Virginia’s 2008 Telecommunicator of the Year

Amanda Parrish

Communications Officer III

Hanover County 9-1-1

The Virginia Chapter of APCO and Hanover County 9-1-1 are pleased to announce that Communications Officer Amanda Parrish has been named the Virginia Association of Public Safety Communications Officials Telecommunicator of the Year.

Parrish received this prestigious honor on May 7, 2009, in Virginia Beach during the APCO-NENA Spring Conference. APCO Chapter President Carol Adams and APCO International First Vice President Bill Carrow presented her award.

Communications Officer III Amanda Parrish was born in Baltimore, Maryland and graduated from Caroline County High School. She came to work for Hanover Emergency Communications in January 2004 from Caroline County Emergency Communications where she served for over 2 years. Officer Parrish is one of the most productive members of the department. She consistently was among the highest in the number of calls answered each month. CO III Parrish has been selected as Hanover County’s Communications Officer of the Year for 2008, Training Officer of the Year for 2008, and Communications Officer with the highest EMD compliancy score.

In 2008 Communications Officer Parrish was documented with the following performance statistics:

Answered 1,558 emergency 911 calls, with average talk time of 116 seconds.
Entered 4,377 calls for service into the Computer Aided Dispatch system
Dispatched 2,415 calls for service – and entered 5,335 Quick Calls for service into the CAD
Received 10 Peer Recognition Cards
Above average performance evaluation, EMD compliancy score, and EMD customer satisfaction score
CO of the Month January 2008 for outstanding performance.

The following statements were made by some of her co-workers who nominated

Officer Parrish for this honor:

“CO Amanda Parrish has been employed by the Hanover County Communications Department for five years. She has maintained a high efficiency standard in performance of her duties. Her detailed documentation related to her CTO duties is supported by her thorough knowledge of the ECC and User Agency SOP’s. She is called upon to train, often times, when a trainee is having difficulty in a specific discipline. She serves as an OIC when necessary on the evening shift when no supervision is on duty. When unable to answer a co-worker question, she researches the answer and/or finds someone with the required knowledge. She continues to pursue requirements for advancement within career development and I have no reservations in nominating Officer Parrish as the COY for 2008.”

“Amanda Parrish is nominated for her knowledge of the job and her ability to do the job well. She is an endless source of information, problem solving, and a true asset to the department. You can always count on her to know the answer to just about anything that might occur out of the ordinary and then some.”

“Each year we ask our Communications Officer to set forth goals that they wish to accomplish during the upcoming year. For many, this is just a formality, but for some it is a true commitment to improving their individual job performance and skills. One individual who really persevered and accomplished her goals this past year was CO Amanda Parrish. Amanda wanted to become a trainer and not only successfully completed the CTO program, but also completed the DCJS General Instruction program as well. Throughout the year Amanda was assigned numerous trainees who received the most thorough training possible. Many new hires remarked that they hoped to be able to work with her and have her as their trainer. Amanda has always shown a high level of proficiency at every radio position in the center. She also utilized her expertise with VCIN by assisting with the VCIN validations in preparing for our audit. Her EMD scores were also exceptional. Her leadership and ability, along with the ability to make good, sound decisions have been instrumental in her being selected to serve as the Officer In Charge (OIC) in absence of a supervisor. She can always be counted on to have a cool head in times of crisis and in high priority situations. For these reasons it is my pleasure to nominate CO III Amanda Parrish as Telecommunicator of the Year for 2008.”

Officer Parrish’s performance is second to none. She can be depended upon to accomplish any task assigned to her. Her willingness to assist others in any capacity instills high morale and a strong sense of esprit de corps among her co-workers.

Officer Parrish’s professionalism, loyalty and personal dedication to duty and others reflect great credit upon herself, emergency communications and Hanover County - that are in keeping with the highest traditions of the public safety emergency communications profession.

