus standards that support the implementation of the NIMS. National Fire Protection Association (NFPA) 1221: Standard for Installation, Maintenance, and Use of Emergency Services Communications Systems (2007) is listed in the RSL and IMSI encourages emergency management and response organizations to adopt this standard as part of NIMS implementation (FEMA, 2008). The insurance industry in the United States evaluates the fire defenses of cities, towns, and villages. This evaluation process is an important factor in establishing fire insurance rates for properties. ISO created the Fire Service Rating Schedule (FSRS) to provide a means for the insurance industry to evaluate the major components of a city s fire suppression system. The three components that are evaluated in the FSRS are
Fire Department Dispatching Requirements 15 receiving and handling alarms, the fire department, and water supply. These components are rated according to criteria which uses nationally recognized consensus standards developed by the NFPA. NFPA 1221 (2007) is the reference for the receiving and handling alarm component of the FSRS. The ratings of these components are then developed into a Public Protection Classification (PPC) number on a relative scale of 1 to 10 with 10 representing less than the minimum accepted protections. Citizens can usually expect to pay lower property insurance premiums with a better PPC (ISO Properties, Inc., 2004). Areas evaluated in the Receiving and Handling Alarms section of the FSRS include communications/dispatch center background information, telephone lines, policies and procedures, telecommunicators, call detail reporting, dispatch method, transmission of dispatch, emergency power, and monitoring for integrity (ISO Properties, Inc., 2005) NFPA 1221 (2007) originated in 1898 as part of a general standard on signaling systems with the material on municipal fire alarms being separated from the standard in 1911. Over the years there have been several revisions with a major rewrite of the standard in 1999. At that time NFPA 1221 s title was changed to Standard for Installation, Maintenance, and Use of Emergency Services Communications System. The change in title was to be a sign that the standard applies to all emergency responders and not just the fire service. The goal of the committee who rewrote the 1999 edition of NFPA 1221 was to address an emergence of joint communication centers, the increase in technology-based information systems that assist both users in the communications centers and users in the field of operations, and the role communications play in
Fire Department Dispatching Requirements 16 emergency scene operations (NFPA, 2007, Origin and Development of NFPA 1221 Section, 2). The NFPA 1221 (2007) consensus standard addresses all aspects of emergency communications centers covering facilities, equipment, operations, testing, records, data network security, and public alerting systems. Several topics of significance were found in NFPA 1221 (2007) pertaining to fire department dispatching requirements in consolidated county emergency communications centers. NFPA 1061: Standard for Professional Qualifications for the Public Safety Telecommunicator (2007) is referred to as the standard for telecommunicator qualifications. Some of the mandated items in NFPA 1221 (2007) included monitoring of emergency communications center systems for integrity, having an alternate means of communications with emergency response facilities, requirements for accommodating peak work loads, and common terminology. Other mandated items in NFPA 1221 (2007) included a plan for on-demand interoperability, a distinctive alert tone preceding emergency messages, a unique alert tone for emergency evacuation orders, and an on-scene tactical channel separate from the radio dispatch channel. The literature review also focused on whether the State of Wyoming has any criteria for dispatching fire departments. A review of the Wyoming State Statutes found no requirements for the operation of emergency communications centers. The literature review found that the Peace Officers Standards and Training Commission (POST) are tasked with establishing course requirements and continuing education requirements for public safety dispatcher training (POST Commission, 2007). Chapter 2, Section 2 of the
