Friday, August 10, 2012
ROGERS — “Cindy” takes over dispatch duties for the Rogers Fire Department when things get busy at the 911 call center.
Cindy is the name firefighters gave the generic voice on the computer-run dispatch system put into service last week, according to Fire Chief Tom Jenkins.
“This is a project that’s been in the design stages for about 18 months,” Jenkins said. “It sounds like a computer-generated voice, but it’s really a recording of a human voice pronouncing a lot of different words.”
At A Glance
Dispatching System
Locution Systems of Golden, Colo., provided the new Rogers Fire Department dispatch system. The company was founded in 1993. Locution Systems manufactures, among other technological systems, CADVoice Radio, an automated dispatching system that sends messages to emergency personnel via radios.
Source: Staff Report
The new device helps dispatchers keep up with calls when things get busy, Jenkins said.
“The system allows the dispatcher to be on the phone with the caller and continue giving, maybe, CPR instructions,” Jenkins said. “Used to, dispatchers had to multitask and go back-and-forth between talking on the phone and radio. With the push of a button, this allows them to dispatch without leaving the phone. The computer never mumbles, never forgets information, the working channel or mispronounces a street name.”
Jenkins said Los Angeles, Dallas and Columbus, Ohio, emergency dispatch have the same type of system
“We have only a fraction of the calls that they handle, but we still get busy,” Jenkins said.
Jason Evans, public information officer for Dallas Fire-Rescue, said dispatchers have had the system in operation for six or seven years.
“We used to dispatch every call manually, but we’ve gone primarily to that system,” Evans said. “Every run is sent out by computer. We haven’t had an issue with it.”
Kendall Varner, a firefighter and paramedic with Rogers Fire Department, said firefighters had to adjust somewhat to the new system.
“You’re used to hearing a live voice,” Varner said. “Dispatchers get a little excited sometimes and put a little bit of emotion into their dispatches. This is always a monotone. That helps us keep calm when we’re responding to a call.”
The system eliminates any type of guesswork in where a unit is going.
“With dispatchers, you have a lot of different dialects — a Southern drawl or someone who’s just moved here from the North,” Varner said. “With this system, we’re able to better understand the dispatcher.”
The computer is also set up to recognize an address as a business name, Jenkins said. For example, 313 S. Second St. would also be announced as the Rogers Morning News.
“Sometimes, it’s difficult for responders to get the address off a business,” Jenkins said. “This allows them a degree of comfort if they get the name of a familiar business.”
Jenkins said the system cost $150,000 and was paid for by money designated to upgrade the dispatch center.