Outstanding Individual Performance In A Critical Incident (2008)

Marlene Baker

Public Safety Telecommunicator II

City of Norfolk – Emergency Preparedness and Response

On April 28, 2008, three tornados touched down in the City of Suffolk, a neighboring city to Norfolk, VA. The National Weather Service classified at least one tornado as a F3 on the Fujita Scale of tornados. This catastrophic event disabled the City of Suffolk’s Emergency Communication Center’s (ECC) ability to effectively communicate with outside agencies regarding the critical infrastructure damage the city received. The ability to make contact with outside agencies was further strained by the fact that their ECC began receiving a substantial number of calls for service from citizens requesting assistance in the storm damaged areas of their City. At approximately 1630, the City of Norfolk’s ECC began receiving calls from numerous alarm companies advising that they were unable to make contact with the City of Suffolk’s ECC. At the time, the Norfolk ECC was unaware that the Suffolk ECC had lost power, that most wired and wireless telephone and radio communications were down, and that they were unable to notify anyone of their dire situation.

Marlene Baker was working as a Calltaker at the time of this notification. She immediately identified that the situation was not normal and took the initiative to make contact with the City of Suffolk to ascertain the situation. After several exhaustive attempts at obtaining contact numbers with Suffolk, Ms. Baker was able to make contact with a Suffolk police investigator inside their warrant office. The investigator advised Ms. Baker that several tornados had touched down and there was a reported injury count in excess of two hundred people. This critical information enabled the City of Norfolk to initiate Incident Command System (ICS) immediately and determine the resources needed. In addition, Ms. Baker ensured that the surrounding jurisdictions were continually notified of what had occurred in the City of Suffolk and the need for mutual aid assistance. This resulted in the request for 10 ambulances from other jurisdictions while efforts were underway in restoring Suffolk’s communication challenge.

Ms. Baker’s initiative in contacting and obtaining the necessary information as the events surrounding the storm truly began unfolding was second nature. Her professionalism and dedication during this emergency make her a truly deserving selection as the Outstanding Individual Performance in a Critical Incident.

Outstanding Team Performance In A Critical Incident (2008)

Suffolk Police Department

9-1-1 Communications Team

On April 28, 2008 at approximately 1612 Hrs. our City of Suffolk experienced a natural disaster that took the city, citizens and employees by complete surprise and caused massive devastation. It was a normal afternoon shift when all of a sudden calls flooded the center, all 911 lines, overflow lines and administrative lines began to ring… citizens reporting sightings of a twister, calls from frightened and frantic citizens, adults and children. So many were confused and the dispatchers had to calm them down to ascertain the needed information. Citizens were calling about their neighbors trapped inside their houses and they could hear them screaming, every caller in disbelief many appeared to be in shock as to what had just happened. Within minutes calls came in about houses that were gone, trees were down, power lines and poles on fire, cars were flipped over and people trapped inside. One call was from a medical office reporting a truck that had come through the side of their building. People reported that their houses were completely destroyed and gas was leaking. The dispatchers remained calm through the whole incident. They received calls from kids screaming and crying that their house was gone and their parents were still at work. Callers reporting that there were people all over walking in the streets that were bleeding. Parents and loved ones that needed to know something about their family members flooded the lines. Even taking a call from a fellow dispatcher that was trapped under a tree with a broken arm. The callers needed to know that it was over and needed reassurance that it was over and everything was going to be ok. The dispatchers wanted to take the time with every caller to calm them down and remain on the line with them, this was impossible due to the amount of calls they were receiving.

An officer advised dispatch that he had a visual on the tornado and started to broadcast the path it was taking. The dispatchers could hear the concern in his voice when he stated it was crossing over the power lines. When the first calls came in from citizens and the dispatchers started to dispatch officers to the scene, the officers could still see the tornado stationary over the neighborhood. The officer again started to broadcast the path of the tornado. At this time the communications center staff realized they needed to brace themselves for what was about to happen. After the dispatchers dispatched the first call of the tornado and Police and Fire arrived on scene, officers reported that the neighborhood had been completely leveled and there were hundreds of patients. The dispatchers had numerous police and fire personnel screaming at them what they were seeing and what they needed. Each officer wanted to get their traffic across to the dispatcher and at times they all wanted to talk at the same time. They were requesting dispatch to send everything they have and more. The police department and fire department were evacuating the neighborhoods due to the gas leaks and because it was an unsafe area.

