December 1, 2009 

9-1-1 NEWS YOU CAN USE

North Central Texas Council of Governments 

NCTCOG Agency of the Year Weatherford Police Department

Page 2 9-1-1 News Flash

NCTCOG TDD/TTY of the Year Wise County Sherriff's Office

NCTCOG Telecommunicator of the Year Cindy Skidmore, Bridgeport PD

Criteria for Agency of the Year, TC of the Year, and TDD/TTY of the Year

Inspections-All documentation kept up to date, equipment clean, any ongoing problems escalated to the field specialists Interaction with COG employees-Helpful with gathering requested documentation in timely manner TDD/TTY Testing- Agency is compliant with TDD/TTY testing procedures (a minimum of one test per month per dispatcher). Interlocal-Voluntarily comply with Interlocal Agreements and ask any questions for clarification Support of Training Program- Is supportive of the 9-1-1 T.E.A.M. training opportunities and strives to keep dispatchers current on training. TDD Modules- Completes and submits TDD modules by the deadline date. Supervisor Meetings-Attend Supervisor meetings and contribute to subject matters. Also pass on/post information to call takers when they get back to offices. TAG Team Members and Numbers reached- Agency is active in T.A.G. Team and strives to educate citizens on the use of 9-1-1

Nominees Included: Laquita Nichols-Allen Police Department Todd Eades-Collin County Sheriff’s Office Aubrey Saylor-Collin County Sheriff’s Office Heather Stephens-Wise County Sheriff’s Office

TTY/TDD Log Information

Wise County SO dispatchers are each required to do 1 test call per day and monthly the communications center averaged 300 test calls. By the end of the fiscal year their total number of TDD/TTY test calls were:

3717

December 2008

2009 NCTCOG SUPERVISOR LUNCHEON & AWARDS

Page 3

Introducing the NCTCOG PSAP Supervisor’s Committee The PSC group provides an opportunity to share information, and learn from other PSAP Supervisor and Managers from across the NCTCOG 9-1-1 Region. The networking group discusses items of mutual interest from a wide variety of topics including legislation participation, 9-1-1 education and training, communi-cations, equipment, mapping, and state and national certification and standards. Their purpose is to INFORM, UPDATE, EDUCATE: To enhance the profes-sionalism of the NCTCOG 9-1-1 Programs 43 PSAP’s in 14 counties through participation in quarterly meetings to assure compliance and growth in coopera-tion with the Commission on State Emergency Communications. Members pictured left: President – Regina Ramon, Collin County SO Vice President – Christine Dykes, Seagoville PD Secretary – Angela Sessums, Wise County SO Legislation Chair – Wayne Gilmore, Hunt County SO Public Education and Training Chair – Leanne Dean, Weatherford PD Equipment and Technology Chair – Sgt. Sha King, Stephenville PD

Page 4 BULLETIN BOARD

New Hires In Our Region

McKinney PD Cindy Dotson

Joy Wright Michael Messner

Hunt County SO Jennifer Calhoun

Sachse PD

Tricha Burleson

Collin County SO Tina Chaffin

Sonja Ostlund

Anniversaries In Our Region

Sachse PD Lorraine Massie-December 16, 14 yrs

Ellis Co SO

Tommy Murphy -15 yrs

Somervell Co SO David Collins-December 11, 3 yrs

Kay Talley-January , 17 yrs

Wise Co SO Lana Cobb- February 9, 6 yrs

Jeff Doughty -January 12, 5 yrs Brenda Reynolds -January 12, 5 yrs

Jenna Estel-January 19, 1 yr Derek Pellizzari– February 27, 1yr

Birthday Calendar

Sachse PD Lorraine Massie-December 16

Collin County SO

Stacy Moody Dec 4 Stacey Rainwater Dec 28

Sheila Davis Jan 22 Barbara Morman Jan 27

Ellis Co SO

Heidi Smith-January 13 Gloria Myers-January 17 Nancy Harris-February 4 Jana Lutz-February 15

Somervell Co SO

David Collins-December 1 Emmie Ferrara-February 15 Kelly Watson-February 21

Wise Co SO

Lana Cobb-December 10 Wendy Shearin -January 15

Vanessa Finley-December 29

HAPPY BIRTHDAY EVERYONE!!!

