New 911 Communicator 2008A - Orleans Parish Communication

ORLEANS PARISH
COMMUNICATION
DISTRICT
VOLUME 8, ISSUE 1
THE 9-1-1
COMMUNICATOR
FALL 2008
OPCD BOARD CHAIRMAN PASSES
FIRE DISPATCHER PASSES
Denise
Ashford,
Fire Dispatcher
#15, departed this
life
on
Monday
September 22, 2008 at the
age of 48. Denise was employed with the city of New
Orleans since 1977 and
joined the Fire Department in
1980. She was the recipient
of OPCD Telecommunicator
Recognition Award in 2005.
The 9-1-1
Communicator
is a quarterly
publication
of the Orleans
Parish Communication District.
Direct all inquiries to the Editor,
Ausettua AmorAmenkum
118 City Park Avenue, N.O. LA
70119
info@911nola.org
504-671-3911
Warren Edward McDaniels,
Sr., passed on Sunday,
February 24, 2008. Raised
by his grandmother, Isabelle
McDaniels Jackson, Chief
McDaniels dropped out of
George Washington Carver
High School after his sophomore year. He worked odd
jobs and served three years in
the Navy. Eight years after
leaving school, McDaniels
enrolled in an adult-education
program to learn how to drive
18 wheelers. That program
gave him the chance to take
a test for the G.E.D. diploma,
which in turn let him take the
test to join the Fire Department.
Chief McDaniels retired from
the New Orleans Fire Department on Friday, December
27, 2002, after 33 years of
service. The Chief was appointed to the New Orleans
Fire Department October 19,
1969, serving as apparatus
operator, company officer,
training captain and fire science instructor at Delgado
Community College, Chief of
Administration and Assistant
Superintendent. On March
31, 1993, Chief McDaniels
became the ninth Superintendent in the history of the New
Orleans Fire Department. He
was the first African
American to serve at this
post.
Chief McDaniels was a
graduate of the National
Fire Academy’s Executive
Fire Officer Program, the
executive development
program of Loyola University and held an Associate
degree in Fire Protection
Technology. In 1992, he
was awarded a Fellowship
to the John F. Kennedy
School of Government at
Harvard University.
At the time of his death,
Chief McDaniels was serving as the Chairman of
two boards: the Board of
Directors of the National
Fire Protection Association (NFPA) in Boston,
Massachusetts and the
Orleans Parish Communication District. Chief
McDaniels was an OPCD
Board member sine 1997
and was appointed Chairman in 1999. He served
as past President of the
Metropolitan Chiefs Committee (which is a division
of both the NFPA and the
International Association
of Fire Chiefs) and the
Board of Directors of the
New Orleans Jazz and
Heritage Foundation. He
also served on the Board
of the Volunteers of America, New Orleans Region;
the Board of Visitors of
the National Fire Academy in Emmetsburg,
Maryland and the Governor of Louisiana’s Arson
Strike Force.
In 1999, the American
Council on Education presented him with the Cornelius P. Turner Award for
his lifetime achievements
as a GED graduate.
THE 9-1-1 COMMUNICATOR
Page 2
STEPHEN GORDON, NEW DIRECTOR AT OPCD
Stephen Gordon
Beginning January 31,
2008, the new Executive
Director of the OPCD is
Stephen J. Gordon, ENP.
He is retired from the
NOPD, achieving the rank
of Captain after 33 years
of service. His assignments with the Police Department were the Second
District, Vice, Narcotics
and his last assignment of
18 years in E911 Communications.
in 1979. He is the President
Elect of NENA’s Institute
Board which manages the
Emergency Number Professional (ENP) national certification program. He has been
a keynote speaker at National and State 911 conventions, including presentations
in Canada and England, relative to Hurricane Katrina.
"Captain G." is a recipient of
the Charles Dunbar Louisiana
Career Civil Service Award.
Stephen Gordon earned a
Bachelors of Criminal Justice from Loyola University
Mr. Gordon is married to
Susan, his wife of 28 years
and they have four grown
children.
