NEWS
MyEagleNews.com
Wednesday, July 15, 2020
A3
911 dispatchers request to be recognized as first responders
By Steven Mitchell
Blue Mountain Eagle
Dispatchers from the John
Day Emergency Communi-
cations Agency asked Grant
County Court to pass a sym-
bolic resolution recognizing
dispatchers as first responders
in Grant County.
Dispatcher Cammie Haney
said a bill in Congress that
would reclassify dispatchers
as first responders instead of
office administrative support
workers passed in the United
States House of Represen-
tatives but has stalled in the
Senate.
Currently, Haney said, the
U.S. Office of Management
and Budget classifies 911 dis-
patchers as office and admin-
istrative support — a cate-
gory that includes hotel desk
clerks, secretaries and human
resource assistants.
“Those professions do not
in any way endure the same
amount of stress and trauma
that comes from calmly and
meticulously handling high-
risk fire, police and medical
situations,” Haney said.
After attending a stress
management class and learn-
ing that little research exists
about mental health among
dispatchers, she decided to
develop an informal survey
last year using a free survey
engine and shared it with sev-
eral 911 social media groups
she belongs to.
The survey was an anon-
ymous self-report and ended
with an open comment sec-
tion. She said about 750
responded across the country,
and there were a few interna-
tional participants as well.
The survey revealed 18%
of respondents had been diag-
nosed with post-traumatic
stress disorder — 2.5 times
higher than the national aver-
age (6.8%). Twenty percent
of respondents disclosed sui-
cidal ideation — over four
times higher than the national
average (4.3%). Three per-
cent of respondents disclosed
a prior suicide attempt — five
times higher than the national
average (.6%).
Haney said the survey
also revealed dispatchers and
police officers have PTSD at
roughly the same rate — dis-
patchers at 18% and cops at
19%.
Haney said, in light of
the Senate’s inaction on the
bill, states and counties are
making changes locally by
passing resolutions recog-
nizing dispatchers as first
responders.
Haney said the counties
in Oregon that passed resolu-
tions include Clackamas and,
The Eagle/Steven Mitchell
John Day Emergency Com-
munications Agency Manag-
er Valerie Maynard answers
questions about the center’s
proposed resolution to recog-
nize 911 dispatchers as first re-
sponders.
From left, Grant County Court members County Commissioner Sam Palmer, County Judge Scott
Myers and Commissioner Jim Hamsher practice appropriate social distancing during Wednesday’s
session.
most recently, Harney.
“By the county court
approving a resolution declar-
ing 911 dispatchers as first
responders, they are sending
a clear message to the state of
Oregon and our country that
the occupation of a 911 dis-
patcher is more than a secre-
tary sitting at a console, push-
ing buttons and taking notes,”
she said.
Commissioner
Sam
Palmer said he is concerned
about the liability of signing
onto the resolution and asked
if legal counsel or an insur-
ance carrier had reviewed the
proposed declaration in the
event of “something going
wrong.”
For instance, he asked
what the legal repercussions
would mean for the county if
a 911 dispatcher gave “out-
dated” medical advice.
Valerie Maynard, John
Day Emergency Communi-
cations Agency manager, said
the resolution is “symbolic”
and would go to the state and
be used to build more support
to push legislation on both the
state and federal level.
Maynard said their pro-
posed resolution mirrors the
one passed by Clackamas
County, which was reviewed
by their legal counsel.
Palmer said he was also
concerned that the resolution
Haney and Maynard submit-
ted to the court included ver-
biage that a dispatcher would
stay on the phone with some-
one until a paramedic arrives
on the scene.
He asked what would hap-
pen if a paramedic did not
respond to an emergency, or
if there was no paramedic
available to answer.
“This says a paramedic,”
he said. “We may not have a
paramedic.”
Palmer said there was
an incident earlier this year
where a paramedic could not
respond because the ambu-
lance was on another call
and someone else ended up
responding and transporting
the victims to the hospital.
Haney said the proposed
resolution is a template, and
the court can change the
language.
Palmer said, if he were
going to pen his name, he
would like to have the word
paramedic changed to some-
thing else, such as an emer-
gency medical services
provider.
County Judge Scott Myers
asked if “other responders”
could replace the word “para-
medic.” He said it seemed
like a simple fix.
He said they could have the
proposed resolution reviewed
by their legal counsel.
“I know it’s a matter of
semantics,” Palmer said. “But
in this day and age, semantics
matter.”
Maynard said she appreci-
ated the concern.
Haney said after the meet-
ing Palmer asked a valid
question and made a valid
point.
Maynard said the reso-
lution would open up more
benefits for 911 dispatchers,
including access to mental
health, training and eligibility
for more grant funding.
Palmer asked Maynard if
the dispatch center offered
intervention programs for the
high rates of PTSD among
dispatchers.
Haney said there is a peer
support group with Grant
County Sheriff’s Office,
John Day Police Department
and other emergency work-
ers that check in one another
after traumatic events occur
instead of meeting on set day
and time.
“It really falls back on
making sure everybody is
being taken care of,” she said.