Sachse PD Congratulations to Lorraine Massie and Debi Ortiz, both have received Life Saving Awards for initiating CPR over the phone.

Congratulations to Emmie Wythe

with Somervell Co SO and John Ferrara on their November 7th

marriage!!!

Congratulations to one of our In-structors Deidre Garrett-Harris

with Dallas PD for being awarded the Dallas Police De-partment, Support Bureau, Non-Sworn

Employee of the Year!!!

Wendy Shearin &

Lana Cobb from

Wise County SO

recently attended

TERT training,

making a total of 6

people from their Agency trained.

Way to Go WCSO!!!

 McKinney PD     

Congratulations to recently promoted  

supervisors: Monique Lenczycki and Kristie McCauley 

Collin County SO Dispatcher Terrye Bradford retired Nov 1, 2009 with ap-proximately 30 years experi-ence as a dispatcher. Terrye

was with the S.O. for 17 ½ years and had worked at Allen PD and McKinney PD prior!

Cleburne PD Would like to announce the retire-ment of Pamela Vaughn, she has been with the department since

1988! Have a Happy RETIREMENT!!!

Allen PD

Dispatcher, Stephanie Abbott will be returning to work from

maternity leave. She is the proud mother a new baby boy.

Congratulations!!!

December 2008 Issue

TAG TEAM ALWAYS HAS THE REAL FUN!!!

Page 5

TAG Team members: Educate the public about 9-1-1 Show videos Make presentations Distribute free 9-1-1 promotional items Write newspaper articles Act out 9-1-1 calls Lead Red E. Fox or Cell Phone Sally through a crowd TAG Team Benefits: Resources - The 9-1-1 Communications office at NCTCOG provides resources (most at no cost) to TAG Team volunteers to

use in 9-1-1 public education. This allows the distribution of 9-1-1 materials, the Red E. Fox costume, training on the 9-1-1 Call Simulator, and on the 9-1-1 Safety Wheel.

Training - Training workshops for new volunteers are conducted quarterly at NCTCOG. The workshops allow new members to network, share ideas and brainstorm for new ones. At past workshops, participants have designed a logo, composed a song, developed an incentive program for the volunteers, and designed new educational materials. The "Extras" - With one -- or twenty years -- of experience in 9-1-1 public education you can benefit from the resources and networking. You will learn responses to many questions about 9-1-1 services, and receive many helpful hints. Ultimately, you meet others dedi-cated to 9-1-1 public education.

2010 TAG Team Meeting Dates

Tuesday, February 2, 2010 Tuesday, May 4, 2010

Tuesday, August 3, 2010 Tuesday, November 2, 2010

All meetings are from 10:00am-3:00pm (Lunch served) If you are interested in being a part of the 9-1-1 TAG Team, please email ceskew@nctcog.org.

SAFVIC for Telecommunication Professionals Instructor Course

April 19th – 21st, 2010

TRIPLE Training Facility - Austin, Texas 24 hours TCLEOSE credit

Free to students accepted into the program Application Deadline: March 22, 2010

Location: TMPA Training Facility, 6200 La Calma,

Suite 200, Austin, TX 78752

www.safvic.org For more info and application, or visit: http://www.safvic.org/telecompro/default.asp

On December 1, 2009, the Northern Ellis Emergency Dispatch started taking calls for Police, Fire, and EMS emergencies for the cities of Midlothian, Ovilla, and Red Oak.  This was a collaborative effort of the police and fire chiefs of all the cities involved to enhance the level of service to the citizens with little or no additional costs to the partner cities.  On October 1, 2009, the current Red Oak Telecommunicator officers became employees of the City of Midlothian where the new NEED Center is located.  The new facility is a state of the art communication center with 4 fully functional PSAP/Radio positions.  With this new endeavor, the center is staffed with 3 Telecommunicator officers 24/7 unless one takes off, in which case there is a pool of part‐time operators to fill the gaps.  It is anticipated that all 3 agencies will be on the same CAD/RMS system by the first of the New Year with the ability to share and exchange information faster and more efficiently than in the past.   