He also volunteers as a
Boy Scout leader for the
Troop sponsored at his
church.
Director Gordon is committed to OPCD’s mission,
which is to assist the
three public safety agencies receive and process
E911
emergency
calls. “We will work hard
to make sure all four agencies move forward together.”
FRITH MALIN, NEW DEPUTY DIRECTOR AT OPCD
Frith Malin
Beginning September 10,
2008 the new Deputy
Director of the Orleans
Parish Communication
District (OPCD) is Ms.
Frith Malin. Ms. Malin
originally from New Orleans, was raised in Algiers, graduated from Ben
Franklin Senior High
School and the New Orleans Center for Creative
Arts (NOCCA), and received
her B.S. in Economics from
UNO. Upon receiving her
Masters in Economics
from Vanderbilt University
in Nashville, Tennessee,
Ms. Malin started her public service career working
for Tennessee State Government. Ms. Malin brings
with her a wealth of expertise, not just in E9-1-1, but
in public and economic
policy as well. As a Senior
Research Associate for the
Tennessee Advisory Commission on Intergovernmental Relations (TACIR),
Ms. Malin researched and
authored a report, The
Funding and Creation of
E9-1-1 Districts in Tennessee, which later received
the Special Achievement
Award from the Governmental Research Association. In 1998 Ms. Malin
drafted legislation for the
Tennessee General Assembly
creating a statewide E9-1-1
Board and implementing a
statewide wireless E9-1-1
surcharge, and coordinated
the passage of that bill. After
receiving overwhelming bipartisan support in both the
House of Representatives and
Senate of the Tennessee General Assembly
Ms. Malin was appointed the
first Executive Director of the
Tennessee Emergency Communications Board. As State
9-1-1 Director, Ms. Malin implemented statewide wireless
E9-1-1 Phase 1 service, and
developed regulatory and program accountability standards. Ms. Malin was most
recently the Enhanced 9-1-1
Manager for Snohomish
County, Washington, a bedroom community north of Seattle, Washington. As E9-1-1
Manager, Ms. Malin implemented wireless E9-1-1
Phase 2 and VoIP E9-1-1 service for the entire county.
Ms. Malin also served as
Chair of the Washington
next Generation E9-1-1
subcommittee, which was
responsible for developing a six-year implementation plan, including the
build-out of an IP network
for the entire state. In
addition, Ms. Malin implemented financial and program accountability standards, and was able to
save the county over $1
million per year for the
E9-1-1 network.
“I am excited and honored to be given the opportunity to work with a
team of dedicated professionals at OPCD. OPCD
has been a bright spot in
New Orleans’ recovery
and rebuilding; I am honored to be able to work
with the public safety
agencies and employees
in New Orleans.”
Page 3
THE 9-1-1 COMMUNICATOR
COL. TERRY EBBERT NAMED CHAIRMAN OF OPCD
The OPCD Board of Commissioners unanimously
elected Col. Terry Ebbert
Chairman of the Board. Col.
Ebbert is the former Director of Homeland Security for
the City of New Orleans and
an active OPCD board member. As Director of Homeland Security he was assigned the operational and
planning responsibility for
the New Orleans Police Department, New Orleans Fire
Department and the New
Orleans Office of Emergency Preparedness.
Colonel Ebbert has over 35
years of experience in professional leadership positions. He is a distinguished, twice-wounded
combat veteran who was
awarded the Navy Cross,
the second highest award
for valor given by the
United States. Other major
leadership positions have
included: Executive Director of the New Orleans Police Foundation, Director of
Security; United States
Strategic Petroleum Reserve, Commanding Offi-
cer, United States Marine
Corps Basic School; Military Secretary for Commandant of the United
States Marine Corps; Security Officer, United States
Pacific Fleet; and Infantry
Combat Commander.
Terry Ebbert has been married to Mrs. Swanne Ebbert
for 33 years and is the
father of two daughters,
Kristin Lovingood of North
Carolina and Alison Ebbert
of California.