Fire Department Dispatching Requirements 17 POST Rules and Regulations lists the minimum employment requirements for dispatchers (POST, n.d.). The State of Wyoming PSCC has been tasked with developing recommendations for policy and guidelines, identifying technology and standards, and coordinating intergovernmental resources to facilitate statewide wireless communications interoperability with an emphasis on public safety (Wyoming PSCC, n.d.). The effort to attain that directive is known as WyoLink. WyoLink is a statewide digital trunked VHF P-25 compliant public safety communications system designed to coordinate and integrate communications between state, local, and federal public safety agencies. This system will be owned and operated by the State of Wyoming with connectivity to the various emergency communications centers being assisted by grants. Dispatch centers, mobile radios, and portable radios will need to be upgraded to P-25 compliant equipment in order to work on the WyoLink system ( WyoLink, 2007). There is limited literature information on what criteria are used by other Wyoming agencies utilizing consolidated emergency communications centers for dispatching fire departments. Some communities qualifications for dispatchers includ background checks, pre-employment drug screens, Wyoming POST certification training, and EMD and cardio pulmonary resuscitation (CPR) certification (CasperWy.gov, [n.d.]; City of Sheridan, Wyoming, 2008; Converse County Sheriff s Office, 2007). The information found in the literature review helped to show that frequency licensing is the primary focus of the FCC as related to emergency communications centers and dispatching fire department (Private Land Mobile Radio Services, 47 CFR 90.20 2007). Narrowbanding of frequencies by the FCC will create a need for updating
Fire Department Dispatching Requirements 18 emergency communication centers consoles and agency radios in order to be compatible (Werner, 2006). No federal laws were found relating to required training for dispatchers. The literature review found that a comprehensive NIMS was mandated by HSPD-5. As a result of this a directive for interoperability of equipment, communications, and establishment of plain language communications standards was established (FEMA, 2008). The literature review included a search for national consensus standards for dispatching fire departments. ISO requirements listed NFPA 1221 (2007) as the standard used for the receiving and handling alarm component of their FSRS. NFPA 1221 (2007) was found to be a comprehensive document pertaining to the installation, maintenance, and use of emergency communication centers. NFPA 1221 (2007) referred to several other consensus standards. NFPA 1061 (2007) is a standard for professional qualifications for dispatchers. The Wyoming POST Commission was found to have been tasked with establishing educational requirements for the emergency dispatchers of Wyoming (POST Commission, 2007). Wyoming s ongoing effort in the development of WyoLink was also found in the literature review. This statewide interoperability initiative is being coordinated by the Wyoming PSCC. Limited information was found in the literature review on what criteria are used by other Wyoming agencies utilizing consolidated emergency communications centers for dispatching fire departments. Qualifications for dispatchers that was found included background checks, pre-employment drug screens, Wyoming POST certification training, and EMD and CPR certification.
Fire Department Dispatching Requirements 19 Procedures A descriptive research method was used in an attempt to answer the four research questions. The National Emergency Training Center Learning Resource Center was searched for materials as part of the literature review. Pertinent reports, policies, and documents were ferreted out using the Yahoo and Google Internet search engines. The literature review was instrumental in providing a foundation for defining information that was gathered in the actual research. Limited information was found during the literature review for research question four concerning criteria being used by other Wyoming agencies utilizing consolidated emergency communications centers for dispatching fire departments. A questionnaire was developed to collect information that would assist in validating information found during the literature review. The questionnaire attempted to obtain answers concerning what federal regulations, national consensus standards, and state criteria are other Wyoming consolidated emergency communication centers acknowledging that affect dispatching fire departments. A sample of this questionnaire may be found in Appendix A. The Wyoming PSCC was contacted for a list of all emergency communications centers in the state of Wyoming. The Wyoming PSCC was also asked for a contact persons for those centers who was knowledgeable of the regulatory, procedural, and operational aspects of their emergency communications center. It was found that there are 40 emergency communication centers in the state of Wyoming. Sixteen of these emergency communication centers are consolidated to serve multiple agencies and/or perform county wide dispatching services.
