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New Lake County E911 director outlines 30/60/90 plan, pitches Emergency Medical Dispatch and Everbridge
Summary
Sarah Beard, the new director of Lake County E911, presented a 30/60/90 and 1- and 5-year plan Nov. 7 that emphasizes adopting Emergency Medical Dispatch, improving SOPs and training, public notification through Everbridge, staff testing and recruitment, and regional interoperability.
Sarah Beard, the Lake County E911 Authority's new director, presented a staged 30/60/90 plan and a longer-term vision for the communications center at the authority's Nov. 7 meeting.
Beard said the first 30 days would be to "listen, learn, and evaluate," including reviews of policies, SOPs, training manuals, quality assurance processes, shift schedules and vendor contracts. She told the board, "we'll have a 30 day status report, operational snapshot by the end" of that period.
Beard recommended adopting Emergency Medical Dispatch (EMD), describing it as a standardized call-taking framework that uses determinant codes and structured questioning to improve patient care from the moment a caller dials 911. "The goal is within 2 years after starting this is to then apply to get ACE accredited," she said, referring to national accreditation for dispatch medical protocols.
She also urged continued use and expanded community enrollment for Everbridge, a mass-notification tool: "It is way, way user friendly," Beard said, proposing QR-code sign-ups at public events and additional dispatcher training to use zone alerts. Beard said training, updated SOPs and a testing regimen for applicants ("critical testing," roughly $2,800 per year) would help retain staff and professionalize the center.
Beard sketched a one-year objective to establish a "high performing, fully staffed, and integrated regional communication center" and a five-year plan to make Lake County E911 a state-recognized model for rural communications, with interoperable systems and MOUs with regional partners.
The board asked Beard for more detailed cost estimates; Beard said she had initiated vendor contacts and would supply budget numbers as quotes were confirmed.
