When disaster strikes, Oregon now has a public safety taskforce able to help local communities keep their 9-1-1 systems working. The group – known as a Telecommunicator Emergency Response Taskforce or TERT – includes trained responders able to quickly travel and provide assistance to a 9-1-1 center.
Similar teams exist around the country to help communities following hurricanes, floods, and other disasters. The Oregon team can be activated by a local 9-1-1 center through the Oregon Office of Emergency Management.
“In a disaster, we often think about the need for additional fire and police responders, but not necessarily staff to keep 9-1-1 up and running,” said George Long, Oregon TERT State Coordinator and Assistant Operations Manager at the Portland Bureau of Emergency Communications. “This taskforce better prepares Oregon for a major emergency by providing a new resource focused on supporting 9-1-1 centers.”
More information about TERT is available through the Oregon Association of Public-Safety Communications Officials (APCO) – National Emergency Number Association (NENA) – http://oregonapconena.org/committees/tert/.