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Texas 9-1-1 Dispatcher Named National Winner of Smart Telecommunicator AwardsFRAMINGHAM, Mass., April 14, 2015 /PRNewswire/ -- On February 5th, Gabby Romero, a 9-1-1 dispatcher in League City, Texas was working her regular shift, when she received a troubling call from a male subject who had threatened to injure himself, stated that he wanted to die and then abruptly disconnected the call. Over the next several minutes, Romero demonstrated a calm demeanor, a focused response and the absolute determination to help another faceless citizen. For this reason, she has been selected the national winner of the 2015 Smart Telecommunicator Awards. April is National 9-1-1 Education Month and the second full week is also traditionally celebrated as National Public Safety Telecommunications Week. With this in mind, the fourth annual Smart Telecommunicator Awards from Smart911 kicked-off in March, calling for nominations of 9-1-1 call-takers and dispatchers (telecommunicators) across the U.S. for their leadership, performance, compassion for callers, ability to inspire co-workers and overall contributions to their Public Safety Answering Points (PSAPs). Forty finalist entries were then selected for an online public vote and thousands of voters from the U.S. logged on to support their local hero. Today, the results were announced during an award ceremony held in League City, Texas, home of this year's national winner. The nomination for Romero of the League City Police Department detailed the story of her response to a suicidal caller. After the call was disconnected, Romero immediately began tracing it in an attempt to determine the caller's location, which turned out to be in a neighboring jurisdiction. She then contacted the appropriate agency and advised them of the urgent and serious situation. Soon after, the neighboring agency called her back and let her know that they had found the suicidal caller, that he had injured himself and was in need of immediate medical attention. It was acknowledged that Romero's knowledge, experience, quick thinking and immediate action are directly responsible for saving the man's life. "Gabby's work is an example of the compassion, leadership and professionalism League City Police Department telecommunicators demonstrate in their service every day to the League City community," said Chief Michael Kramm of the League City Police Department. The Smart Telecommunicator Awards are conducted by Rave Mobile Safety's Smart911, the acclaimed national public safety service, in partnership with the Industry Council for Emergency Response Technologies (iCERT) and the Denise Amber Lee Foundation. Four finalists are also awarded the title of regional Smart Telecommunicator honorees, including:
"Our nation's telecommunicators are the first line of emergency response. They are the voice you hear when you are, mostly likely, at your worst and calling 9-1-1," said Chief Executive Officer, Tom Axbey of Rave Mobile Safety. "It is their experience, knowledge and actions that directly lead to positive emergency outcomes. We never cease to be truly amazed by the stories we hear about how dispatchers every where go above and beyond to save the lives of people they will never know. All of us at Rave salute Gabby and our four regional winners." Smart911 allows citizens to create a Safety Profile online for their household that includes information they want 9-1-1 and response teams to have during an emergency. When a citizen makes an emergency call, their Safety Profile is automatically displayed to the 9-1-1 call-taker, allowing them to send the right response teams to the right location with the right information. Fire crews can be aware of such things as how many people live at a home and the location of bedrooms. EMS can know about specific conditions for fast, precise medical treatment. And because profiles can contain photos, in the event of a missing child, police can gain an advantage, receiving critical information in seconds versus hours. Smart911 was introduced four years ago by Rave Mobile Safety, the most trusted software partner for campus and public safety. In 2014, Smart911 was announced in 39 new locations in 17 U.S. states, making the private and secure service available to an additional 5 million citizens in their hometown, bringing the total coverage area to more than 1,000 communities across 40 states. Smart911 has been credited with positively impacting emergency situations across the U.S., including a missing child case in Arkansas, and saving lives, such as a heart attack victim in Nashville and a house fire victim in Michigan. About Rave Mobile Safety Media Contact: Logo - http://photos.prnewswire.com/prnh/20140305/NE77531LOGO To view the original version on PR Newswire, visit:http://www.prnewswire.com/news-releases/texas-9-1-1-dispatcher-named-national-winner-of-smart-telecommunicator-awards-300065345.html SOURCE Rave Mobile Safety |