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Nancy Fender – First Responder in Kingsport
Her job is to get help to the citizens of Kingsport when they need it most.
Nancy Fender is the communications supervisor for the City of Kingsport. She leads the team of 18 dispatchers that respond to all 911 calls. Nancy makes sure emergency responders and residents get critical information during an emergency.
Nancy oversees the department that encourages the citizens of Kingsport to feel safe and protected, but her job entails much more than that. Her responsibilities include training operators, troubleshooting technology and keeping detailed operator call records. She works as city liaison to the Tennessee Bureau of Investigation, informing them of statewide issues and concerns. Nancy is always working to make the city a safer place.
Over 29 years with this department, Nancy has witnessed a lot of changes take place. She could recall one change in particular that lead to the most memorable moment in her career.
“In 1991, dispatch decided to start training responders on what to do during basic medical emergency situations,” explained Nancy. “This new training gave us the ability to help callers with CPR or emergency first aid instructions until paramedics got onto the scene.”
Two weeks after completing her training, Nancy took a call that would put her training into action – a woman was giving birth and needed help.
“After asking a few questions it became clear that the birth was happening immediately,” recalled Nancy. She stayed on the phone with the woman, gave her instructions and helped ensure her daughter and new grandson made it safely through the birth.
“I’ll never forget that experience. I helped bring a new life into the world, and probably saved the mother’s life in the process.”
To everyone she works with, Nancy’s pride and commitment to her position in the city is obvious. Her leadership, dedication, and compassion have earned her statewide recognition. Her outstanding work has earned her the award for the Telecommunications Supervisor of the Year for the state of Tennessee. Nancy goes ‘above and beyond’ her duties to help the people of Kingsport whenever she can.
Nancy Fender is one of many emergency dispatchers all over the country who work tirelessly to help people around them. In recognition of their efforts, April 9 – 15 is National Public Safety Telecommunications Week.
This weeklong period is a time to celebrate and thank people who dedicate their lives to serving the public, like Nancy. To find out more about National Public Safety Telecommunications Week, please visit www.npstw.org.
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Kingsport Police Department
200 Shelby Street • Kingsport, TN 37660 ThomasMPatton • 423-229-9433 (Desk) • 423-224-2786 (FAX) |
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NEWS RELEASE | |||
SUBJECT: | Communications Specialists of Kingsport 9-1-1 Honored During National Public Safety Telecommunicators Week | ||
DATE: | April 10, 2017 | ||
GENERAL NARRATIVE | |||
The Communications Specialists, also known as Dispatchers, of the Kingsport Emergency Communications District, are being honored this week, April 9 through 15, 2017, as part of National Public Safety Telecommunicators Week (NPSTW). Communications Specialists are the calm, yet highly trained, voice on the phone whenever a citizen calls 9-1-1 to report an emergency.
Every year during the second week of April, telecommunications personnel in the public safety community are honored. This week-long event was originally created in 1981 by Patricia Anderson of the Contra Costa County Sheriff’s Office in California. Her goal was to set aside a time to celebrate and thank these individuals who dedicate their lives to serving the public, and make people aware of their hard work and dedication. The Communications Specialists of Kingsport Central Dispatch process roughly a quarter of a million telephone calls annually. Approximately twenty percent (50,000) of these calls are emergency calls to 9-1-1. Although a division of the Kingsport Police Department, Kingsport Central Dispatch also provides services for the Kingsport Fire Department, Sullivan County E.M.S., Kingsport Life Saving Crew, and other city departments and functions. Kingsport Central Dispatch moved into the new 7,500 square foot, state-of-the-art, 9-1-1 Emergency Communications Center in Downtown Kingsport in October 2015. Central Dispatch had previously been housed in a cramped 1,000 square foot space on the second floor of the Kingsport Justice Center since 1989. Prior to that, Central Dispatch operated out of the basement of the Civic Auditorium. Over the past 20 years, Kingsport Central Dispatch has only increased the number of Communications Specialists from 14 to 16. Meanwhile, the number of citizens calls for Police, Fire, and E.M.S. service and the population, square miles, and road miles of the City of Kingsport have all increased exponentially. This exemplifies true dedication to public safety by continuing to provide excellent 9-1-1 service in the face of significantly increased work volume. Kingsport Central Dispatch personnel serve under the supervision of the 9-1-1 Director, Lieutenant Steve Hammonds, and include a Communications Supervisor, a Technical Services Coordinator, 4 Shift Leaders, and more than a dozen Communications Specialists, all of whom are Emergency Medical Dispatch (EMD) certified. The Kingsport Police Department would like to take this opportunity to express sincere gratitude to all of the employees of Kingsport 9-1-1 and congratulate them on a job well done. Last year, Nancy Fender, Communications Dispatch Supervisor, was named “Dispatch Supervisor of the Year” by the Tennessee Emergency Number Association (TENA) at their annual conference held in Chattanooga, TN. She has also been certified by the National Emergency Number Association (NENA) as an Emergency Number Professional (ENP) since 2013. The ENP program was established in 1994 as a way to establish a benchmark of performance for professionals in the 9-1-1 field. In addition to Ms. Fender, three other employees of Kingsport Central Dispatch have recently achieved their ENP Certification. These additional certified Emergency Number Professionals include Richie Hite, Technical Services Coordinator, Christy Swiney, Communications Shift Leader, and Catherine Matt, Communications Specialist. In order to be certified as an ENP, applicants must first meet eligibility requirements that include a combination of experience, education, and professional development in the 9-1-1 field. Candidates then must pass a rigorous examination that demonstrates a mastery of the comprehensive knowledge base required of emergency number program management. For additional information regarding Kingsport Central Dispatch, please visit the following links: https://www.KingsportTN.gov/Police-Department/Administrative_Bureau/Central_Dispatch/ For additional information regarding National Public Safety Telecommunicators Week or the National and Tennessee Emergency Number Associations, please visit the following links: |
