The CAPCOG Emergency Communications Division joined several city of Austin departments in welcoming its newest police officers and their families during its Cadet’s Kid Day, where the division educated officers and their children about the role of emergency telecommunicators.
“Educating children on being prepared to use 9-1-1 for emergencies is a continuous effort,” said Veronica Neal, CAPCOG Emergency Communications training coordinator. Children should always know their home address, learn to be prepared to answer an emergency telecommunicator’s questions and know for what emergencies they should dial 9-1-1. It also is important to explain to officers how emergency call-takers get information and why they ask particular questions to callers. Spending time with officers such as this re-enforces that the two roles have the same goal of keeping the public and first responders safe.
The Emergency Communications Division also promoted other CAPCOG programs such as Warn Central Texas, a regional notification system that lets emergency responders notify residents about disaster happening in their area. The system can send messages to residents via phone calls, text messages or email. While landline and VoIP phones are automatically subscribed, residents must register their mobile devices.