Fire Department Dispatching Requirements 20 The contact person for each of those 16 emergency communications center was contacted by telephone. The questionnaire (Appendix A) was read to the representative of each emergency communications center and the results recorded. After the questionnaire was completed, semi-structured interviews were then conducted with these personnel using the questionnaire as a guide. Assumptions and Limitations One of the assumptions to this project is that the representatives of the emergency communications centers that were contacted had a good understanding of the regulatory, procedural, and operational aspects of their emergency communications center. One of the limitations to this project is only contacting a portion of the emergency communication centers in the state of Wyoming and not contacting any communications centers outside of the state. Another of the limitations to this research is that Wyoming is a very sparsely populated state and the demographics, needs, and operations of individual emergency communications center are tailored to meet those demands. Definition of Terms Questionnaire A list of questions that a number of people are asked so that information can be collected about something (Cambridge Dictionaries Online, (n.d.). Semi-structured interviews Interviews that are conducted with a fairly open framework which allow for focused, conversational, two-way communication. They can be used both to give and receive information (FAO Corporate Document Repository, (n.d.). Results When the consolidated county emergency communications centers in the state of Wyoming were contacted there was found to be several similarities on how fire
Fire Department Dispatching Requirements 21 departments were dispatched. A list of the persons providing information from the contacted states can be found in Appendix B. A summary of responses to the questionnaire may be found in Appendix C. The research found that the majority of the dispatching requirements for fire departments are intertwined with the requirements placed on emergency communications centers for dispatching other entities. In addition to answering the four research questions, the questionnaire and semi-structured interviews used in the research assisted in providing background on the emergency communications centers. Policies and procedures for dispatching fire departments may possibly be affected by the supervisory body of the emergency communications center. The research found that there is a split on who maintained oversight of the emergency communications centers. Of the emergency communications centers contacted eight were overseen by county sheriff departments. Muunicipal police departments had oversight of seven of the centers. Only one emergency communications center was regulated by an executive board. All of the emergency communications centers contacted dispatched law enforcement, fire, and EMS agencies. Two of the entities contacted originally were directed by a joint powers board but have since deferred to a single agency while maintaining a conduit for communication with the sheriff, police chiefs, and fire chiefs. Commander D. Stalder of the Laramie/Albany Regional Communications Center suggested that what ever entity takes oversight of the communications center must learn the operations and requirements of all entities involved. Commander Stalder went on to suggest that it was important for a director of emergency communications center to only answer to one person and yet have
Fire Department Dispatching Requirements 22 a method for the other entities involved to be able to provide input of their needs and concerns (D. Stalder, personal communication, December 4, 2008). Lieutenant G. Crumpton of the Laramie County Combined Communications Center added that you need team players to make a combined communications center work and when you have those team players, it works well (G. Crumpton, personal communication, November 26, 2008). Table 1 Oversight of Emergency Communications Centers County Sheriff Municipal Police Joint Powers Board Other 8 7 0 1 The research showed mixed numbers as to how many fire departments any one emergency communications center provided dispatching services for. Service requests that fire departments were being dispatched to by the emergency communications centers also varied. Table 2 shows the number of emergency communications centers that dispatch a given number of fire departments and the type of service requests that go through those emergency communications centers.
