9-1-1 Dispatchers Helped Their Own During Middle Tennessee Flood
Friday, August 06, 2010 | 04:48am
NASHVILLE- One of the untold stories of the recent Middle Tennessee flooding is the story of uninterrupted 9-1-1 service in Cheatham County in spite of many dispatchers having personal damage to their homes.
A program known as the Telecommunicator Emergency Response Taskforce (TERT) was first activated during the flood. When it became clear that the homes of a number of Cheatham County 9-1-1 dispatchers were at-risk, TERT alerted Emergency Communications Districts that help was needed. Dispatchers from five counties responded and allowed Cheatham County’s dispatchers to return to their homes while ensuring that Cheatham County residents had access to seamless 9-1-1 service.
“When you are taking 9-1-1 calls, you can’t just get up and leave to check on your own home,” said Jennifer Estes, 9-1-1 Director in Loudon County and the coordinator of the TERT program. “You have a responsibility to the citizens you serve. TERT was created to provide relief to dispatchers in a crisis. Trained, qualified dispatchers from other districts simply come in and get the job done. We’re pleased that the program worked so well in the face of the difficulties caused by the flood.”
Pat Harris, Director of Cheatham County 9-1-1 said he and his staff are grateful for TERT’s effectiveness.
“Without TERT, our dispatchers would not have been able to return home to check on the safety of their loved ones or take care of their homes,” Harris said. “This program worked and we’re grateful for it.”
Dispatchers from 9-1-1 from Warren County, Blount County, Overton-Pickett, Franklin County, and Bradley County all responded to the need in Cheatham County.
Tennessee Emergency Communications Board Technical Services Director Rex Hollaway helped coordinate the response. Holloway serves as the liaison between the Tennessee Emergency Management Agency (TEMA) and TERT to ensure that the response is effective.
The TECB was created by the General Assembly in 1998 to assist ECDs’ boards of directors in the areas of management, operations and accountability, with the goal of establishing reliable emergency communications for all citizens of the state. It’s a successful formula; in 2005, Tennessee became the third state in the nation to become Phase II ready, meaning a 911 operator can obtain a wireless caller’s number and location information. In 2005, Tennessee received an award from the Congressional E911 Institute for having the nation’s best state system.
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