What Is Your Emergency?: The History of Public Safety Dispatching in America

The story of 911 is complicated. Over 240 million calls are made to the 911 system every year. The Romans organized fire watches and had published laws. The famous Magna Carta was the foundation of our modern democratic freedom. Folks who were used to being self-sufficient learned to take advantage to developing technology to call for assistance when they saw a fire, needed law enforcement or required emergency medical help. Phone calls are received by local police departments and handled by Public Safety Telecommunicators, or Dispatchers. How did the 911 system begin? How are the 911 Dispatchers selected and trained? How do they handle everyday calls verses disasters or major incidents? This is the first book to address the story of our Nation's Public Safety Dispatchers.

Diana Sprain works as a Public Safety Dispatcher for the law enforcement division of the Nevada Department of Wildlife. She is a POST-certified Dispatcher, Tactical Dispatcher, Civilian Training Officer, and Supervisor with over 25 years experience. In addition, she is a certified Pharmacy Technician. Prior to becoming a Public Safety Dispatcher, she worked as an Emergency Medical Technician in Los Angeles and Oakland. She is the author of the fictional fantasy series Greycliff Chronicles. Diana is a member of the Associated Public Safety Communications Officials (APCO), the National Emergency Number Association (NENA), the Public Safety Writer’s Association, and the Sierra Writers Group. You can read about her novels and her posts on her blog: www.dianasprain.net