Haney said dispatchers
also have an employee assis-
tance program with a cer-
tain number of mental health
sessions. Additionally, she
said Community Counseling
Solutions recently launched a
pilot program that offers four
free counseling sessions to
The Eagle/Steven Mitchell
emergency medical respond-
ers, law enforcement officers
and dispatchers.
Myers asked if pass-
ing resolution would bring a
change in pay or their Public
Employee Retirement System
benefits.
Maynard said the designa-
tion would not have any “fis-
cal impact” to the county and
that 911 dispatchers already
have the option for early
retirement.
“It recognizes the dis-
patcher for what they do,” she
said. “We truly are the first
first responder.”
Emergency Operations
Center update
Grant County resident Jim
Spell asked the court about
the current status of the Emer-
gency Operations Center. He
said there had not been much
information out to the public
about the center.
Commissioner Jim Ham-
sher, the EOC liaison, said
there is a “limited staff” that
is working on an as-needed
basis and said the county will
interview a potential emer-
gency management coordi-
nator Thursday. He said the
new coordinator should have
a recommendation on what
direction they would like to
take regarding its future.
Spell asked if Deputy Inci-
dent Commander Chris Rush-
ing was still with the EOC.
Hamsher said Rushing is
still working remotely “as
needed.”
Maynard said the dispatch
center does not have any
information and asked if the
phone numbers at the EOC
were still valid as dispatch
still receive calls. She said
they have been telling peo-
ple they do not know if any
EOC staff members are at the
Grant County Regional Air-
port location.
Myers said there were
three or four numbers exclu-
sively for the EOC. Hamsher
said there is nobody putting
in hours to answer calls to
the center, but emails are for-
warded to staff members.
Maynard asked that the
court update the dispatch cen-
ter when they hire a new coor-
dinator and bring on new staff
at the EOC so they can give the
public accurate information.
Grant County Health
Department updates
the court on COVID-19
response
Grant County Health
Department Administrator
Kimberly Lindsay updated
the court on the status of Gov.
Kate Brown’s mask require-
ment as the Health Depart-
ment is responsible to enforce
the requirement for hotels and
restaurants.
She said she spoke to her
staff member who receives
complaints for businesses
that do not comply with
the requirement and Grant
County is the “best actor” out
of four counties.
Lindsay said, if a com-
plaint comes in, the health
department will stop by the
business and go over the
requirements. If needed, she
said, they will go over the
requirements a couple of
times.
She said a formal letter is
sent to the business if they
should continue to not fol-
low the order, and as a last
resort, there are penalties that
the department is required to
issue.
She said the staff has not
had to send out a formal letter.
Lindsay said the COVID-
19 core medical group con-
tinues to meet regularly and
has started reviewing reopen-
ing plans from a couple of
schools in the district.
She said the state requires
the medical group to review
reopening plans, and the
benchmarks to meet come
from the state.
Health
Department
Accreditation Coordinator
Kathy Cancilla, named the
county’s emergency plan-
ner a month ago, briefed the
court on Grant County’s test-
ing data and said there were
incorrect numbers reported to
the state of how many actual
tests were administered. Lind-
say said it appeared that not all
of the results from the Abbott
rapid-testing machine at Blue
Mountain Hospital were
submitted.
Grant County Health
Department Clinic Manager
Jessica Winegar said Mon-
day that she met with hospi-
tal staff to review the numbers
and confirmed that some test
results did not get reported to
the state.
“Over the last six weeks, it
appears that a few test results
were not submitted and/or
some tests did not have appro-
priate items checked to be
included in the counts,” Win-
egar said. “The issue has been
rectified — all results have
been submitted and state con-
firmed receipt.”
Winegar said the hospi-
tal’s lab is currently being
reviewed for the second time
for all of the lab’s tests. A
“new electronic pathway” was
developed for reporting the
test results and she confirmed
that as of Monday afternoon
Grant County continues to
have only one positive test
from March.
In other county news:
• The members of the
court signed on to officially
endorse the Zero Suicide Ini-
tiative and framework being
implemented by Community
Counseling Solutions. Lind-
say said CCS would include
the endorsement from Grant
County Court on their web-
site. Lindsay said CCS offers
suicide prevention train-
ing and recommended those
interested in learning more
about suicide prevention to
go to CCS’s website as they
have links to the “Question,
Persuade, Refer” training
program.
• Lindsay asked the court
to sponsor CCS on its appli-
cation for a Community
Development Block Grant
to remodel the building they
purchased from the county.
She said her goal is to bring
the CCS staff under one roof.
She said she met with Busi-
ness Oregon, and it looks like
they qualify, but they would
need the county to sponsor
CCS. Myers said the county
is sponsoring Heart of Grant
County for the construction
of its domestic voilence cen-
ter. Lindsay said the county
can sponsor up to two block
grants. Myers and Palmer
moved to sponsor CCS, but
Hamsher suggested the court
check with the Grant County
Fairgrounds.
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or if you just want to share a hunting adventure,
send or drop off your best
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to
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