The requests flooded the center for response from the Gas Company, Electric Company; mutual aid for both fire and police, buses for transportation and the list went on. Calls were put into the surrounding cities for mutual aid assistance. This tornado had no limits. It destroyed several neighborhoods that were miles apart from each other and in different areas of the city. It appeared that the day would never end.

Upon the first sighting from the officer and the first call from the citizens the communications center staff pulled together as a team to get through what would be the most critical incident our city has ever experienced. Dispatchers and call takers worked together to get all the calls answered and the emergency personnel dispatched. They assisted each other throughout the shift which created a smoother more accurate flow if information. Dispatchers that were at home immediately responded to the center to assist their co-workers; they knew that they were in for the busiest and most stressful shift ever. They left the comfort and safety of their homes for the dedication of their job and the citizens of our city. Both the call takers and dispatchers continually assisted each other with phone calls, man power updates, scene updates and much more. Hours went by before any of the staff were able to take a break and clear their minds. Without the teamwork from each dedicated individual in the communications center this incident could have had a far worse reaching outcome.

Listed below are the outstanding dispatchers and call takers that worked during the critical incident that hit our city on April 28, 2008:

Supervisor/ Del Shannon

Supervisor/ N. Duncan

Dispatcher/ Christina Gardner

Dispatcher/ Brittany Holland

Dispatcher/Robin Nichols

Dispatcher/ Reanita Goodwyn

Dispatcher/ Sandy Jackson

Dispatcher/Andrea Beale

Dispatcher/ R. Gayle

Call-Taker/ Kristal Creevey

Call-Taker/Carmen Brown

CAD Administrator/ Tracy Deitz

Communications Trainer of the Year (2008)

James Keaton

Supervisor - Training and Career Development

Arlington County Emergency Communications Center

James Keaton, better known as “Jimmy” to his co-workers and friends, has been employed by Arlington County for 32 years and has accomplished many tasks during his long tenure with the ECC. Starting as a call taker, Jimmy moved through the ranks and became a shift supervisor, but it identified that Jimmy’s talents were the strongest in teaching, coaching and mentoring ECC employees. He currently holds the position of Training and Career Development Coordinator.

As with most PSAP’s across the country, the challenges of staffing and retention have always been problematic. Jimmy has worked very hard throughout his career to overcome these challenges and has developed creative ways to reach out to the community to promote the career of an Emergency Communications Technician (ECT). Over the years Jimmy has attended a variety of job fairs, produced many brochures and hand outs to educate the general public on what we do, and helped develop a very comprehensive career path for ECC employees providing a sense of accomplishment and purpose. Creating a professional path for employees to follow, the Career Ladder was developed, proposed and implemented to offer all ECC employees the opportunity for growth and advancement throughout the organization. As a part of the career ladder that Jimmy helped institute, he also developed an enhanced training program for all ECC employees. As our lead trainer, Jimmy helped develop and enhance the two-week state certified basic dispatch training class which is held twice a year at the Northern Virginia Criminal Justice Academy. He consistently has received the highest of grades from the students and facility alike. In addition, Jimmy developed a two week ECC Orientation class, and a very useful three-week customer relations class that all new employees must attend. He places a tremendous amount of energy in teaching new employees the art of answering phones, dealing with difficult callers and preparing them for the many stresses associated with answering calls in a 9-1-1 center. He stresses the importance of providing first rate professional customer service and has devoted his entire career ensuring that all ECC employees are doing their part to achieve this goal. His teaching and training over this condensed five-week program ensures that all new employees are well prepared before they even begin working in the operational center. Jimmy is passionate about the work he does and his overall upbeat professional demeanor has never faltered in his 32 years as an Arlington County Emergency Communications Center employee. This is a testament to his overall character and professional status. Jimmy possesses extraordinary teaching skills and he goes out of his way to make everyone feel welcome. This is a major component of Jimmy’s character and a role he truly believes in. Additionally, Jimmy can always be seen working behind the scenes to ensure that a healthy work environment exists, and that all employees are happy. He makes himself available to coach, mentor and counsel all employees of the center. Jimmy takes enormous pride in the development of making good employees, great ones. Whether it be training one-on-one, revising existing lesson plans, or just talking to the employees working a shift, Jimmy is always looking for ways to improve the overall operations of the center. He has received personal recognition for the work he does both within the center and by outside agencies of Arlington County and his yearly evaluations clearly place him in the top category as a professional leader, mentor and teacher.