Col. Terry Ebbert
DR. JULIUS LEVY NEW OPCD BOARD MEMBER
September 2008 OPCD
announced the appointment
of Dr. Julius Levy to the
Board of Commissioners. Dr.
Levy practiced General Surgery in New Orleans and
Metairie until his retirement
in December 1998. He is a
Diplomat of the American
Board of Surgery and a Fellow of the American College
of Surgeons. He is a member of numerous medical
and surgical societies and
served as Chairman of the
Surgical Section of the
Southern Medical Association and Chairman of the
Departments of Surgery at
Touro Infirmary and Lakeside Hospital. He served as
Chairman of the Emergency
Medical Services Committee
of the Orleans Parish Medical Society, Chairman of the
Health Advisory Committee
of the City of New Orleans,
and Command Physician for
the National Disaster Medical System.
Dr. Levy is currently a Clinical Professor of Surgery
and an Adjunct Professor
of Structural and Cellular
Biology at Tulane University where he continues his
lifelong participation in the
teaching of students and
residents. He is a past
Chief of the Section of Pediatric Surgery at Tulane
and a past-President of the
Tulane Medical Alumni
Association. He is a member of the Medical School
Admissions Committee
and a member of the Administrative Board of the
Medical Center of Louisiana at New Orleans
(Charity Hospital). His previous Tulane activities include membership on the
Board of the Tulane Alumni
Association and Class
Agent Coordinator.
Dr. Levy recently received
Alpha Omega Alpha’s Clinical Teacher of the Year
Award and the Tulane
Medical Alumni Association’s Distinguished Service
Award.
Dr. Levy has served as
Chairman of the Physicians’
Division of United Way;
President of the Louisiana
Society for the Prevention
of Cruelty to Animals; President of Woldenberg Village;
President of the Jewish Federation of Greater New Orleans; Chairman of the Jewish Welfare Fund; and President of Temple Sinai. He is
a graduate of the New Orleans Police Academy and
currently holds the rank of
Captain in the Reserve Division of the New Orleans
Police Department.
Dr. Levy is the immediate
past-Chairman of the Board
of Governors of the Tulane
University Health Sciences
Center, a post that he held
from 2003 through 2006.
He remains an active member of the Board.
Dr. Julius Levy
THE 9-1-1 COMMUNICATOR
KARL FASOLD
Page 4
INFORMATION TECHNOLOGIST OF THE YEAR
The Association of PublicSafety Communications Officials (APCO) International
announced the 2008 Information Technologist of the
Year Public Safety Award Program (PSAP) award to be presented to Karl Fasold, Systems Administrator for the
Orleans Parish Communication District (OPCD).
This award was presented at
the Opening General Session
of the APCO International
74th Annual Conference and
Exposition in Kansas City,
Missouri on August 4, 2008
Mr. Fasold, who has been
with OPCD since 2004, is responsible for the maintenance, support, modifications, and security of the
technical components that
comprise the OPCD systems,
including hardware and software, administrative and Enhanced 9-1-1 (E9-1-1).
"Mr. Fasold has demonstrated time and again his
team spirit and his loyalty to
the people he works with and
for," OPCD GIS/Mapping Coordinator Kathrine Cargo said
in her nomination letter.
is a great example of activities
deserving of this great honor and
the entire department should be
proud of his award."
Karl Fasold, OPCD Systems Engineer
"He is astute, responsible, and an
asset to the OPCD technical team."
Mr. Fasold has been instrumental in
the technical design, layout, and
planning of facilities and equipment
requirements for the construction of
a permanent consolidated communication center following the devastating floods from levee failures after Hurricane Katrina.
During Hurricane Katrina, Fasold set
about turning a hotel grand ballroom into a 9-1-1 call center after
the center had been damaged by
flooding, leaving his family and enduring difficult conditions because
of his sense of duty.
