March Coffee Program Report
Speaker: David Hopkins, Director, Steuben County E911

While some folks awaiting the availability of a 911 program in our region voiced concerns early on that the county was dragging its feet in getting this service up and running. Indeed, Hopkins noted that Steuben County was one of the last in the state to get its program up and running, there was a decided advantage to that. He said our unit was able to take the best points of other systems and put together a very specific program proposal that enabled our county to smoothly and effectively put in place a program ideally suited to providing emergency service coordination throughout the county’s 1,400 square miles. Add to that the on-going coordination with neighboring counties on both sides of the NY-Penn border, and we have the benefit of state-of-the-art emergency service dispatch to an even wider area.

The county’s 911 computers and operators are on duty 24/7/365 and handle up to 10,000 calls per month. “Given our tourist-attractive area,” he said, “we get a boost in calls from tourists, campers, "lakers" and people just passing through on our expressways (I-86, I-390).” When people call 911, the first thing the 911 operator needs to know is where the caller is. Tourists often don’t have a good fix on that and, if they don’t have a GPS capability in their car or on their phone, the 911 operator talks them through a process of pinpointing their location.

The 911 service is designed to respond to any emergency situation by dispatching the proper service unit as promptly as possible. The 911 center’s battery of computer terminals enables immediate connection to all emergency services in the region and the staff is trained in the nationally certified protocol for identifying the situation, location and dispatching…all within seconds of receiving the call.

Hopkins’ presentation included images of the array of terminals and screens at the disposal of his 911 staff, including one mapping terminal that can pinpoint a caller within 30 meters …an Ideal capability in lost-person searches.

In screening incoming calls, dispatchers determine as quickly as possible, the address of the caller’s location, the nearest intersection, the phone number and a description of the emergency. In the event of a disconnected call, an attempt to call back is immediate and if that is unsuccessful, law enforcement is dispatched to the scene or area immediately.

The 911 responders are trained in the series and order of questions to ask in order to provide the best advice immediately for the caller while appropriate emergency service units, -- which have been alerted and dispatched almost at the moment the situation and location was identified -- are en-route to the caller’s location.

In performing its service, the county 911 program has direct link to the county’s 46 fire departments in the county and with all police agencies and ambulance services.

Hopkins told the group of a special feature offered to area residents by the 911 program – the Emergency Notification System (ENS) – a backward flow of information valuable to county residents. For example, in the event of a dangerous situation – like a hazardous material spill or a fast-rising stream or river – the 911 can send out warning calls to residents in harm’s way to alert them to the problem and give advice on what to do … e.g. remain indoors or evacuate to a safer area. To get on the ENS service, DO NOT CALL 911 -- just GO ON LINE to the 911 web site (www.steubencony.org/911) and follow the prompts for providing your home address. Once that’s done, you will be on board for getting notice in the event of a threat to you or your home brought to the attention of the 911 Center.

Retirees attending the program came away with an appreciation for the capabilities of the Steuben County 911 system….it was worth the wait.

Also taking the podium at the end of the meeting was Les Hamilton, who spoke about a petition being circulated to make Taps – the bugle call for burial services – a National Song of Remembrance…a status held by “God Bless America” and “The Star Spangled Banner,” our national anthem. Members in attendance added their signatures to the petition.

The April 12 meeting: Patty Baroody, of the Steuben County Office of the Ageing, who will present a program on New York Connects. a program that provides a Long Term Care check list and advice on how to plan for Long Term Care for ourselves or for our loved ones and parents.

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