Agenda - 02-18-1992 - Laserfiche WebLink

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7 system significantly. True errors can be brought to light to serve as an educational tool for.other players in the system. On the other hand, the requirement to put complaints in writing should encourage submission of only legitimate complaints. The 911 Communications Group is scheduled to address the topic of a formal complaint process at its March meeting. PIIBLIC AWARENESS One of the conclusions reached by the Chapel Hill Task Force on Reducing Crime and Illegal Drug Use was the need for "continuous education of the public regarding correct use of 911.11 This is an important point that was reinforced during our review process. Orange Central receives a substantial number of calls, aside from clearly administrative calls, that do not represent true emergencies. we are exploring ways to quickly divert these calls from 911 to specific agencies. Some of this problem is attributable, I think, to the excellent customer service orientation that exists among orange Central staff, who generally do not discourage these calls. I want our staff to continue to be as helpful as possible, and want to avoid at all costs an environment wherein citizens hesitate to call 911 when they might really need it. Our approach will remain to encourage citizens to call 911 if there is any doubt in their minds about the urgency of their need for help. However, I think that with a positive tone and content, we can make progress towards educating the general public about situations when they should appropriately use the 911 system. We also need to ensure that all emergency service providers exercise self - discipline in limiting their calls to emergency situations in which they are directly involved. I believe this will lead to a higher percentage of emergency calls handled,' a reduced call workload for our dispatchers, and better service for all. The 911 Communications Group and the Orange County media are assisting use in undertaking a public awareness campaign that will focus~ on informing Orange County citizens about what 911 is and can do, and what it is not and cannot do. While specific emphasis will be placed on this in the months ahead as E911, CAD, and mapping capabilities come on line, I foresee this as an ongoing effort. We will avail ourselves of opportunities to do radio and television features that discuss how the 911 system works and the improvements that will be introduced during 1992. In conjunction with the towns, we are working on a set of informational materials that will serve as the basis for our awareness campaign. The staff of WCHL have offered to work with us in developing public service announcements, interview shows, and other approaches to getting the word out on 911. We will also explore cooperative efforts with the cable companies and the 11