APCO International President Willis
Carter said. "The work that Karl
Fasold has done in New Orleans
Karl Fasold expressed his being
humbled by the selection. “ It is an
honor, and while my name will be
on the award this award is for the
entire OPCD team.” It is this sentiment that demonstrate OPCD’s
commitment to provide quality
service to Police, Fire and EMS as
well as the citizens and tourists
who dial 9-1-1 for assistance.
Page 5
THE 9-1-1 COMMUNICATOR
KATHRINE CARGO
URISA PRESIDENT ELECT
Annual Conference in New Orleans in October 2008.
Kathrine Cargo
OPCD is pleased to announce
that Kathrine Cargo, GISP is
the
President-Elect of the
Urban and Regional Information Systems Association
(URISA). Ms. Cargo began her
three-year term as a member
of the Board of Directors at
the close of URISA's 46th
“URISA means professional
growth, as I feel that my participation in conferences, committees
and chapter functions better prepared me to recognize challenges
as opportunities for improvement.
URISA has been and continues to
be a great source of inspiration to
me in my work as a GIS/Mapping
Coordinator, mainly due to the GIS
educational offerings and the industry information that streams
from the association on a regular
basis,” said Cargo.
Kathrine Cargo is the GIS Mappin g Co o rd in a to r fo r the
OPCD and has successfully completed the requirements for the
NENA Emergency Number Professional (ENP) Certification.
DAYTON GIBSON
NEW
FACILITIES MANAGER
Dayton Gibson
joined
the
OPCD
staff in August 2008.
He brings 12
years of experience in
the hospitality industry.
A native New
Orleanian,
Dayton Gibson
he also has 10 years of experience
in supplies/warehouse management at
LSU Medical Center and Trinity Yachts.
Mr. Gibson brings with him a great personality, a warm smile and has demonstrated a strong commitment to provide
a safe and sanitary environment for public safety personnel to perform their duties.
TAMI BRISSET, NEW COMMANDER OF POLICE COMMUNICATIONS
Captain Tami Brisset has
been a member of the
New Orleans Police Department for over 26
years. She was born in
New Orleans. She served
in many divisions including Narcotics, Vice , the
5th, 2nd, and 1st Districts.
She also served as the
Commander of 1st District,
Crime Lab, Inspections,
and now Communications. She is the recipient
of the Medal of Merit,
many unit citations and
other awards throughout her
career. Captain Brisset is an
avid traveler and has traveled
to the UK over 100 times in
the last 25 years and intends
to reside in the UK when she
retires. In August 2005, she
represented NOPD, the only
American, in a charity race
event that raised over 20,000
for victims’ families in London
during the July 7, 2005 bombings that killed 52 people. This charity event which
was on the London underground train (tube) system,
was completed by Captain Brisset in 20 hours
with the Guinness Record being just over 18
hours. While there, Hurricane Katrina entered
the Gulf and Captain
Brisset managed to get
back to her department
in a few days after several flights, driving hundreds of miles, and running out of gas twice.
She is married, has two
sons, a grandson, and
five Chihuahuas.
Capt. Tami Brisset
THE 9-1-1 COMMUNICATOR
Page 6
PSAP EVACUATION DRILL HELD
In preparation for hurricane season OPCD, Police, Fire & EMS Communications personnel held a joint PSAP evacuation drill Tuesday July 15, 2008. The drill involved transporting 30 personnel to the backup site at City Hall, switching emergency lines to the backup site and receiving and processing live calls for service for approximately 40 minutes. The drill was a complete success and demonstrated a need for additional evacuation exercises to be held at
different times to allow all personnel an opportunity to receive training. OPCD staffer Bill Irwin will continue to offer
backup PSAP preparation training for all agency personnel.
THE 9-1-1 COMMUNICATOR
Page 7
9-1-1 DIRECTORS MEET AT OPCD
The Directors and key staff
personnel of the E911 Taxing
Districts for the Radio System’s Region 1 meet monthly
to discuss and review issues
that are relative to E911 operations in the four parish
region. OPCD hosted the September meeting which was
attended by representatives
from Jefferson, St. Bernard
and Plaquemines Parishes.