Commander: Capt. John D. Spann 

OIC Amy Calder 

OIC Diane Barber 

OIC Christie Doporto 

OIC Christine Thompson 

OIC Renee Freeman 

Jessica Fenter 

Jessica Price 

Jennifer Garner 

Jennifer Slaughter 

Davina Carr 

Nathan Alvarez 

Maria Lugo 

Page 6

Remember Monthly Logs NCTCOG requires that all PSAPs maintain their TTY Logs, Make-busy Logs, and Trouble Logs and fax them in to our office no later than the 5th. Trouble Logs help your field specialist stay informed of recurring issues that may need to be addressed directly with Telephone com-panies. Make-busy Logs allow PSAPs to ensure that their calls will route to the correct agency in the event of an emergency such as evacuating the building. Be sure that all of your call takers know how to activate the make-busy switch. TTY Logs provide documentation of monthly testing performed by call takers and satisfies the ADA requirements. Shawn Moloney, East-Region Field Specialist can be reached at 817-608-2320 or smoloney@nctcog.org. Jason Smith, West-Region Field Specialist can be reached at 817-704-2525 or jassmith@nctcog.org.

WELCOME TO THE NCTCOG 9-1-1 TEAM TOMMY, LAURA & PAUL

I’ve been in the telecommunications IT area for 5 years, working for Verizon E911 and then moving on to Anritsu, traveling both in the states and internationally, monitoring Telco’s networks. I was born in New Orleans, LA, but raised in Arling-ton, TX. I enjoy camping, grilling/BBQ, going to the lake, snowboarding, con-certs, and travelling.

I retired from AT&T with 40 years’ service. I joined the NCTCOG Team on September 8, 2009. My background is in 911, data and phone services. I’m married with two sons. My old-est son is a Pharmacist in Houston, and the young-est is teacher in Mesquite, Forney area. In my spare time I enjoy hunting, camping, and anything that has to do with the outdoors.

I came to NCTCOG from North Richland Hills Police Department where I worked for the past 5 years as a 9-1-1 Dispatcher. Prior to working at NRH, I worked as a 9-1-1 Dispatcher for 14 years in Cali-fornia. I became widowed in March 2009 and I am currently raising 2 children, Sydney 6 and Ethan 3. When I am not at work learning my new job, I like to spend time with my 2 kids and good friends.

Tommy Tran 9-1-1 Technical Operations Specialist II

Paul Yarbrough 9-1-1 Technical Operations Specialist II

Laura Litzerman 9-1-1 Communications Specialist I

NOTICE OF JOB ANNOUNCEMENT CLEBURNE POLICE DEPARTMENT

PAY GROUP: 15 OCCUPATIONAL CATEGORY: Technician JOB TITLE: Telecommunications Operator FLSA: Non-Exempt; Full Time Under general supervision has responsibility for answering multiple incoming phone lines, dispatching calls, including operating the 9-1-1 system, and use of radio during assigned shift and provide general information to the public. This is a responsible non-supervisory position. Duties include: reading and trans-mitting telephone and radio messages to and from police and fire department units; keeping logs of pertinent information received during the shift; handling the 9-1-1 system and assigning case numbers in CAD system; performs other related duties as required. Must be willing and able to work flexible shift, holidays, and weekends as needed.

To apply for employment with the City of Cleburne:

In person: 10 N. Robinson Street, Cleburne, TX; (Mon.-Fri.; 8a-5p)

Website: www.cleburne.net

Email resume/applications for open positions to: hr@cleburne.net

The Public Library: Access to the City’s website and job openings is available through the Cleburne Public Library.

Phone information: 817-645-0945 or 817-645-0915

December 2008 Issue Page 7

Sudoku Puzzle

Complete the puzzle and fax to: 817-640-7492 for a

chance to win a 9-1-1 Folding Chair.

Deadline December 21, 2009

How to Play Fill in the grid so that every row, every column and every 3x3 box contains the numbers 1 through 9. There is only one solu-tion to the puzzle.

