Santa Fe dispatch improves 911 answer times; ARU and tactical paramedic pilot planned

Deputy Director Kesha Chavez reported that RECCC and dispatch fixed a reporting setting that had been inflating reported answer times; with that correction, the 911 center is meeting NENA standards and is now answering most calls within 10 seconds. She said June produced 25,627 calls received with 6,189 911 calls and that dispatch vacancies are being filled (10 vacancies remaining with one experienced dispatcher and a new trainee recently on board).

Roberto and other RECCC representatives discussed technical options including closest-unit dispatch pilots and CAD scripting to recommend nearby available units; staff said these options would require policy agreements and coordination with Chief Valdez. Fire and police staff described an "auto on route/auto-arrive" implementation that is improving accuracy of dispatch timestamps.

Fire staff also described development of a tactical-paramedic program that will embed medics with SWAT for high-risk incidents; they said policy and training are near completion and a rollout/presentation on ARU protocols is planned for the September public-safety meeting.