FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE The week of April 10-16 is set aside to honor those that provide the voice of our emergency services across our country. The City of Springfield recognizes the outstanding service of 9-1-1 telecommunicators during observance of National Public Safety Telecommunicators Week. The Springfield-Greene County 9-1-1 Emergency Communications department will honor its employees with various activities this week, including the presentation of an official proclamation signed by the Springfield Mayor Bob Stephens, City Manager Greg Burris, the Greene County commissioners and the Greene County administrator Friday, April 15 at 11 a.m. at the Public Safety Center. “The 9-1-1 personnel answers hundreds of calls every day. When people in our community need help, the ‘first’ first responder they hear on the other end of the line is that telecommunicator,” says Director Zim Schwartze. “We receive thousands of calls in our county each year with a wide range of emergency situations. Springfield and Greene County are very fortunate to have such highly trained and committed staff in our Operations Center, 24 hours a day, seven days a week. I'm honored to be a part of the 9-1-1 department and to work with such dedicated folks." Springfield-Greene County 9-1-1 Emergency Communications received over 255,000 9-1-1 emergency calls in 2015 with nearly 81% of these calls from a wireless device. In addition, they handled nearly 513,000 total phone interactions in the Operations Room of the 9-1-1 dispatch center. These numbers continue to increase each year, especially with the use of mobile devices and the challenges of technology. The volume of wireless calls provides extra challenges and delays for telecommunicators who must take more time to process the call, determine if multiple calls are being received about the same incident and then dispatch the appropriate emergency personnel. The 9-1-1 Emergency Communications Department proudly dispatches for 13 fire agencies and nine law enforcement agencies: • Ash Grove Fire Protection District
• Battlefield Fire Protection District
• Bois D’Arc Fire Protection District
• Brookline Fire Protection District
• Ebenezer Fire Protection District
• Fair Grove Fire Protection District
• Logan-Rogersville Fire Protection District
• Republic Fire Department
• Springfield Fire Department
• Strafford Fire Protection District
• Walnut Grove Fire Protection District
• West Republic Fire Protection District
• Willard Fire Protection District
• Ash Grove Police Department
• Battlefield Police Department
• Fair Grove Police Department
• Greene County Sheriff’s Office
• Republic Police Department
• Springfield Police Department
• Strafford Police Department
• Walnut Grove Police Department
• Willard Police Department. In addition, the Springfield-Greene County 9-1-1 receives the initial 9-1-1 call for medical assistance that is transferred to CoxHealth or Mercy Emergency Medical Services (EMS) for dispatch. Schwartze reminds citizens to contact 911 when they need police, fire and/or emergency medical ambulance response. # # # More about Springfield-Greene County 9-1-1 Emergency Communications
The Springfield-Greene County 9-1-1 Emergency Communications department is located in the Springfield-Greene County Public Safety Center. Nearly 29% of Springfield-Greene County’s 9-1-1 workforce has been with the department 10 years or more with 17% having been with the department for 20-plus years. 9-1-1 telecommunicators must undergo approximately 700 hours of training before they can be considered a fully trained telecommunicator for Springfield-Greene County 9-1-1. ### For more information about 9-1-1, tours, and presentations, please contact Zim Schwartze at 417-829-6209 or [email protected]