RELEASING OFFICER | ||
Thomas M. Patton, Public Information Officer
Kingsport Police Department Professional Standards Unit |
Kingsport Police Department
200 Shelby Street • Kingsport, TN 37660 ThomasMPatton • 423-229-9433 (Desk) • 423-224-2786 (FAX) |
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NEWS RELEASE | |||
SUBJECT: | The City of Kingsport is Accepting Applications in an Effort to Fill Five Police Officer Vacancies (3rd Notice) | ||
DATE: | April 10, 2017 | ||
GENERAL NARRATIVE | |||
Reminder: This is the third notice. There are only two weeks remaining to apply to become a Kingsport Police Officer. All applications must be submitted online, no later than April 23, 2017, using the following link:
https://www.governmentjobs.com/Careers/Kingsport Applicants are strongly encouraged to order and begin studying their study guide(s) immediately. Study guides are available for purchase at the following link: http://www.publicsafetycompass.com A short highlight video of the Kingsport Police Department has been made available for viewing on the K.P.D. YouTube channel via the following link: Detailed information regarding the application and upcoming testing process as previously released follows: The City of Kingsport Human Resources Department is currently accepting applications for the position of Police Officer. The Kingsport Police Department is hoping to hire at least five (5) new officers out of this application process to fill existing vacancies. Applications will be accepted beginning March 25, 2017 until April 23, 2017. Individuals who are interested in a career in law enforcement are encouraged to apply. All applicants must either already be at least 21 years of age or be turning 21 by no later than November 16, 2017. Applicants are asked to only submit their application once, as weeding out duplicate applications hampers efficiency. All applications must be submitted online using the following link: https://www.governmentjobs.com/Careers/Kingsport Following the April 23rd deadline, all applicants will receive a confirmation email, as well as a letter by traditional mail, containing further instructions regarding the upcoming police applicant testing procedures. All applicants will undergo a series of assessments, beginning with a written examination on the morning of May 16, 2017. The written examination will be administered at the Civic Auditorium, located at 1550 Fort Henry Drive in Kingsport. While not a requirement, applicants are strongly encouraged to invest in the International Public Management Association for Human Resources (IPMA-HR) “Entry-Level Police” study guide or “Police Study Guide Bundle” to assist them in preparing for this examination. These study guides are currently priced very reasonably at $20 and $30 respectively and are available for purchase at the following link: http://www.publicsafetycompass.com Applicants who successfully pass the written examination will advance forward to a physical agility evaluation the same afternoon. The physical agility evaluation will consist of a timed one-mile run and a timed roughly one-quarter-mile obstacle course designed to measure fitness, strength, agility, and endurance as related to the duties of a Police Officer. Applicants are strongly encouraged to participate in a voluntary practice session for the physical agility evaluation. This session will take place on May 2, 2017 at 1:00 PM (two weeks prior to the actual test date) at Domtar Park, located at 1414 Riverport Road in Kingsport. Individuals must have an application on file and sign a waiver in order to be eligible to participate in this practice session. A series of interviews will follow the written examination and physical agility evaluation, beginning with an interview panel and ultimately an interview with the Chief of Police, to further vet the top performing candidates and determine the final selections. The current starting salary for Police Officer Trainee is $15.76 per hour or $32,791 annually. Applicants who are already certified law enforcement officers may be eligible for a salary adjustment to compensate for prior experience if certain criteria are met. Academy training and all essential equipment including uniforms, firearms, body armor, and duty gear are provided by the department. K.P.D. also issues take-home police cruisers to officers meeting specific residency requirements. City of Kingsport employee benefits include direct payroll deposit; paid vacation, holiday, and sick leave; employee life insurance; optional supplemental and dependent life insurance; long-term disability; health insurance; optional dental insurance; flexible spending accounts; ICMA RC 401 retirement; and optional ICMA RC 457 retirement. A short highlight video of the Kingsport Police Department has been made available for viewing on the K.P.D. YouTube channel via the following link: For additional information regarding the application process, please call the City of Kingsport Human Resources Department at 423-229-9401. For additional information regarding a law enforcement career at the Kingsport Police Department, please call the K.P.D. Public Information Officer at 423-229-9433. |
RELEASING OFFICER | ||
Thomas M. Patton, Public Information Officer
Kingsport Police Department Professional Standards Unit |
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The deadline for agenda items for the Technical Coordinating Committee is Monday April 10th at 10Am EST. IF no requests are made the Committee will not meet. For further questions please call 423.224.2670.