Date of Award

3-1-2014

Degree Type

Thesis

Degree Name

Master of Public Administration (MPA)

Abstract

Within the next five years, the Contra Costa County Sheriff's Office emergency dispatch center will implement the next phase of 9-1-1 infrastructure known as Next Generation 9-1-1. This system will go beyond the current capabilities of the 9-1-1 system by allowing users to digitally text, send pictures, and provide videos to dispatchers within emergency communications centers. This study establishes areas of inquiry on the assumption that the implementation of NG9-1-1 will significantly increase dispatchers' exposure to traumatic events. Current literature suggests that ongoing exposure to duty-related trauma increases one's chances to develop Post Traumatic Stress Disorder symptoms. This research study examines whether the utilization of a Critical Incident Stress Management program prior to the implementation of NG9-1-1 will decrease the likelihood that Contra Costa County Sheriff's Office dispatchers will suffer from PTSD symptoms. The results from this study will help determine the need for the Contra Costa County Sheriff's Office to implement a Critical Incident Stress Management program prior to NG9-1-1 activation. The researcher is a Dispatch Supervisor with the Contra Costa County Sheriff's Office with over seventeen years in the dispatch profession.

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