It is time for us to say farewell to Chris the Intern! He has been a great resource and we are sad to see him go! We know the future holds great things for Chris and we congratulate on his pending graduation from Central Penn! A new intern will be starting soon and will hopefully have lots to share about their experience with DPS!
My time here at the Cumberland County Department of Public Safety / 9-1-1 Communications Center has come to an end and it has been an amazing ride. Everyone here has been beyond helpful and I have loved every minute of my time here. During my internship, I have completed multiple projects that I was assigned to complete at the beginning of January when I first arrived here. The first project that I worked on that allowed me to really understand what I was going to do here was the Weather Exercise. It allowed me to comprehend the importance of the little things when it comes to emergency management and what goes into making an evacuation plan. Everything from making sure addresses are correct to sending out invitations to the practice exercise at the end of March is vital to a smooth operating plan. The project that took me the longest to complete while I’ve been here was by far the Debris Management Plan. I worked on this plan for a couple of weeks due to the time it took me to gather information for it. Cumberland County Department of Public Safety does not have a Debris Management Plan, so any information that I could come across was vital. I also reached out to each of the 33 municipalities and gathered their information on waste disposal companies and what they planned to do in the event a debris management plan was needed.
During my 180 hours here I’d say that the most important things I have learned would be: 1) Always be organized, 2) The little things DO matter, 3) Connections are vital in this field, and 4) Always be prepared and have a plan for everything. When it comes to emergency management, timing means everything. Knowing who to dispatch and when to dispatch them can be the difference between life and death. The safety and well-being of county citizens is what matters most to the DPS and why they are here. What each one of these individuals go through on a daily basis to ensure the protection of others is beyond amazing. Connections and networking plays a huge role amongst this field due to the fact that you need to know who to call for certain situations and information. Being able to call someone and they already know who you are and what you are talking about and what you could possibly want can make a huge difference and help you get your job done sooner and with more detail. Calling a random individual who has no idea who you are and not sure of answers can really jeopardize what you are doing and be of little or no help to you. When it comes to emergency management, the little things like phone numbers, addresses, practice scenarios and training all add up to help when it counts. Making sure information is 100% accurate and going through the proper training can ensure a successful emergency operations plan.
I cannot thank the Department of Public Safety enough for all that they have done for me. Every person here has been a great help and were willing to share their knowledge with me when I needed it. I hope to be back soon to see the EOC in full effect during the weather exercise in the next few weeks and how my hard work paid off. Also, thank you to all who have read my blog throughout my 8 weeks here. I enjoyed providing an inside view of what the DPS / 911 Center actually does on a daily basis and I hope you all enjoyed reading about what I experience on a daily basis. Writing this blog does not do this place justice. I cannot express just how much I have learned in such a short period of time and what I was able to accomplish.
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