Issues discussed included
proposed pre-paid and VoIP
E911 surcharge legislation,
location of the E911 Center,
and Hurricanes Gustav and
Ike experiences.
Sitting:Ken Martin (Jefferson), Donna Frederick and Nateline Banks (Plaquemines), Capt. Bret Bowen
(St. Bernard) Standing: Kathrine Cargo (OPCD), Frith Malin (OPCD), Stephen Gordon (OPCD)
and Randy Johnson (Plaquemines)
9-1-1 CARES IN NEW ORLEANS
HURRICANE GUSTAV
Bridgette Bedney, along with her fellow dispatchers and call
takers from Police and Fire departments, collected over 300
pounds of items to be distributed to fellow 9-1-1 telecommunicators in the Galveston, Texas area, recent victims of Hurricane Ike. Many telecommunicators gave because of the support that was shown to them when Hurricane Katrina struck
New Orleans in 2005.
Police Dispatchers Andrea Taylor, Joyce Ahmed, Debra
Moss, Geraldine Williams, Qvonda Taylor and Fire Dispatcher Teri Clark relax on their downtime during our recent activation for Hurricane Gustav. The OPCD administration building served as a dormitory and lounge for police,
fire and EMS telecommunicators who were all working 12
hour shifts.
THE 9-1-1 COMMUNICATOR
Page 8
TELECOMMUNICATOR OF THE YEAR 2008
Telecommunicator of the Year recipients Letitia Joseph (NOFD),
Lacrecia Taylor and Stephanie Ezidore (NOPD) and Faith Upton (EMS)
Fire Supt. Charles Parent, OPCD Director Stephen Gordon, Letitia Joseph,
Maxine Vappie and Chief Bruce Martin
OPCD Director Stephen Gordon, PCS Cheryl Jacobs, Sgt. Claude Flot,
Nishe Collins, APCS Mary Knight, Capt. Brisset and PCS Zolite Caliste
In conjunction with National Public Safety
Week, OPCD held its
annual Telecommunicator of the Year Award
Ceremony and Luncheon on April 17, 2008
at City Council Chambers and the Sheraton
Hotel. Telecommunicator
of the Year recipients,
who are selected by
their supervisors,
included Police Dispatcher
Lacrecia Taylor, Police
Complaint Operator
Stephanie Ezidore, Fire
Dispatcher Letitia Joseph and EMS Dispatcher Faith Upton.
Telecommunicator Recognition Award recipients are chosen by their
co-workers and included
Police Dispatcher Nishe
Collins-Caire, Fire Dispatcher Rhonda McClain
and EMS Dispatcher
Samuel Latiker.
Police Complaint Operator Giselle Bertrand
was this year’s recipient
of the Superior Service
Award.
Council Member at-Large
Jackie Clarkson and her office
sponsored the proclamations
Each year, the second
full week of April is
dedicated to the men
and women who serve as
public safety
telecommunicators.
Telecommunicator Week
was first conceived by
Patricia Anderson of the
Contra Costa County
(Calif.) Sheriff's Office in
1981.
Stephanie Ezidore
Page 9
NOPD Award Recipients
Stephanie Ezidore and
Lacrecia Taylor
Council members Jackie Clarkson, Cynthia WillardWillard-Lewis, Shelly Midura, James Carter, OPCD Director Stephen
Gordon and Asst. Police Communications Commander Sgt. Claude Flot with award recipients
EMS Administrator Cedric Palmisano, EMS Communications Director
Barbara Ireland, Award Recipient Faith Upton,
EMS HR Director Yolanda Wilson and OPCD Director Gordon
NOFD Recognition Recipient Rhonda McClain
with Fire Supt. Charles Parent and her mother Ann Collins
OPCD has acknowledged National Telecommunicator Week
since 1993. Since that
time every public safety
telecommunicator assigned to Police, Fire,
and EMS has received
a token of appreciation
from the District.