 TX‐NENA members are the driving force in Texas and we don’t want you to miss anything.  Let us say thank you by giving back. The 2010 Membership Drive begins January 1, 2010.  Renew or become a new member between, January 1 and August 1, 2010 and receive two FREE training courses during that time period worth over $400.00.  Watch the website (after we bring in the New Year of course) for the registration link on the TX‐NENA website www.texasnena.org .  For non‐members, just sign up for a NENA Mem‐bership during the time period above at: www.nena.org and you get in free too.  If you are a telecommunicator, that is only $75.00 for two fantastic training opportunities.   

 At this time your TX‐NENA Regional Coordinators are hard at work to bring training to your region.  Not just one course, but TWO!  Here’s how to participate: 

New or re‐new membership at www.nena.org beginning January 1, 2010 

Watch the TX‐NENA website www.texasnena.org for course selection 

Choose two of the twelve courses offered by region, by class or both 

Register by clicking on the course selection link 

Bring your Membership Card with you for class check in. 

All courses receive TCLEOSE credit.  With your membership (new or renewed) and continued participation we will make TX‐NENA number one in the nation.    Don’t miss out‐‐see you in class, Sherry Decker 

9-1-1 News You Can Use North Central Texas COG

P.O. Box 5888 Arlington, TX 76005-5888

Mark Your Calendars! Upcoming Classes

2010 Hostage Negot for TC 12/16-12/17

CTO Class 1/18-1/22

TERT (Beaumont) 1/28

Basic TC Course 2/15-2/19

TCIC/NCIC Full Access 2/22-2/23

Crisis Communication 2/24-2/26

Spanish for TC 3/8-3/10

Cultural Diversity for TC 3/11

Ethics for Law Enforcement 3/12

Unless otherwise noted, training is

held in our offices at:

NCTCOG, 9-1-1 Training Room

616 Six Flags Drive, Centerpoint Two

Arlington, TX 76011

Register at:

www .nctcog.org/cs.911/training.asp

If you have questions, please contact

Laura Litzerman at 817-695-9205

T he North Central Texas Council of Governments 9-1-1 News You Can Use is designed to give you up-to-date 9-1-1 information when you need it! Spe-cial Thanks to the 9-1-1 TAG Team for coming up with a new name for our 9-1-1 Newsletter!

If you have any questions, comments or suggestions for future articles, please contact Christie Eskew, 9-1-1 Public Education Specialist II at (817) 695-9200; fax: (817) 640-7492; or Email: ceskew@nctcog.org.

F O R M O R E I NF OR M A T I O N A B O U T C S E C 9 - 1 - 1 P RO G R A M P O L I C Y ST A T E M E NT S G O T O C O M I SSI ON O N S T A T E E M E R G E NC Y C O M M U NI C A T I O NS: H T T P: / / W W W.911 . ST A T E. T X. U S

North Central Texas Council of Governments’ 9-1-1 Program Staff

Fred Keithley, Director of Community Services

and Public Safety Communications (817) 695-9171

Christy Williams, ENP, 9-1-1 Program Manager (817) 695-9204

Sherry Decker, ENP, Communications Supervisor (817) 695-9199

Clay Dilday, 9-1-1 Technical Operations Supervisor (817) 695-9202

Christie Eskew, 9-1-1 Public Education Specialist (817) 695-9200

Matt Francis, 9-1-1 Technical Operations Specialist (817) 695-9203

Laura Litzerman, 9-1-1 Communications Specialist (817) 695-9205

Rodger Mann, 9-1-1 Technical Operations Specialist (817) 695-9155

Marti Mason, Fiscal Analyst (817) 695-9113

Clay McIntire, 9-1-1 Technical Operations Specialist (817) 704-5647

Shawn Moloney, 9-1-1 Field Specialist (East Region) (817) 608-2320

Trevor Ncube, ENP, 9-1-1 Technical Operations Specialist (817) 704-2524

Jamie Perkins, Contract Specialist (817) 695-9201

LeAnna Russell, ENP, Telecommunications Specialist (817) 695-9206

Jason Smith, 9-1-1 Field Specialist (West Region) (817) 704-2525

Tommy Tran, 9-1-1 Technical Operations Specialist (817) 704-5648

Paul Yarbrough, 9-1-1 Technical Operations Specialist (817) 695-9218