HISTORY
In the late 1990's the ETSB was formed after voters approved a referendum placing a surcharge on each landline telephone within Jersey County. This surcharge is paid as a portion of each subscriber's monthly telephone bill. In the early 2000's staff was hired to coordinate the design and implementation of the enhanced 9-1-1 system including the readdressing and mapping of structures and the placement of road signs. Employees were also hired and trained in 9-1-1 call-taking and dispatch.
It took several years before the enhanced 9-1-1 system was operational. Re-addressing had to be completed and subscriber information from the telephone companies had to be uploaded into the 9-1-1 database. Testing was conducted to ensure accuracy met ICC standards and that equipment was working properly. In May 2008, once ICC standards were met, enhanced 9-1-1 was announced as being available to the citizens in Jersey County. As cell phones began increasing in popularity, the ETSB identified the need to be able to answer and process these calls. Therefore, in 2010, once the system was capable of receiving the data associated with cellular calls and the routing of the county's cellular towers was complete, the ICC authorized the Jersey County ETSB to operate a Wireless 9-1-1 Answering Point and begin receiving wireless 9-1-1 calls originating in Jersey County.
In 2015, as talks of migrating from the legacy 9-1-1 system to a Next Generation System were beginning, the Jersey County Emergency Telephone System upgraded its premise equipment and mapping to be NextGen ready. The following year, the Medical Priority Dispatch System was implemented and Telecommunicators were certified and licensed in Emergency Medical Dispatch (EMD) enabling them to provide potentially life-saving pre-arrival medical instructions to 9-1-1 callers. This same year the ETSB implemented policies and protocols pertaining to the processing of calls regarding missing, abducted and sexually exploited children. Once these policies and protocols were implemented and telecommunicators received training provided by the National Center for Missing and Exploited Children (NCMEC), application was made and subsequently approved for Jersey County 9-1-1 to be a member of NCMEC's Missing Kids Readiness Project thus officially recognizing the System's dedication and commitment to the safety and welfare of the children within our service area and beyond.
2016 continued to be a year of improved efficiency as many of the county's fire protection districts and ambulance services began using a supplemental notification system called IamResponding. IamResponding allows Telecommunicators to dispatch a call from the Computer Aided Dispatch System as call information is being obtained. This information is then received on the responder's smart phone or tablet via the IamResponding app alerting them of the nature of the call and providing turn-by-turn directions. This improvement allowed Telecommunicators to dispatch calls more rapidly thus improving overall response times.
Achieving rapid responder notification is a mission of the Jersey County 9-1-1 System. To aid in achieving our mission, the System and Survival Flight, the local air medical service based at Jersey Community Hospital, Partnered to Improve Public Safety by entering into Clearinghouse Agreement in January 2018. The agreement paved the way for Telecommunicators to contact the Survival Flight Communications Center when a request for a helicopter is made by on-scene emergency personnel. The Survival Flight Communication Specialist will then contact the closest available helicopter to the scene regardless of provider. This agreement eliminated the need for the 9-1-1 Telecommunicator to contact multiple air ambulance providers and added a layer of efficiency that benefits the person in need of emergency care.
In keeping with technology trends, the Emergency Telephone System made Text-to-911 available in Jersey County in June of 2018. This service made it possible for those who are speech or hearing impaired, physically or medically incapable of calling 9-1-1, or in a situation when calling 9-1-1 is not safe, to obtain emergency assistance. 2019 promises to be a year of continued enhancements with the implementation of Emergency Police and Emergency Fire Dispatch protocols. The use of these protocols will bring standardization and uniformity to the 9-1-1 call-taking process and allow for Telecommunicators to provide pre-arrival instructions to 9-1-1 callers regardless of the nature of the call.
Improved efficiency in the call center equals improved efficiency within the responder community. When these two elements become more efficient and effective, it is the public that reaps the benefit. Check back often for updates as your Jersey County 9-1-1 System continues to improve to aid in the preservation of life and property for the benefit of the county's residents, businesses and visitors.
It took several years before the enhanced 9-1-1 system was operational. Re-addressing had to be completed and subscriber information from the telephone companies had to be uploaded into the 9-1-1 database. Testing was conducted to ensure accuracy met ICC standards and that equipment was working properly. In May 2008, once ICC standards were met, enhanced 9-1-1 was announced as being available to the citizens in Jersey County. As cell phones began increasing in popularity, the ETSB identified the need to be able to answer and process these calls. Therefore, in 2010, once the system was capable of receiving the data associated with cellular calls and the routing of the county's cellular towers was complete, the ICC authorized the Jersey County ETSB to operate a Wireless 9-1-1 Answering Point and begin receiving wireless 9-1-1 calls originating in Jersey County.
In 2015, as talks of migrating from the legacy 9-1-1 system to a Next Generation System were beginning, the Jersey County Emergency Telephone System upgraded its premise equipment and mapping to be NextGen ready. The following year, the Medical Priority Dispatch System was implemented and Telecommunicators were certified and licensed in Emergency Medical Dispatch (EMD) enabling them to provide potentially life-saving pre-arrival medical instructions to 9-1-1 callers. This same year the ETSB implemented policies and protocols pertaining to the processing of calls regarding missing, abducted and sexually exploited children. Once these policies and protocols were implemented and telecommunicators received training provided by the National Center for Missing and Exploited Children (NCMEC), application was made and subsequently approved for Jersey County 9-1-1 to be a member of NCMEC's Missing Kids Readiness Project thus officially recognizing the System's dedication and commitment to the safety and welfare of the children within our service area and beyond.
2016 continued to be a year of improved efficiency as many of the county's fire protection districts and ambulance services began using a supplemental notification system called IamResponding. IamResponding allows Telecommunicators to dispatch a call from the Computer Aided Dispatch System as call information is being obtained. This information is then received on the responder's smart phone or tablet via the IamResponding app alerting them of the nature of the call and providing turn-by-turn directions. This improvement allowed Telecommunicators to dispatch calls more rapidly thus improving overall response times.
Achieving rapid responder notification is a mission of the Jersey County 9-1-1 System. To aid in achieving our mission, the System and Survival Flight, the local air medical service based at Jersey Community Hospital, Partnered to Improve Public Safety by entering into Clearinghouse Agreement in January 2018. The agreement paved the way for Telecommunicators to contact the Survival Flight Communications Center when a request for a helicopter is made by on-scene emergency personnel. The Survival Flight Communication Specialist will then contact the closest available helicopter to the scene regardless of provider. This agreement eliminated the need for the 9-1-1 Telecommunicator to contact multiple air ambulance providers and added a layer of efficiency that benefits the person in need of emergency care.
In keeping with technology trends, the Emergency Telephone System made Text-to-911 available in Jersey County in June of 2018. This service made it possible for those who are speech or hearing impaired, physically or medically incapable of calling 9-1-1, or in a situation when calling 9-1-1 is not safe, to obtain emergency assistance. 2019 promises to be a year of continued enhancements with the implementation of Emergency Police and Emergency Fire Dispatch protocols. The use of these protocols will bring standardization and uniformity to the 9-1-1 call-taking process and allow for Telecommunicators to provide pre-arrival instructions to 9-1-1 callers regardless of the nature of the call.
Improved efficiency in the call center equals improved efficiency within the responder community. When these two elements become more efficient and effective, it is the public that reaps the benefit. Check back often for updates as your Jersey County 9-1-1 System continues to improve to aid in the preservation of life and property for the benefit of the county's residents, businesses and visitors.