How we can all be better 9-1-1 callers (when the opportunity arises). And how we can all get ready to participate in CPRI.
Notes from the March 23 meeting of
The Rotary Club of Clover Park
recorded by Tom McClellan
President Elect Becky Newton got to run the meeting this week, because President Teresa Nye is off gallivanting in Florida, and watching lacrosse games.
Becky knows how her bread gets buttered, and started off by thanking Georgene Mellom and Tom Faubion for serving as our in-person greeters, Sue Potter for serving as Zoomxecutrix, plus David Cotant and Mike Killen for having everything set up for the meeting. Scott Adams led us in the flag salute, and Heidi Wachter led us in reciting the 4-Way Test.
Jeannie Hill offered some inspirational thoughts to put us in the right mood:
1. It is nice to be important, but it's more important to be nice. - - - Sir John Templeton
2. Do not dwell in the past, do not dream of the future, concentrate the mind on the present moment. - - - Gautama Buddha
3. We have always held to the hope, the belief, the conviction that there is a better life, a better world, beyond the horizon. - - - FDR
Future Programs
March 30 Battalion Chief Jeff Axtell & Paramedic David Emmons, How to be a helpful emergency victim or bystander
April 6 John Caulfield, City Manager Update
April 13 CPRI Rehearsal, no guest speaker
Announcements
Joyce Oubré noted that signups are now underway for the Clover Park Rotary Invitational (CPRI) event. You can also sign up online at THIS LINK, and either pay there or pay separately by check (to save us the credit card fees).
Every member is expected to donate a prize for the prize board, and/or an item for the silent auction. Please get those items to Alan Billingsley by April 13.
Save the date: Our next club work party at our adopted South Puget Sound Wildlife Area is May 7, 0900-1300. It is an opportunity for fellowship, fresh air, blisters, and other benefits of removing invasive plants, introducing beneficial native ones, and other work tasks.
President’s Minute
All of the work that we do with our club fundraisers helps us as a group to support several great causes. At this meeting, we recognized the Lakewood Community Foundation with a $1000 contribution. This group is a 501c3 that was started as a joint venture between our club and the Lakewood Rotary Club back in 1996. As a foundation, it retains the principle (now standing at $1.2 million), but donates the proceeds from investments to worthy local groups. Bob Lawrence is one of the directors and accepted the check on behalf of the Foundation.
Alan Billingsley accepted a $750 check for the Friends of Scouting Fund at the Pacific Harbors Boy Scout Council.
Scott Adams accepted a $500 donation for West Pierce Cares, which is a charity associated with the fire department but separate from it. Donations go to helping families that are victims of house fires or other emergencies, who may need a few dollars to get by during the first few days after that emergency.
Fun And Fines
Ed Trobaugh started off by acknowledging David Cotant for his recent trip. David brought his checkbook, but did not realize that it had only one check in it, and he had used that check to pay Georgene for the CPRI event. So David will carry a Nye Owe You.
Ed then gave a shout out to Gretchen Allen who was joining us via Zoom from Manzanita, Oregon, on a working vacation. She will settle up for the travels when she returns next week.
Bob Lawrence had a trip to Texas for deer hunting. Axis deer were imported from Sri Lanka and then escaped, and they are now overrunning the State. So there is no seasonal restriction, nor a cap on how many you can take. That was worth $50 to fill Bob’s freezer.
Ed called on Paul Webb for an update on what is happening in fire service lately, and Paul gave a rather snivelly answer, claiming that retirement produces a lack of current knowledge. Paul then tossed the question to Scott Adams, who noted that business is up. Scott also reported having traveled to Red Mountain near Walla Walla, and brought back some bottles of wine which will become prizes for CPRI.
This Week’s Program
Kim Barnard is a 9-1-1 operator and trainer with 31 years of experience. She came to address the question of how we can all perform better as 9-1-1 callers, if the occasion ever arises. She started off with a few facts about South Sound 9-1-1, which serves all of Pierce County except for calls related to State Patrol, the Indian tribes, and the military bases.
In 2019, they handled over 800,000 calls, between emergency and non-emergencies. 84% of those come from cellular phones. And while locating technologies have improved, it still really helps if you can know your location when calling, so that the aid gets to the right place.
Fire/aid calls and police emergencies have been handled separately up until now, but the 9-1-1 operators are being trained to soon handle both types. The information they record then goes to dispatchers who make the decisions about sending responders. The call center also has staff doing records searches, such as for when a police officer pulls over a driver and wants to see if there are any warrants outstanding.
Calls get divided into 3 categories:
- Emergency – Life threatening situation happening right now. Call 9-1-1.
- Priority – Imminent danger to life or property, now or just happened. Call 9-1-1.
- Routine – Non-emergency calls, for events that are not happening any more. Call the non-emergency number.
Please put the non-emergency number into your phone: (253) 287-4455. You can also call that number in case the 9-1-1 system is down.
When you call 9-1-1:
- Brief description of situation
- Suspect description starting from the head downward
- Vehicle description – color, year, make, accessories, license number
By the way, do you know your own car’s license number? That’s useful thing to have memorized if calling to say that your car just got stolen.
2021 saw a 15% rise in call volume. 2 years ago, they started “Text To 911”. It takes longer to interact via texting, and so they want people to call if they can. Some people have used this in domestic abuse situations. It is helpful to the deaf community.
On any given shift, they have 10-12 call takers, 7 law enforcement dispatchers, 5 fire dispatchers, plus report writers and records specialists.
Rapid SOS is a new software product that has been integrated at South Sound 9-1-1. If you register at www.emergencyprofile.org, then when you call from the registered phone number the operator and dispatchers can see the medical information you have provided, e.g. medical conditions, medications, allergies. You can choose what to enter, and thus what gets conveyed.
This Week’s Raffle:
With $244 in the pot, and 2 aces left in the deck, Scott Adams had the winning ticket but drew a 5 of Clubs.
And Finally…
