Alpharetta’s 911 Communications Center has become one of only six emergency contact centers in the world to earn a Tri-ACE Certification from the International Academies of Emergency Dispatch, city officials announced.
The honor recognizes Alpharetta’s “uniformly high level of quality” in medical, fire and police dispatch, officials said. Criteria for the distinction include customer/patient care, deployment of the correct resources to an incident scene, and dispatching them quickly with minimal errors.
Emergency response begins “with a call or text to our 911 center, and the folks who answer those calls are just incredible; amazingly talented professionals doing a stressful and challenging job,” said Alpharetta Council Member Jim Gilvin, who serves as the Public Safety liaison.
Alpharetta Director of Public Safety Gary George said that not only must 911 dispatchers determine resources to send to an emergency, “but they are the voice in the dark that talks a citizen through that emergency, keeps them calm enough to provide us with needed information, and even guides them through first aid or other measures they need to take until professionals arrive.”
IAED has more than 57,000 members in 45 countries and comprises three allied academies for medical, fire and police dispatching.
About the Author
