Harford County, MD Receives ACE Accreditation for Fire Call Taking and Dispatch

Harford County Division of Emergency Operations in Northeastern Maryland is the eighth public safety answering point to receive ACE accreditation for Fire call taking and dispatch

InterAct Public Safety, a leading provider of safety and security software used by government agencies as well as private sector businesses, announces that one of their customers, Harford County Division of Emergency Operations in Northeastern Maryland, has obtained Accredited Center of Excellence (ACE) certification from the National Academies of Emergency Dispatch (NAED) for Fire call taking and dispatch. Harford County is one of only eight centers to ever receive such accreditation.

Obtaining ACE accreditation requires months of statistical data, research, documentation, and planning. Once a center applies for accreditation, an NAED auditor reviews the application and checks for Protocol Compliance against randomly selected events - ultimately providing recommendations to the Board of Accreditation. If a center achieves the "Twenty Points" necessary for accreditation, then the center is awarded the honor of being an ACE.

"It takes a lot of work to get ACE accreditation and our dedicated call takers and dispatchers were integral in getting us certified for both EMS and fire," said Ross Coates, public safety communications manager for the Harford County Division of Emergency Operations. "Using InterActCAD, and its certified integration with Priority Dispatch's ProQA, allows our call takers and dispatchers to ensure that our public safety needs are met. We are constantly working to ensure that we have the best trained people and highest-quality technology of any call center in the country."

"ACE accreditation guarantees that our citizens constantly receive the highest level of service regardless of when they call or why they call," said Tami Wiggins, training and quality assurance supervisor for Harford County Division of Emergency Operations. "Between our nationally recognized training program and the technology that is used in the call center, ACE accreditation reinforces for the county's call takers and dispatchers that all of their hard work and commitment are appreciated by both their industry and, more importantly, their community."
Harford County previously received ACE accreditation in EMS, and will be honored for its Fire accreditation at an awards ceremony at this year's Navigator 2009 Conference in Las Vegas.