St. Maarten

As part of the ongoing training for the personnel that will be working in the Joint Emergency Central Dispatch, a workshop in “Customer Service” was held on Saturday April 10th and provided and given by NAGICO N.V.

This workshop was held in the Philipsburg Police head Quarters and presented by Mrs. Lisa Brown and Mr. Terrance Dublin. The workshop entailed many subjects and mainly how to deal the communities, which are the customers, with the highest level of professionalism.

All participants actively took part in the workshop and gathered and shared as much information possible.

In addition and in order to make the communication between the community and the 911 Emergency Dispatch as pleasant and effective as possible the following tips are provided to the community when and if an emergency call is placed:

When to call 911:

An emergency is a situation that requires immediate assistance from the police, fire department or ambulance. This emergency can include:

• A fire
• A crime, especially in progress
• A car crash, especially if some one is injured
• A medical emergency, such as someone is unconscious, gasping for air on not breathing, or any other symptoms that require immediate medical attention.

IMPORTANT: If you are not sure whether the situation is a true emergency, it is recommended to still call 911 and let the call-taker whether you need emergency help.

When you call 911, be prepared to answer the call-taker’s questions, which may include:

• The location of the emergency, including the street address.
• The phone number you are calling from.
• The nature of the emergency.
• Details about the emergency, such as physical description of a person who may have committed a crime, a description of any fire that may be burning, or a description of injuries or symptoms being experienced by a person.

Remember, the call-taker’s questions are important to get the right kind of help to you quickly. Be prepared to follow all instructions the call-takers gives you. Follow the step by step.

DO NOT hang up the phone until the call-taker instructs you to. If you dial 911 by mistake when no emergency exists, do no hang up. Instead simply explain the call-taker what happened.