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New Tangipahoa 911 director outlines training pipeline, tech upgrades and translation tests
Summary
Kevin Spancel, the new director of Tangipahoa Parish 9-1-1, told the council he plans to build a local dispatcher training pipeline with Northshore Technical College, trial next-generation tools including Smart911/text-to-911 and language-translation technology, and invited council members to visit the center.
Kevin Spancel, introduced June 9 as the new Tangipahoa Parish 9-1-1 director, told the parish council he plans to expand dispatcher training and deploy modern call-taking tools to improve public-safety communications.
Spancel, introduced by Sherry Oliver, clerk and CPA for the Tangipahoa 9-1-1 district, said he has 17 years’ experience in emergency services and plans to establish a dispatch training presence at Northshore Technical College so local students can enter the profession. “I want us to be the training center for the rest of the state,” Spancel said. “In my opinion, we need to be the best 9-1-1 center, not in the state, in the country.”
Why it matters: A local training pipeline could expand recruitment and retain dispatchers in Tangipahoa Parish; technology such as text-to-911 and real-time language translation can make emergency services more accessible for non-English speakers.
Details and technology rollout - Training pipeline: Spancel said he has met with council members and will invite them to the center; he described plans to place a dispatch center or classroom at Northshore Technical College to cultivate local recruits. - Smart911 and text-to-911: Spancel said the office already uses Smart911 and enhanced 9-1-1 services; residents can text 911 and send photos or video to dispatchers. He told the council the short-code remains 911 for text messages. - Artificial intelligence and translation: Council members and Spancel discussed an AI application used by other 9-1-1 centers that provides near-real-time language translation. Spancel said the technology was under consideration after recent meetings with a vendor.
Council reaction and next steps: Council members praised the center’s professionalism and welcomed the director’s invitation to visit. Spancel asked council members to visit unannounced to observe dispatchers and operations; he also said there may be “growing pains” as changes are implemented and asked council members to raise concerns as they arise.
Ending: Spancel said the department will continue coordination with local fire chiefs and other first responders as it implements changes.
