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Sep 18, 2019
The Rehoboth Beach Police Department 911 Center is now home to a tri-accredited emergency dispatch center. The announcement underscores the center’s high standards and excellence in three disciplines of emergency dispatch: law enforcement, fire, and EMS. It is the first center in Delaware and one of only 13 nationwide to achieve triple Accredited Center of Excellence (ACE) status through the National Academies of Emergency Dispatch (NAED). Rehoboth 911 Manager Tammy Ketterman credited hardworking staff for reaching the goal that not only accomplishes prioritized emergency response and technical capabilities but also the customer service provided at a center receiving over 76,000 calls annually. “Tri-ACE was the direct result of shared staff training, hard work, and tenacity. We are now able to verify and validate our performance for everyone to see. This shows the community that we have an elite center,” said Ketterman.
Accreditation is a comprehensive project. Public Safety Communication dispatchers must meet specific standards for certification and the agency must submit an ACE application form along with a detailed, self-study document based on the Academy’s Twenty Points. The self-study covers everything from the center’s description to procedures outlining a quality improvement plan, continuing dispatch education, and compliance to life-saving emergency dispatch protocols. There are more than 190 centers throughout the world that currently have an ACE distinction among the 3,500 centers worldwide using the protocols for response to emergencies.
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Back row (l-r) Telecommunicators Steven Watson, Ryan Buff, Scott Clark, Nicholas Priddy, and Danny Mitchell
Front row (l-r) Telecommunicators Dustin Crago, Rehoboth 911 Manager Tammy Ketterman, Gregory Tietmeyer, Kaitlyn Carpinone, and Micheline Senzamici
