Welcome to the November/December edition of Strangulation Prevention E-Newsletter. The Training Institute on Strangulation Prevention has launched this newsletter to provide you with the most current and succinct information about non- and near-fatal strangulation assaults. Our goal with E-News is to share important information regularly. Each E-News will focus on one subject, one organization or individual, and share one Featured Resource.
-Gael Strack, CEO & Sarah Sherman Julien, Program Manager
DISPATCHERS
We are honored to provide a chapter for dispatchers, the true first responders.
Dispatchers work evenings, weekends, and holidays – often working long shifts. They have to respond quickly and calmly in alarming and horrific situations. They tend to be underpaid and underappreciated. Yet they play such a vital role in the handling of domestic violence calls.
Gael Strack with 911 Dispatchers at Non-Fatal Strangulation Prevention Training in Wilmar, MN 2016
According to the Bureau of Labor Statistics, there are approximately 102,000 public safety telecommunicators in the United States.
Dispatchers are often the pathway to the safety of victims, children, and officers. 911 dispatchers can make the difference between life or death situations.
It is our hope that you will share this chapter with dispatchers and also extend your appreciation for the significant role they play in handling 911 calls.
A 30-minute online course for law enforcement on strangulation co-sponsored by the Pennsylvania State Troopers Association and the Pennsylvania Coalition on Domestic Violence
The Strangulation Assessment Card was inspired by paramedics from the San Diego Fire Department. After attending the Advanced Course on Strangulation Prevention, Joe Russo, Daniel Bebee, and Mitch Mendler drafted a tool paramedics could use to assess the strangled victim/patient. The tool was then modified and reviewed by survivors, faculty, and staff from the Alliance.
The Strangulation Assessment Card is a small tool designed to help first responders, including dispatchers, quickly determine the signs and symptoms of strangulation by keeping it handy in their front pockets. It is currently being used by patrol officers to determine when to call the paramedics and used by paramedics to evaluate when the strangled victim should be transported.
It is also a tool any professional can give to strangled victims to assess their own injuries, especially hours after being strangled. And if the victim needs to seek subsequent medical attention, the victim can share the Strangulation Assessment Card with medical providers to alert them her strangulation assault and the imaging recommendations from the Medical Advisors of the Training Institute.
Is there is question you would like answered? We are happy to help. Contact Us!
SURVEY RESULTS
Thank you for participating in our Domestic Violence Awareness Survey in October! Here are the results:
46% of respondents are screening for strangulation,
53% are providing written information about strangulation to victims, and
53% have talked to a survivor about their strangulation assault.
Please be on the lookout for our new Resource Library coming in 2018, but in the meantime, here’s an easy way to find our Library of resources for survivors.
It’s not too late to submit your response, please take the survey here.
GRATITUDE
In addition to training, another way to mitigate trauma is gratitude. In 1991, Congress introduced “National Public Safety Telecommunication Week” (NPSTW). It is held during the second week of April. Plan now to share your gratitude for your local dispatcher in April. Here is a sample proclamation.
NPSTW.org celebrates NPSTW all year long. Submit your stories to their regular feature “From the Frontline.” Get staff recognition ideas and follow their twitter page @APCOIntl for the latest training events and stories.
After 43 years, Sergeant Dispatcher Irma Young from Marksville, LA retired from the only in-house dispatcher position. The Marksville City Police Department threw her a surprise retirement party and honored her service to the community.
Let’s salute dispatchers everywhere. Let them know how grateful we are for their service, their compassion and ability to stay calm under the most stressful situations. Let’s thank them for being the lifeline to many victims and helping to keep our officers safe.
Thank you for your commitment to this lifesaving work.
Gael Strack, CEO, Alliance for HOPE International
Casey Gwinn, President, Alliance for HOPE International
Sarah Sherman Julien, Program Manager, Training Institute on Strangulation Prevention
