Jeff Wright TO THE DISPATCHERS OF ONTARIO COUNTY 911: I am one of 5 administrators on this page, usually posting under the HH name. While I am not the individual that posted this, I will admit that I was asked my opinion before it was put up, and I thought it was appropriate. Therefore, Im willing to take ownership of it. Looking at it now, I can see that some may view it as a personal attack on the dispatchers of Ontario County 911. Please let me say: it is NOT intended to be that way, and to anyone who took offense, I personally apologize on behalf of all of us at the Hydrants. Let me add: I, and all members of HH, admire and appreciate the training, skill, and dedication it takes to achieve such a position within the emergency service community. There is no doubt that the workers of both Genevas and Ontario Countys dispatch centers are professionals at the highest level of the business. This may sound like lip service: it is not. I hope you will not take this as a form of hostility toward you in any way, because that is not how it was intended AT ALL. For what its worth, this picture is meant to illustrate the delay that sometimes occurs at a major center. Again-the dispatchers are not to blame. We acknowledge you are doing your best with the resources you have available. The problem we are trying to illustrate to our council is that you are, in a sense, victims of your system, manpower shortages, and call volume, and it will not benefit anyone to add to this load. The best trained operator can fall behind for a variety of reasons...this operator obviously did, and there was little else going on. Does that mean he/she is inept? NO! It means, as Brian pointed out, they are human, and juggling 30 departments county-wide. However, if we face facts, in times of high demand, it can-and does-get worse. With our own center able to focus on us alone...we reduce, and often eliminate, any delay. That luxury is one we have come to depend on, and enjoy. Everybody knows how valuable each second is. We have become accustomed to being the only customer, and dont want to loose that benefit...or add to your workload. Speaking with some of you personally, I am fairly confident I know the true feelings you cannot express publicly, and we all appreciate the support, and the difficult positions you are in. At the end of the day, I feel that we are all part of the same family. Families will argue, and get mad at each other, but in the end, always forgive and come together to support each other. GFD will do our best to move forward however we must, and serve our city with whatever tools we have available...wherever our calls may come from. I assure you-theres no hard feelings on our part toward OC911 dispatchers...we know none of you had any say in our situation, and we are clear on who our fight is with. We will try to be more cognizant of what we post going forward, but please know that whatever may pop up on this page is not intended to be an insult to any of you personally. Again-my sincere apologies to anyone who took offense.
Posted on: Sun, 02 Nov 2014 15:47:57 +0000