Fire Department Dispatching Requirements 23 Table 2 Emergency Communications Centers Dispatching Fire Departments and Types of Service Number of Departments 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 or More Fire / Fire Alarms 5 2 3 6 EMS First Response 3 0 1 4 EMS Transport 0 1 2 5 Hazardous Materials 5 2 3 6 Rescue 5 2 3 6 Other 0 0 0 3 Research question one asked what the federal regulations for dispatching fire departments are. The literature review discovered that the FCC is responsible for frequency licensing and that the NIMS compliance directives mandate interoperability of communications. The semi structured interviews that were conducted as part of the research revealed that all of the emergency communications centers contacted license their frequencies through the FCC. The research found that all of the emergency communications centers contacted were aware of the NIMS mandate for interoperability and clear text. The research found that only three centers had connected to the WyoLink system which provides interoperability capability. Only five of the 16 emergency communications centers that were contacted were following the clear text directive. What are the national consensus standards for dispatching fire departments was Research question two. NFPA 1221 (2007) was found by the literature review to be the principal standard for emergency services communications systems. The research that
Fire Department Dispatching Requirements 24 was conducted found that only one of the emergency communications centers that were contacted was aware of NFPA 1221 (2007) and its value as a consensus standard that could be used to assist in setting up an emergency communications center and guiding its operations. Six of the 16 emergency communications centers contacted were aware of being reviewed by ISO and the requirements that ISO had for emergency communications centers. Seven of the persons contacted requested copies of NFPA 1221 (2007), NFPA 1061 (2007), and the ISO Presurvey Information Request for Communication/Dispatch (2005) for their review. Research question three focused on Wyoming criteria for dispatching fire departments. The only requirement that the literature review found was that POST is tasked by state statute with establishing training and recertification requirements for dispatchers. The research showed that all of the emergency communications centers contacted require all of their dispatchers to take the Wyoming Public Safety Communications Officer class. In addition the research found that all emergency communications centers are required to train and certify their personnel to use the National Crime Information Center database through the Wyoming Department of Criminal Investigation. No other state criterion for dispatching fire departments was found by the research. The research was helpful on answering Research question four on what criteria are used by other Wyoming agencies utilizing consolidated emergency communications centers for dispatching fire departments. All of the persons contacted during the research stated that the dispatching of fire departments was only part of an overall operation and
Fire Department Dispatching Requirements 25 that any of the requirements for their emergency communications center were focused on the total operation. In addition to the state requirements, the research found that the majority of the emergency communications centers that were contacted also require EMD and CPR certifications for their dispatchers. None of the emergency communications centers contacted required a fire dispatching certification above the training that is received through the POST dispatcher certification. One center had a dispatcher dedicated to fire. These dispatchers were fire dispatching personnel that had carried over from the consolidation of the emergency communications center and the center was in the process of training those personnel on other roles. Table 3 Dispatcher Required Certifications POST Fire EMD CPR Other 16 0 15 14 0 Discussion Law enforcement, fire service, and emergency medical service (EMS) agencies all have specific duties and roles in responding to emergencies and providing public protection. Often, these entities team up to assist each other to accomplish their tasks. Emergency communications centers are an important part of linking all of these emergency services together. The role of managing emergency communications centers in the state of Wyoming belongs to law enforcement entities. No fire based emergency communications
Fire Department Dispatching Requirements 26 centers were found in this research. The consolidated emergency communications centers that were contacted provide services for county and municipal law enforcement, fire, and EMS agencies. All of those entities have specific needs and requirements. However, all entities being served by the consolidated emergency communications center should remember that they are only a piece of an overall operation. Individual fire entities are varied in the services that they provide. Basic requirements of emergency communications centers include receipt of calls, dispatching calls for service to the fire entity, and being available to receive and process additional requests from the fire personnel on an emergency scene. The initial establishment of a consolidated emergency communications center could take a great amount of initial planning. This planning could include needs assessments, capabilities assessments, and establishing a road map for the level of services to be provided. 47 CFR 90.20, Private Land Mobile Radio Services (2007) outlines the federal requirements for the proper licensing of frequencies. Other federal requirements found in the research that would affect the consolidation of an emergency communications center include the 2010 FCC mandate for narrowbanding (Werner, 2006) and the NIMS directive for interoperability of communications and clear text (FEMA, 2008). The research found that all of the emergency communications centers contacted provided dispatching services for more than one fire department. In the author s opinion, the emergency communications centers could set the goal for interoperability by preparing to join the WyoLink system. Objectives for this goal would be for the individual agencies to update their equipment to P-25 compatible equipment which would provide capability for the interoperability directive. Interoperability of
