DalePhipps, Chief of Police

200 Shelby Street • Kingsport, TN 37660

http://KingsportTN.gov/City-Services/Police-Department • www.KingsportPDBlog.com

Every year during the second week of April, telecommunications personnel in the public safety community are honored. This week-long event was originally created in 1981 by Patricia Anderson of the Contra Costa County Sheriff’s Office in California. Her goal was to set aside a time to celebrate and thank these individuals who dedicate their lives to serving the public, and make people aware of their hard work and dedication.

The Communications Specialists of Kingsport Central Dispatch process roughly a quarter of a million telephone calls annually. Approximately twenty percent (50,000) of these calls are emergency calls to 9-1-1. Although a division of the Kingsport Police Department, Kingsport Central Dispatch also provides services for the Kingsport Fire Department, Sullivan County E.M.S., Kingsport Life Saving Crew, and other city departments and functions.

Kingsport Central Dispatch moved into the current 7,500 square foot, state-of-the-art, 9-1-1 Emergency Communications Center in Downtown Kingsport in October 2015. Central Dispatch had previously been housed in a cramped 1,000 square foot space on the second floor of the Kingsport Justice Center since 1989. Prior to that, Central Dispatch operated out of the basement of the Civic Auditorium.

Kingsport Central Dispatch personnel serve under the supervision of the 9-1-1 Director, Lieutenant Kevin Hite, and include Communications Supervisor, Teresa Hillman, Technical Services Coordinator, Richie Hite, 4 Shift Leaders, and 16 Communications Specialists, most of whom are Emergency Medical Dispatch (EMD) certified. The Kingsport Police Department would like to take this opportunity to express sincere gratitude to all of the employees of Kingsport 9-1-1 and congratulate them on a job well done.

Several of Kingsport 9-1-1’s Communications Specialists are additionally certified as Emergency Number Professionals (ENPs) by the National Emergency Number Association. The ENP program was established in 1994 as a way to establish a benchmark of performance for professionals in the 9-1-1 field. In order to be certified as an ENP, applicants must first meet eligibility requirements that include a combination of experience, education, and professional development in the 9-1-1 field. Candidates then must pass a rigorous examination that demonstrates a mastery of the comprehensive knowledge base required of emergency number program management.

For additional information regarding Kingsport Central Dispatch, please visit the following links:

https://www.KingsportTN.gov/City-Services/Police-Department/Administrative_Bureau/Central_Dispatch/

http://Kingsport911.org/

For additional information regarding National Public Safety Telecommunicators Week or the National and Tennessee Emergency Number Associations, please visit the following links:

http://www.NPSTW.org/

http://www.NENA.org/

https://www.TENA911.com/

Kingsport Police Department Professional Standards Unit

423-229-9433 (Desk) • 423-224-2786 (FAX)

ThomasMPatton