Past gifts include tote
bags, spill proof drinking
cups, leather key carriers, clip boards, brief
cases, polo shirts, denim
shirts, denim jackets,
lunch boxes, umbrellas
and windbreakers. This
year the selected gift
was a 9-1-1 duffle bag.
EMS Award
Recognition Recipient
Samuel Latiker
Superior Service Award
Recipient Giselle Bertrand
and OPCD Director
Stephen Gordon
APCO CLASS #08-27
OPCD BOARDMEMBER
SPOTLIGHT
Dr. Jullette Saussy
OPCD hosted the APCO Public Safety Telecommunicator I Class June 22-26,
2008. This was the second APCO class held in New Orleans post-Katrina.
Attendees represented New Orleans Police and Fire Departments, Kenner
Police, Plaquemines Parish Sheriff Department, St Bernard Sheriff Office
and Gretna Police Department. APCO Class #08-27: Erin Herkender (NOFD),
Nicole Kelly (NOPD), Jessica Polk (Plaquemines Parish Sheriff), Cynthia
Mayeaux (Gretna Police), Dixie Guilot (Gretna Police), Tracy Allo (Kenner
Police); Standing: Dianne Hadley (NOFD), Neliska Calloway (NOPD), Katrina
Alexander (NOFD), Tina Berry (NOFD), Ryan Melerine (St. Bernard Sheriff
Office), Marolyn Turlich (Plaquemines Parish Sheriff), Delilah Pollard
(NOFD), Beth Sloan (St. Bernard Sheriff), Teri Clark (NOFD) and Demetrice
Parker (NOPD). Dixie Guilot from Gretna Police Department was named the
Honor Graduate, having achieved the highest score in the class.
Governor Bobby Jindal
has appointed Dr. Jullette Saussy, the
award winning New
Orleans Emergency
M ed ic a l
S e rv ic es
(EMS) Director to the
Louisiana EMS Certification Commission.
This commission serves to identify, define
and implement the appropriate functions for
emergency medical personnel and to authorize pre-certification and post-certification
training programs for them. It is comprised of
10 members from across the State, all appointed by the Governor. Dr. Saussy's gubernatorial appointment closely follows several
recent state and national awards. This summer, Dr. Saussy was named State EMS Director of the Year at the annual Louisiana National Registered Emergency Medical Technicians conference. In February of this year, Dr.
Saussy received top honors at the EMS State
of the Sciences Conference otherwise known
as "A Gathering of Eagles." She received the
Michael Key Copmass Award, which is given
to the Emergency Medical Services Medical
Director who has demonstrated superior
longstanding service, contributions and leadership in out-of-hospital emergency care.
PRIORITY DISPATCH CERTIFICATION
Barbara Ireland has been
in EMS for 26
years, 23 of
which as a
paramedic,
and has a BA
Barbara Ireland
in Psychology
from the University of New Orleans. She has been employed
with New Orleans EMS since
1984 and is now the NOEMS Director of Communications. In November 2007, Barbara took the
Emergency Medical Dispatcher
(EMD) instructor course in Salt
Lake City, Utah through the
National Academy of Emergency
Dispatchers (NAED).
The Academy accepts only one
out of every 20 applicants for
this certification course. With
New Orleans EMS implementing
the Priority Dispatch system and
with Barbara as an instructor, we
are working towards becoming
an Accredited Center of Excellence. To date 30 personnel from
Orleans Parish have been certified in EMD,
The 8th Annual 9-1-1 Poster contest is open
to all students grades K-12 who attend public, private, parochial, charter and magnet
schools in Orleans Parish. Grand Prize is
$1000 for the winner and the school that the
winner attends. Additional prizes awarded in
three categories in each grade groups K-4, 58, and 9-12 grades. Three 1st Place prizes of
$500, three 2nd Place prizes of $250 and
three 3rd Place prizes of $150 awarded.
Twenty-five $50 honorable mentioned prizes
will be awarded. The deadline is December
8, 2008. For more information contact 6713911 or visit our website @ www.911nola.org
and click on community news to download
the entry form.