Jimmy’s job responsibilities transcend over a multitude of boundaries. He is responsible for the testing, background investigation and eventual basic instruction of all new employees. Jimmy has developed comprehensive lesson plans for all positions in the center and he is constantly revising them as new technologies are introduced. Until just recently, Jimmy has conducted all of these tasks by himself and never once complained about being overworked. For 2008 Jimmy conducted 5,784 hours of training, as well as spent many hours speaking before Community Groups, visitors to the center, and the Citizens Police Academy. He takes all that he does very seriously and still finds the time to visit with co-workers, provide guidance and listens to employee concerns. I find this most remarkable because in this demanding role we all play as emergency communicators; Jimmy is always upbeat and willing to give of himself for the betterment of the organization. He truly cares about ECC employees and goes out of his way to make them feel welcome.

Jimmy is also responsible for keeping track of various training programs within the center and he keeps impeccable records that are easily accessible. He conducts monthly, quarterly and annual training reports and staffing analysis keeping the ECC Commander well informed of vacant positions and training deficiencies. Jimmy is considered a subject matter expert in the field of training and is often called upon by surrounding jurisdictions to assist them in the development of lesson plans, training, and hiring or retention programs. Working closely with our Quality Assurance supervisor, Jimmy has helped develop numerous Standard Operating Procedures that are directly linked to the training and career development of our employees.

Keaton is by far one of the strongest training supervisors the agency has ever had. He is more than just a trainer; he is a mentor, a teacher, a critical incident debriefer and a person who genuinely cares about the employees who work in this center. He is a friend, a person who brings a sense of calmness to a stressful environment and he is a leader who takes great pride in this profession. ECC Employees, Police Officers, Fire Fighters, and other county employees gravitate towards Jimmy for guidance, support and encouragement. He has taken a job, 32 years ago, and turned it into a long fulfilling career. Jimmy is eligible for retirement this year and may possibly leave the organization. He has left an indelible impression not only with those that he will leave behind here, but of those whose life he has touched in truly positive manner throughout his career.

Line Supervisor of the Year (2008)

Marge Surran

9-1-1 Supervisor

Eastern Shore of Virginia 9-1-1 Communications Center

Margaret (Marge) Surran began her employment with the Eastern Shore of Virginia 9-1-1 Center in 1993 as a Communications Officer and was promoted to a supervisory position in 2001. Throughout her tenure in the organization, she consistently has demonstrated a deep commitment to the well-being and forward progress of the 9-1-1 Center. In addition to supervising the operations of the 9-1-1 Center dispatch floor, she is presently responsible for supervising thirteen Communications Officers. These duties are in addition to numerous other administrative tasks she is charged with managing. These include, but are not limited to the overall management of the 9-1-1 Center schedule, coordinating office supplies and uniform needs, serving as a training officer, attending various fire/EMS and community meetings, managing public education events, and serving as the on-call Supervisor on a regular schedule. She wears many hats and wears them well!

Supervisor Marge Surran demonstrates a high level of commitment to all employees. In addition to 9-1-1 Center issues, she is someone Communications Officers often seek to discuss issues occurring in their lives for her direction and understanding. She demonstrates a rock-solid character when it comes to integrity and fairness. Many issues in a 9-1-1 Center need to be examined closely and she does this. Her development of leadership skills is ongoing and Supervisor Surran is willing to complete the necessary educational opportunities to learn and move forward. This includes recently attending two employment development classes for supervisory skills and completing the APCO Supervisor class in 2008.