Fire Department Dispatching Requirements 27 communications and clear text could greatly enhance fire fighter safety during mutual aid operations. National consensus standards are developed by various boards and viewed as a best practices formula for a certain activity or process. Consensus standards can be voluntarily adopted and do not carry the force of law. However, consensus standards may be used to evaluate actions, items, or events and may be referred to as the norm. The literature review found two national consensus standards, NFPA 1221 (2007) and NFPA 1061 (2007), that provide comprehensive direction pertaining to the installation, maintenance, and use of emergency communication centers. The ISO FSRS provides a means for the insurance industry to evaluate the major components of a city s fire suppression system. The three components evaluated in the FSRS are receiving and handling alarms, the fire department, and water supply. NFPA 1221 (2007) was found to be the reference for the receiving and handling alarm component of the FSRS. Areas evaluated in the Receiving and Handling Alarms section of the FSRS include communications/dispatch center background information, telephone lines, policies and procedures, telecommunicators, call detail reporting, dispatch method, transmission of dispatch, emergency power, and monitoring for integrity (ISO Properties, Inc., 2005). The research found that none of the emergency communications centers contacted knew of any national consensus standards that affected their policies or operations. Only one of the emergency communications centers contacted was aware of NFPA 1221 (2007) and NFPA 1061 (2007) while slightly more than half of those centers were aware
Fire Department Dispatching Requirements 28 of being reviewed by ISO and the requirements that ISO has for emergency communications centers. The author can only speculate that somewhere along the line in setting up these emergency communications centers that someone consulted standards or guidelines, yet the majority of the established centers contacted during this research were currently unaware of any existing national consensus standards. It is the author s opinion that consistency for basic criteria such as telephone lines, policies and procedures, telecommunicators, call detail reporting, dispatch method, transmission of dispatch, emergency power, and monitoring for integrity could be enhanced by adoption or, at least, awareness of such national consensus standards. The review of the emergency communications center in a fire department s ISO audit could also be greatly enhanced by using NFPA 1221 (2007) and NFPA 1061 (2007) as guidance. The State of Wyoming has statutory requirements for dispatchers to take the POST Public Safety Communications Officer course (POST Commission, 2007). The POST Public Safety Communications Officer course includes five hours of training on fire dispatching, although it could not be ascertained in the literature review or the research if this course was guided by any national consensus standards. With the diverse needs of the individual emergency communications centers in the state of Wyoming, the author believes that it would be wise for the entities to provide additional training to dispatch personnel that would be pertinent to dispatching their fire departments. This training could enhance the safety of on scene personnel and the services that the fire service entities provide to their customers. Training dispatchers on
Fire Department Dispatching Requirements 29 EMD, CPR, and NIMS would be examples of beneficial requirements for dispatching fire departments in a consolidated emergency communications center. Recommendations In making contact with the 16 consolidated emergency communications centers in the state of Wyoming, the author believes that Sweetwater County is very fortunate to have the leadership and ability to facilitate moving forward with a consolidated county emergency communications center. Moving forward with putting this center together will take time and effort, but will not be a daunting task. This consolidation effort will be cost effective and increase the efficiency of county emergency communications. The information received from the research also reinforced a fact that emergency communications centers serve more than just the fire service. The services provided by the emergency communications centers are an integral part of the emergency services as a whole provided to the citizens of Sweetwater County. While each emergency response entity has their individual needs and requirements, these must be balanced to reflect that all of the emergency response entities are part of a team. The executive board for the Sweetwater County Emergency Communications Center has hired a consultant to bring forward ideas and recommendations for consolidation of county emergency communications. The consultant should analyze the individual needs of the various entities to be served by the consolidated county emergency communications center. To enhance consistency, the consultant should review NFPA 1221 (2007) and NFPA 1061 (2007) in establishing the needs for facilities, equipment, operations, testing, records, data network security, and public alerting systems.
