911 Center Dispatcher Cindy Brownfield.
SEQUATCHIE 911
Technology promotes safety Story by LISA SAVAGE | Photography by MARK GILLILAND
W
hen a hiker became lost on the rural mountain outside Dunlap, he called 911. The man could not speak English. Dispatchers at Sequatchie County 911 could not understand him and did not know where he was or if he was hurt. The call tested much of the 911 center’s capabilities that day, says Winfred Smith, the agency’s director.
12 | September/October 2020
“We used our internet with our mapping database to ping his location,” Smith says. Meanwhile, other members of the telecommunications team used the agency’s language line to reach an interpreter to translate the call. “We had a lot of telephone calls going on that day,” Smith says. The hiker was on Fredonia Mountain
west of Dunlap. Rescue crews reached him quickly, and an emergency medical crew checked his condition. “Luckily, he wasn’t hurt, but it’s a perfect example of how valuable the technology we use is,” Smith says. “We want to do everything we can to provide the best services possible for our residents and for those visiting our area who might not speak English or know their location.” BTC Fiber
