Subject: [NEXTEL-1] San Francisco's Police & Fire Communication Center Switch To 12-Hour Shifts

From: Marcel <[email-masked]>
Date: Wed, 26 Mar 2003 09:03:49 -0500

Publication date: 03/25/2003

City 911 system doubles staff
BY ADRIEL HAMPTON
Of The Examiner Staff

City officials are taking extra steps to make sure emergency calls are a top priority as
war rages in Iraq and civil unrest unsettles many at home.

In response to war, related protests and heightened terror alerts, the Emergency
Communications Department activated its emergency plan last week, doubling staffing with
12-hour shifts. ECD chief Dan Sullivan said in a statement that 911 calls were up 50
percent immediately following the attack on Iraq.

"A stable system combined with the mobilization of additional personnel has ensured our
ability to respond effectively to emergency situations," Sullivan said. "We are operating
at an optimum level, providing an efficient level of service to the public."
Beefed-up call-center staffing also ensures the efficiency of emergency response workers,
and will continue as long as needed, Sullivan said.

Department spokeswoman Kerry Dalrymple said they would reassess staffing needs this week.
In addition to handling calls related to protests, the department gives radio support for
police and emergency workers.

In another move to boost 911 service, Supervisor Tony Hall today will introduce a law to
require cellphone companies to route emergency calls to the local emergency center.
Currently, mobile phone calls go to Vallejo before operators relay them to city police.

Emergency calls "require emergency response, not a call that's being relayed to Vallejo,"
Hall said. "It's all about the timing of the response."
http://examiner.com/news/default.jsp?story=n.911.0325w

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