Communications Officers are often at various levels in their abilities and experience. Marge consistently discusses both positive and areas of improvement needed with those she supervises. Her dedication, whether it be covering unexpected changes in the schedule, attending a meeting for the 9-1-1 Center, coordinating preparation and scheduling for significant events (such as Tropical Storm Hanna), instructing Telecommunicators in a neighboring PSAP in APCO Emergency Medical Dispatch (she is an APCO EMD and Basic Telecommunicator Instructor), or teaching about 9-1-1 Center operations to the fire/EMS community or general public, has been demonstrated prior to 2008, during 2008, and continues into 2009. She is a respected member of the public safety community, both in her role as a Supervisor in the 9-1-1 Center and as an EMS provider in the Wachapreague Volunteer Fire Department. When those critical incidents (large fires, significant accidents, etc.) are received and dispatched by Supervisor Surran she always maintains composure and handles the incident with professionalism.

The year 2008 was a challenging year for our 9-1-1 Center and Supervisor Surran was a crucial part of the Center’s ability to continue moving forward. As 2008 began, the 9-1-1 Center’s Director was resigning and she was one of three Supervisors. By the end of the summer, the same Director had returned, one Supervisor had stepped down from his position, and the other was on leave to care for a family member. At the close of 2008, she was the lone remaining Supervisor from the original three and was helping to train and mold a newly appointed Supervisor into her new role. Marge remained professional throughout all aspects of the many transitions; in fact you could say she was the one constant in the organization when it comes to steady leadership and supervision. In addition to more responsibilities added to her plate she continued to be a person both the 9-1-1 Commission (governs the 9-1-1 Center) and Communications Officers could turn to for direction and answers.

Supervisor Surran’s ability to handle change is not just limited to the personnel transitions. They also apply to the everyday operations of the 9-1-1 Center and how service is provided to the fire/EMS agencies and communities. During 2008, the 9-1-1 Center experienced a significant change to operations. Although for many PSAP’s the transition away from using incident cards to using a CAD to track incident information occurred years ago, it occurred in 2008 for the Eastern Shore 9-1-1 Center. This change was promoted and assisted in its implementation by Supervisor Surran. Also in 2008 many of our dispatching practices and policies were reviewed and revised with the overhaul of the Communications Manual (basically the manual on how we operate on the dispatch floor, regarding call processing and dispatching). Supervisor Surran learned the changes and has been crucial to effecting the changes in the PSAP.

Supervisors (out of necessity) have so many additional responsibilities and roles than just supervising and monitoring 9-1-1 dispatch operations. While none of us in this profession (or any profession) are perfect, she places the needs of the 9-1-1 Center first and her overall work performance, attitude, and ability allow our 9-1-1 Center to move forward and provide an excellent service to the community.

Communications Center Leader of the Year (2008)

Tom Hanson

Director

Charlottesville-UVA-Albemarle Emergency Communications Center

Tom has been the executive director of the Charlottesville-UVA-Albemarle County Emergency Communications Center for 13 years. Tom’s visionary leadership has enabled the Charlottesville-UVA-Albemarle County ECC to keep up with many of the technological advancements in communications. For example, he recently obtained a “pictometry” grant that will not only benefit our center but many of the surrounding counties as well. This technology provides an advanced mapping system.

Tom has worked hard to promote a warm friendly work environment for all. He always takes the time to go around and greet staff when he arrives each day. He knows and cares about each employee and will ask about their family and can recall the names of spouses and children with ease. He genuinely cares about every person in the center.

Tom was a driving force in implementing the Employee Recognition Program and the Total Rewards Program for the agency. He truly believes that his employees are the Center’s most valuable resource and he wants to ensure that they get the recognition that they deserve. He has conducted several employee satisfaction surveys to determine the needs of our staff and then works hard to ensure that those needs are met. When an employee recently questioned the air quality in our building he responded in a timely manner by having the air quality tested. The results proved the air quality was extremely good but Tom purchased a couple of air purifiers and placed them strategically around the communications floor to ensure that this concern was met.

