Emergency Calls up 58 Percent in 2008

By Joel Frady

2008 was a busy year for the emergency call center in Ashe County, which answered 49,863 calls in 2008. That number is a 58 percent increase from 2007, when the center answered approximately 31,670 calls.

Of the 49,863 calls (approximately 136 calls a day), 9,977 were 911 calls (approximately 27 calls a day). The calls were answered by the communications division of the Ashe County Sheriff's Department. The division dispatches calls for 36 departments including the West Jefferson and Jefferson police departments, medical rescue squads and volunteer fire departments.

In total, the sheriff's department responded to 6,302 incidents that included domestic disputes, burglar alarms, noise complaints and breaking and enterings. According to a press release from the Ashe County Sheriff's Department, "an additional 2,478 calls were logged that officers initiated themselves. These calls are mainly service of warrants and investigation follow-ups."

The West Jefferson Police Department either responded to or initiated 3,106 incidents. Traffic stops topped that list with 891 incidents. The Jefferson Police Department either responded to or initiated 1,132 incidents, including 270 traffic stops.

Blue Ridge Medical Transport led the list for emergency medical situations, responding to 2,453 incidents. The Ashe County Rescue Squad responded to 414 incidents, while Helton Volunteer Ambulance Service responded to 36 incidents.

Ashe County Sheriff James Williams said that the immense volume of calls answered is a testament to the performance of the communications department.

"I appreciate the job that the director of communications Kevin Hardy does, assistant director Carla Blevins and all the dispatchers that work with the Ashe County Sheriff's Department that have a stressful, sometimes thankless job. They're the folks behind the scene that you never see like you do the officers, but they're the ones you talk to first when you're in trouble. They do a great job."

He later added, "that's just how efficient these guys are and how well-trained they are and how good they are at their job. I'm proud of them."

Hardy said that the average length of a call is between 30 and 40 seconds, and that the majority of the calls are received during the day. He said his team, which consists of seven full-time dispatchers, is "as close as family gets. We all work good together."

Hardy later added that he attributes the increase in calls to both the growth of Ashe County and the growth of the communication department's responsibility. In late 2007, they started answering all calls placed to the Sheriff's Department instead of just the emergency ones. Hardy estimated they received more than 31,000 calls in 2007 based on the calls received once they began handling both duties.

Telecommunications officers each logged 56 hours of training in 2008. According to the press release, each officer is certified by the North Carolina State Bureau of Investigations-Division of Criminal Information, the National Academy of Emergency Medical Dispatchers and the North Carolina Sheriff's Standards. Officers are also expected to earn their certification from the North Carolina Office of Emergency Medical Services early this year.

To find out more information about the Sheriff's Department or the communications division, click to www.ashecountygov.com/sheriff.