This just in from Harbor Patrol Dispatcher Brian Stanley

The boating public in Orange County will soon have an extra layer of security to rely upon in the event they need emergency police, fire or medical services.  Thanks to the diligent work of Lt. Colin Murphy, formerly of the Sheriff Department’s Emergency Communications Bureau, the State of California has recognized the Harbor Patrol dispatch center as a Public Safety Answering Point (PSAP).  As a PSAP, the Harbor Patrol has been given permission to install, and the state of California has agreed to pay for, a computerized phone system that will significantly enhance its ability to provide rapid emergency services to the citizens who rely on the Harbor Patrol for those services. 

When a citizen in Orange County calls 911 from a standard landline phone or cellular phone their call is routed to the police department having jurisdiction over that area.  When that call is answered by the emergency dispatcher, data is received on the dispatcher’s computer screen that indicates the caller’s address and phone number.  When the caller is using a cellular phone the data received indicates the caller’s phone number, cellular service provider, and the address of the cell tower receiving and relaying the call.  Additionally, by using global positioning satellite technology, the dispatcher receives the approximate lat/long location of the cell phone.  [more[

Prior to the installation of the enhanced 911 system, the Harbor Patrol dispatchers have used a standard landline to receive emergency and non-emergency calls for service.  When a 911 call was transferred into the Harbor Patrol dispatch center by the receiving police department all data was lost.  Often a caller in the middle of an emergency situation is too scared, irate or uncertain to give the emergency dispatcher pertinent information such as their location or phone number.  If a call was lost or dropped prior to obtaining a phone number, the dispatcher wasn’t even able to attempt a call back.  
Another feature of the enhanced 911 system is the ability for the dispatcher to transfer and conference phone calls.  This will make it easier for information to be relayed to multiple public safety agencies at the same time, eliminating confusion and saving valuable time.

The enhanced 911 system the will be a valuable tool for the Orange County Sheriff’s Department Harbor Patrol dispatchers and will allow the Harbor Patrol to provide the same level of public safety services to its citizens as all the other PSAP centers in Orange County. 

The Orange County Sheriff's Harbor Patrol Division provides law enforcement, marine/residential firefighting, open-water rescue and vessel assistance in the three Orange County harbors of Sunset/Huntington Harbor, Newport Harbor, and Dana Point Harbor, as well as the 48 miles of Orange County Coastline.