The Kingfisher Emergency Management Department has made some major and necessary upgrades to their 911 Dispatch system. When Ryan Deatherage took over as the 911 Director in 2023 the system was several years behind in updates. Lead Dispatcher Bryann Walls said, “things just were not working well and made dispatching challenging. Now it is so much better.” Each dispatch setup has upgraded from 3 screens to now 8, being able to monitor more areas with much more detail. Deatherage said when a call comes in they not only can tell where they are located but can see their vitals and other personal health information if they have a smart watch on.
Part of the upgrade included new radios and grouping all of the county police departments along with the Kingfisher County Sheriffs radios so they all can hear and talk to each other. This helps with quicker response when an officer is in need of assistance and collaboration between different agencies and departments for improved functionality. The new system allows the dispatchers to see digitally what car and or officer is calling in and where they are located via GeoSafe. This also includes street level maps with every address in the county allowing dispatchers to help responders find the location quickly.
Each member of the dispatch team undergoes continuous training on the new systems. They are also trained in CPR and emergency medical dispatch (EMD) training. The dispatchers spent a great deal of time building out the new system with all of the data needed to operate efficiently. Because Kingfisher County is so large, sometimes radio coverage is limited. Part of the upgrade included ES Chat, a push-to-talk cellular communication system. This allows officers and first responders to use their cell phones to interact with the radio systems. This extends the radio range of coverage into the far corners of the country. This is not intended to replace traditional radios but acts as a supplementary tool. Another feature of the new system is the 911 operations manual is now built into the system. When a specific call comes in for a rollover accident or an ATV crash the dispatchers are prompted to launch the Air Evac 131 helicopter. This feature greatly speeds up response times for those in need. Deatherage spoke about how important it is to keep these systems current and that they will most likely need to be upgraded about every five years.