Fire Department Dispatching Requirements 30 The consultant should also be cognizant of the ISO requirements for their FSRS. This FSRS has the potential to have a great impact on the fire insurance rates for the citizens and businesses of Sweetwater County. The Receiving and Handling Alarms section of ISO s FSRS include communications/dispatch center background information, telephone lines, policies and procedures, telecommunicators, call detail reporting, dispatch method, transmission of dispatch, emergency power, and monitoring for integrity. Dispatch consoles and equipment for the new consolidated county emergency communications center should be able to accommodate the FCC mandate for narrowbanding of frequencies. Frequency licensing should be facilitated for all entities to meet the FCC narrowbanding mandate. All agencies should also review their frequency needs and add any additional operational or tactical frequencies at that time. The consoles and equipment for the center should be capable of connecting to the WyoLink system. Grants might be available through the Wyoming PSCC for updating communications consoles in order to connect to the WyoLink system. This statewide digital trunked VHF P-25 compliant public safety communications system would provide the interoperability requirements as required by NIMS and the digital P-25 compliant equipment required for the system would meet the FCC narrowbanding mandate. The use of clear text as required by NIMS is a cultural item and requires all entities served by the consolidated emergency communication center to adapt to the clear text paradigm shift. This shift will be enabled by the emergency communications center taking the lead in using clear text.
Fire Department Dispatching Requirements 31 Training and certification of dispatchers in the consolidated county emergency communications center should be done in accordance with state requirements. Additional training should be required to meet the needs of the various entities served by the center. From the fire service perspective, EMD, CPR, NIMS, and fire service operations training should be required. The author suggests that oversight of the consolidated emergency communications center be under the direction of one entity. This entity would have an advisory board made up of the Sweetwater County Sheriff, the Rock Springs Chief of Police, the Green River Chief of Police, one of the county fire chiefs, and the Sweetwater County Attorney. Concerns from the entities served by the county emergency communications center could be presented by the advisory board to the administrator of the center. These recommendations are based on the original purpose of this research. The purpose of this research was to identify the requirements for fire dispatching in a county wide consolidated emergency communications center and to provide guidance to the entities of Sweetwater County, Wyoming involved in the consolidation and regionalization of the county emergency communications centers. These recommendations might then be used to address the requirements for fire dispatching in a county wide consolidated emergency communications center and aid in bringing the dispatching services provided to the emergency responders of Sweetwater County. It is also hoped that addressing the requirements for fire dispatching in a county wide consolidated emergency communications center will assist in keeping firefighters and
Fire Department Dispatching Requirements 32 other emergency responders served by the center safe and enhance the services that they provide to the citizens that they serve.
Fire Department Dispatching Requirements 33 References Bush, G.W. (2003). Homeland security presidential directive/hspd-5. Retrieved October 12, 2008, from http://www.whitehouse.gov/news/releases/2003/02/20030228-9.html Cambridge Dictionaries Online (n.d.). Retrieved October 26, 2008 from http://dictionary.cambridge.org/define.asp?key=64871&dict=cald CasperWy.gov. (n.d.). The Casper Public Safety Communications Center. Retrieved October 25, 2008 from http://www.casperwy.gov/content/departments/police/police.asp City of Sheridan, Wyoming. (2008). Communications officer. Retrieved October 25, 2008 from http://www.city-sheridan-wy.com/jobdetail.php?id=74&department=pd Communication. (2008, October 3). In Wikipedia, The Free Encyclopedia. Retrieved 15:08, October 4, 2008, from http://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=communication&oldid=242826966 Converse County Sheriff s Office. (2007). Communications. Retrieved October 25, 2008 from http://www.conversesheriff.info/communications.html Department of Homeland Security. (2008). NIMS guide 0006. Retrieved October 17, 2008 from http://www.fema.gov/library/viewrecord.do?id=3375 FAO Corporate Document Repository (n.d.). Retrieved October 26, 2008 from http://www.fao.org/docrep/x5307e/x5307e08.htm Federal Communications Commission. (n.d.). Retrieved October 12, 2008 from http://www.fcc.gov/pshs/emergency-information/guidelines/psaps.html