Indiana Sheriff's Office Upgrades 911 Call-Handling Operations With Total Response

The Pike County (IN) Sheriff's Office is transitioning to PowerPhone's Total Response solution to streamline 911 call-handling operations. Total Response provides the tools, processes, and trainings for Pike County's Public Safety team to define, achieve, and measure their 911 call-handling standard of care.

At the center of the transition is PowerPhone's CACH software, a computer-aided call-handling software that communicates with Pike County's existing CAD system to seamlessly transfer information from 911 call handlers to emergency responders as it is gathered. The Pike County Sheriff's Office uses Cushing CAD (J2), which had previously built an interface to CACH; CACH's interface can interact with any CAD.

CACH utilizes an integrated protocol system to meet the complete needs of any 911 call regardless of emergency type (law enforcement, fire service or emergency medical dispatch). Protocols guide the call handlers through each call using PowerPhone's patented call-taking formula to rapidly identify each emergency and dispatch the appropriate responder skill set according to Pike County's response plan. Alicia Atkinkson from PowerPhone's Implementation Team worked with Pike County to best apply their call handling processes and response plans with PowerPhone's protocols allowing for a seamless transition to the new Total Response system. Residents will see faster, more consistent call handling processes for 911 emergencies.

Total Response also includes administrative and management tools to help Pike County maintain call-handling consistency and identify areas for operational and training improvements. The "Call Assessment" module enables staff to review past calls and share them in peer-to-peer training sessions. Call assessment also provides actionable data insights that can be used to enhance training, identify trends, refine operations and monitor agency performance. Two Pike County Sheriff's Office staff members have been certified in Call Assessment Management.

PowerPhone provided each Pike County Sheriff's Office call handler with protocol certification training and provided system and administrative training for managers. The implementation process also provided full software installation, around-the-clock support and will handle all future software and protocol updates to keep Pike County current with 911 call-handling best practices.

About PowerPhone

PowerPhone, a 32-year-old privately-held Connecticut corporation, is a leading provider of emergency communications technology, consulting and training. PowerPhone's single-system Total Response approach to emergency communications ensures consistent call handling and the highest standard of care. As the first organization to develop integrated protocols for police, fire and emergency medical dispatch, PowerPhone has helped raise standards for call handling throughout the world. For more information, visit www.PowerPhone.com .