The agency serves multiple jurisdictions which provides many challenges and opportunities. Tom has forged relationships with each of these other agencies that are built on trust, integrity and communication. He is a good listener, he’s honest, and he has the ability to remain objective and look at a problem from all sides. One of his best attributes is his ability to make others think things through for themselves. He also solicits input from employees on many of the decisions that impact them. His participatory style of management gives employees a sense of ownership and empowerment in the decision making process. An example of this is our current work schedule. A couple of years ago staff morale was extremely low due to the previous work schedule and the forced overtime. Tom told the employees to come up with some suggestions and if the majority wanted a change then we would implement it. They eventually presented a schedule and Tom was able to get the approval for it from our ECC Management Board. The current 12 hour shifts that the staff works was totally employee driven. It provides 84 more days off a year over the previous schedule and gives everyone a 3 day week end every other week. Our last employee satisfaction survey showed a 100% satisfaction rating for this current work schedule.

Tom sets a good example by being a strong role model. He is always respectful and treats everyone fairly. He is a proactive leader and constantly strives to improve our organization. He has volunteered the agency for several county wide initiatives such as the Malcolm Baldrige SPQA program and more recently a succession management study. His goal is for the organization to be a leader in the communications field.

President’s Award

Carole Starcher

25 Years Service to the 9-1-1 Community

Hanover County

Other Nominees

We Proudly Recognize and Call to Your Attention the Outstanding Work of the Following Telecommunicators Who Were Nominated for 2008 Telecommunicator Awards

OTHER NOMINEES - TELECOMMUNICATOR OF THE YEAR

Elaine Phillips (Norfolk)

Theresa Ruckstuhl (Fairfax Co.)

Kristina Wyer (Fairfax Co.)

Kevin Holloway (Eastern Shore)

Tonja Boydstun (Chesterfield)

Mary Woodyard (Portsmouth)

Tammy McVadon (Portsmouth)

Steve McMurrer (Fairfax Co.)

Laurie Cartwright (Portsmouth)

OTHER NOMINEES - OUTSTANDING INDIVIDUAL PERFORMANCE IN A CRITICAL INCIDENT

Jean Krivjansky (Fairfax Co.)

Daniel Sprouse (Hanover)

Ericka Flournoy (Alexandria)

OTHER NOMINEES - OUTSTANDING TEAM PERFORMANCE IN A CRITICAL INCIDENT

City Of Va. Beach C Shift

Fairfax County B Days Team

Norfolk 911 Team 2

Fairfax County B Nights Team

York County ECC

Portsmouth Police Department

Chesterfield ECC

Fairfax County Team

Fairfax County B Days Team

Virginia State Police

Charlottesville-UVA-Albemarle County ECC

Roanoke County ECC

Hanover County 911 Team

James City County ECC

OTHER NOMINEES – COMMUNICATIONS CENTER LEADER OF THE YEAR

James Keaton (Arlington)

OTHER NOMINEES – LINE SUPERVISOR OF THE YEAR

Jude Dawson (Hanover)

Suzanne Bartnek (Stafford)

Lorraine Fells-Danzer (Fairfax Co.)

Sally Fitzpatrick (Fairfax Co.)

Charles Gardner (New Kent)

John Krivjansky (Fairfax Co.)

Tammy Murcek (Fairfax Co.)

Ellen Pittman (Fairfax Co.)

Cindy Roatch (Fairfax Co.)

OTHER NOMINEES – COMMUNICATIONS TRAINER OF THE YEAR

Jeanette Beall (Charlottesville-UVA-Albemarle)

Marc Bielawski (Fairfax Co.)

Elton Ferguson (Portsmouth)

Necol Hill (Fairfax Co.)

Amanda Parrish (Hanover)

Scott Pierpoint (Fairfax Co.)

Leslie Schmitt (Fairfax Co.)

Sarah Thomas (Fairfax Co.)

Theresa Walker (Norfolk)

Theresa Ward (Chesterfield)