Each year across the country communities experience disasters of all kinds. Knowing the burden this can create for PSAPs managing the call volume generated during these situations and understanding the stressors placed on the dispatchers/call takers living in those communities, it is perplexing how few times we reach out to one another for assistance. It is these circumstances for which the TERT (Telecommunicator Emergency Response Team) program was developed.
It is critical to the success of the deployment that the PSAP keeps their State Coordinator and the EMA office up to date; notification of team check in, advising of any problems regarding TERT personnel and informing the EMA when the situation is stabilized and assistance is no longer needed. At the conclusion of the TERT deployment the PSAP ensures completion of all deployment review forms.
This resource was put in place to ensure continuity of operations in PSAPs during critical events. Don’t hesitate to provide relief to your employees, even for a short period of time, so that staff members who live in the community have time to deal with their own challenges. By doing so, we enable our call takers/dispatchers to report back to duty ready to provide their community the same high level support they normally deliver.
Monica Million, ENP
Operations Manager
Grand Junction Regional Communication Center