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Communications Division
Mission
The mission of the Fire and EMS Communications Division is to provide the citizens and visitors of the City of Bossier with prompt, accurate dispatching of firefighting, rescue and medical equipment and personnel in order to minimize the impact of fire, disaster, hazardous conditions, illness and injury through information, quality service, and proper utilization of resources.
The Communications Center of the Bossier City Fire Department is a stand-alone, 24-hour emergency communications center. The Communications Center is responsible for matching the public's request for service with the resources of the Fire Department and assuring prompt response to fire and medical emergencies.
The Communications Division has a Chief of Communications, 4 Shift Supervisors and 8 Fire Communications Officers. All Fire Communications Officers must pass extensive hiring and training procedures and are required to be certified APCO Public Safety Telecommunicators, Emergency Medical Dispatchers, and Fire Service Communicators, and First Responders. Many have, or are pursuing, additional certification as Basic Emergency Medical Technicians and most are certified Firefighter 1.
In 2002, the Bossier City Fire Department upgraded its communications center by adopting emergency medical dispatching. This means our team of communications officers is trained to provide emergency medical instructions to assist persons until response units arrive onscene . The center is located in a self-sustaining facility next to the central fire station.
This transition follows many other communications improvements made within recent years. During that time the department has installed a system to store and retrieve emergency medicalrecords, and implemented a new department-wide system for managing information. Mobile Data Browsers (MDBs) were installed in all response vehicles in order to provide dispatch information directly to responders. In addition, the computers at each fire station have been connected to the City's Wide Area Network.
The Communications Division encourages both positive and negative feedback concerning citizen interaction with members of our agency. Please do not hesitate to commend an employee or file a complaint when necessary. If you have a complaint, comment, or commendation, please contact Chief Wendell Holmes, Administrative Assistant to the Fire Chief, at 741-8709.
Service & Staff
The Communications Division has a Chief of Communications, 4 Shift Supervisors and 8 Fire Communications Officers. All Fire Communications Officers must pass extensive hiring and training procedures and are required to be certified APCO Public Safety Telecommunicators, Emergency Medical Dispatchers, and Fire Service Communicators, and First Responders. Many have, or are pursuing, additional certification as Basic Emergency Medical Technicians and most are certified Firefighter 1.
Division Upgrades
In 2002, the Bossier City Fire Department upgraded its communications center by adopting emergency medical dispatching. This means our team of communications officers is trained to provide emergency medical instructions to assist persons until response units arrive on
This transition follows many other communications improvements made within recent years. During that time the department has installed a system to store and retrieve emergency medical
Additional Responsibilities
The Communications Center is also responsible for the management of the Computer-Aided Dispatch (CAD). The CAD system provides department communications officers with fire and EMS unit configuration recommendations, unit status, and incident tracking for all emergency incidents. Since its installation in 1995, the CAD system has proven to be a powerful tool in effectively managing department resources and emergency personnel.The Communications Division encourages both positive and negative feedback concerning citizen interaction with members of our agency. Please do not hesitate to commend an employee or file a complaint when necessary. If you have a complaint, comment, or commendation, please contact Chief Wendell Holmes, Administrative Assistant to the Fire Chief, at 741-8709.