Fire Department Communications

 The mission of the St. Louis Fire Department is to provide citizens with the highest standards of care in all aspects of Public Safety.  

Fire and EMS Dispatchers provide citizens with an expeditious response of fire department resources to fire, rescue, or medical related emergencies.  The St. Louis Fire Department strives to uphold its motto, "Justifiably Proud."

When Placing a call for emergency assistance, callers should remain calm, speak clearly, and be prepared to answer very specific questions.  Callers will be asked the location of the emergency, the nature of the emergency, the telephone number you are calling from, and any additional vital information relative to the incident.  

The caller may feel like the questions are causing a delay.  THEY ARE NOT! The questions are very necessary and information gathered is relayed to Emergency Responders.  Most often, while one dispatcher is speaking with the caller, another dispatcher is dispatching Emergency Responders for assistance.  The more information a dispatcher obtains the better prepared the responders are when they arrive on the scene.  

Duties of the Emergency Dispatcher are varied and are not limited to answering phones and sending Emergency Responders.  Dispatchers provide medical instructions to callers before Emergency Responders arrive.  They maintain records which are made available to the public and insurance companies.  Dispatchers also monitor the status of all responding equipment while preparing for the next emergency.

The Federal Government issued an Interoperability Grant for an upgrade of communication equipment used by Emergency Dispatchers and Responders.  The Interoperability Grant enabled the St. Louis Fire Department to purchase an 800 MHz radio system.  This radio system allows effective communication between various responders, agencies, and municipalities.

Dispatchers are trained to perform during very stressful situations.  There are many Standard Operating Guidelines (SOG) that must be learned and followed in order to effectively serve the community.  Emergency Dispatchers are trained professionals available 24 hours a day, seven days a week.

 

Fire Alarm Manager - Battalion Chief Michael Richardson

EMS Communications Supervisor - Deborah Berg-Gash