Program Manager Update

Hello and welcome to fall.

This season often brings reflection and anticipation. The busy summer is winding down as our teams wrap up their events and activities.  The outreach team had a number of public events, including a great week at the King County Fair. The technical teams continued to support the current 9-1-1 system and prepare to transition to the new platform. Now the holiday season looms ahead.

The Platform Modernization project planning and contracting phases are nearly complete. Teams are ironing out the final details with a signed contract expected any day. This technology delivery model will be owned and managed by the vendor for an annual subscription price, ensuring accessibility to latest technologies. It includes network, security monitoring, on-site vendor support, price stability guarantees, which provides flexibility, allowing us to preserve capital funds for other projects. This will serve the community well.

I also want to take a moment and introduce our newest employee. Jami Hoppen is the new Government Relations & Outreach Manager, a role currently being ably performed by Deb Flewelling. With Deb’s retirement in January, this ensures a smooth transition of this critical role. This manager serves as an interface to our Public Safety Answering Point (PSAP) partners, the King County Executive’s Office, legislative teams, and media relations. They also serve as our voice for local, state, and national committees addressing issues related to 9-1-1.

In closing, we recognize this has been a difficult season of change for many and we wish you the very best in the coming season.

Introducing Jami Hoppen 

The Program Office team welcomes Jami Hoppen as the Government Relations & Outreach Manager. Jami has been in public safety for 19 years with the past 12 at the NORCOM 911 PSAP in Bellevue.  She comes with experience in PSAP operations, training, and community liaison which incorporated recruitment, public education, public information officer, and community engagement.

Jami enjoys her down time with family and friends and loves hiking, traveling, and venturing out to explore new things.  She moved to western Washington 13 years ago from Spokane and has enjoyed integrating into her new environment.

She is incredibly excited to be a part of the King County E-911 team and looks forward to spending many years supporting the 911 industry through all the future changes and challenges.

Public Education & Outreach

It was a busy summer as the Public Education & Outreach Team contacted over 25,000 community members at local Farmer’s Market, the King County Fair, the King County Kiosk Ribbon Cutting in Skyway and National Night Out in Fall City. They also reached community members on a variety of social media platforms with over 120,000 total views.

Some favorite contacts include the little girl in this picture who was very intrigued with the spinning wheel. Her mom took the opportunity to teach her about when to call 911.  Another contact was the older gentleman who had recently survived a heart attack and was so grateful for the help he and his family received from the 911 public safety telecommunicator and the paramedics. The outreach team celebrated his survival with him.

Thank you to the PSAP public safety telecommunicators and other volunteers who made these outreach events possible. 

Planning is underway for future outreach opportunities and the team is always looking for volunteers. If you are interested in participating, contact the E911 Outreach team for more information.  KCE911outreach@kingcounty.gov

2021 NATOA Government Programming Award

Congratulations to King County IT, King County TV, and the E911 Program Office for receiving

The 2020 Award of Excellence 

For “Emery’s Birthday Party” video.

This prestigious award is credited to all of the partners who helped in the creation of the Emery's Birthday Party video, including PSAP volunteers, local children volunteers and Emery, the Emergency Penguin.

The National Association of Telecommunications Officers & Advisors (NATAO) Government Programming Award (GPA) annual awards recognize excellence in broadcast, cable, multimedia, and electronic programming produced by local government agencies. Celebrating over 30 years of programming excellence, the GPA’s celebrate the achievements of programmers across the nation.

To view the winning video:  2021 NATOA - CAT 8: Emerys Birthday - YouTube

Spotlighting Regional Partners

The King County E-911 Program Office partners with 12 King County Public Safety Answering Points (PSAP), also known as Emergency Communications Centers (ECC). The work the Public Safety Telecommunicators (PST) and Dispatchers do is critical to their communities and they are true first responders. The following is an introduction to two PSAPs, with more to come in future issues.

Bothell Police Department

The Bothell Police Department PSAP, located in the northern region of King County, proudly provides 9-1-1 emergency communications services to over 60,000 residents and guests in the cities of Bothell and Lake Forest Park. Their jurisdiction is unique as it crosses over into Snohomish county.

They have a staff of 13 public safety telecommunicators, with more than 140 years of combined experience, which provides an intimate knowledge of their community. Annually, the calm voices of this team process more than 50,000 calls and provide the critical help needed. 

The term “life line” is held in the highest regard as they deliver professional service on every call. 

For more information, contact them at http://www.ci.bothell.wa.us/354/Support-Services. 

Seattle Fire Department - Fire Alarm Center

The Great Seattle Fire of 1889 destroyed over 32 blocks of the city’s commercial core. At that time, the city only had volunteer firefighters to respond to emergencies. This catastrophic fire spurred the city to create a professional fire department and install a new centrally monitored system for reporting fires. Alarm boxes were placed in “high value” areas around the city utilizing the telegraph system. This system was tied into the Central Fire Alarm Office in the new Seattle Fire Department Headquarters and staffed by firefighters.

The current Seattle Fire Department Fire Alarm Center is in a recently built Leadership in Energy & Environmental Design (LEED) Certified, seismically resilient, state-of-the-art communications complex.

Through several moves and name changes, two things remained constant:  (1) Their mission to receive calls (alarms) from the public, dispatch resources and track their status, and to provide a focal point for Seattle Fire Department communications. (2) The Fire Alarm Center is staffed by trained firefighters, each of whom is a certified Emergency Medical Technician or paramedic and are a critical layer in the tiered response to medical emergencies that has made the Seattle Fire Department a world leader in emergency medical services.  They are also the only PSAP to use sworn personnel as Public Safety Telecommunicators. 

For more information about the Seattle Fire Department:  Seattle Fire Department - Fire | seattle.gov