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The Springfield/Greene
County 9-1-1 Center is the hub of emergency communications throughout
both the city and county. Acting as the central base of incoming
9-1-1 emergency calls from the public, as well as outgoing communications
to personnel in the field, the facility is the true "nerve
center," incorporating a cooperative interaction of cutting
edge technology and a highly trained work force. This combination
of skilled employees and ever-changing technological capability
ensures that the citizens of the city and county can expect an efficient
and professional response to any emergency-related contingency.
Basic 9-1-1 services
have been available in the Springfield community since 1979. In
1985, the Springfield Fire and Police Departments consolidated their
dispatch and telephone operations and in 1989 Emergency communications
was established as a municipal department by action of the City
Council. In 1994 the department became the 9-1-1 answering point
for the Greene County enhanced 9-1-1 emergency telephone system,
incorporating among its improved technological capabilities the
ability to identify an incoming caller's phone number and address.
Other technological advances have since enabled the department to
assist the public and emergency personnel in ways that were simply
not imaginable at the outset of the basic services established in
1979. The department continues to grow and change, and it remains
versatile to future changes or expansions necessary to continue
to meet the ever-changing needs dictated by unpredictable emergency
situations.
 
The Springfield/Greene County Emergency
Communications Department serves as the access point for 9-1-1 caller
needing public safety services. Upon receiving the call, department
personnel must act quickly and without hesitation in order to insure
the quickest and most accurate response possible. As such, the employees
are very highly trained, constantly honing key communications skills
and staying up to date on the latest technologies in the field.
The department's employees are dedicated to assisting citizens in
times of crisis in the most efficient, professional and dedicated
manner possible.
Telecommunicators must know the policies
and procedures of the local, state, private, and federal public
safety services to accurately classify citizen request (e.g., FBI,
Greene County Sheriff, Missouri Highway Patrol, Springfield Animal
Control, Burlington Northern Security, the local EMS agencies and
educational institutions.) They complete a nationally recognized
telecommunicator training course and a structured training program
that totals 720 hours in their first year. Personal development
is considered an ongoing process and is incorporated into the in-service
training program. The employees rank among the most highly-trained
public safety communications employees in the nation.
Links of Interest
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