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2 of 3 Premium Clicks used this month SUBSCRIBE Print + Online Subscriber Activation | Register x Forgot Password | Need an Account? e-edition | subscribe | newsletter | deals Home News Latest Stories Fern Valley interchange work hits Phoenix businesses hard In-N-Out construction could start this spring in Medford Amy's Kitchen recalls products that might have contaminated spinach Jackson among counties in drought program Oregon legislators may end fifth-year high school programs Crime, Courts and Emergency Services Phoenix High officer looks back on varied career Emergency services, March 23 Crisis intervention: Medford police take training in response to surge in mental health calls Emergency Services, March 22 21 people fined $260 each in Medford police pedestrian safety operation Politics and Elections Arthur I. Cyr: Iran – a crisis without end Arthur I. Cyr: South Korea represents long-term triumph – for them and for US Special election: Jackson County voters OK marijuana tax Ex-Merkley aide chosen as Oregon secretary of state Ashland: Budget increase, swimming pool funding discussion on council agenda Education Oregon legislators may end fifth-year high school programs Phoenix High officer looks back on varied career Oregon school officials blasting new education budget Eight vie for Medford School Board positions Proposed Medford textbook raises constitutional concern Environment Beetles taking toll on Ashland pines Mt. Ashland Ski Area to host party March 28 Controversial asphalt plant in Talent wins county planning approval Mt. 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Charles Krauthammer: No peace in our time Guest Opinions Guest Opinion: Raise your voice against child abuse Guest Opinion: Central Point Cemetery needs work and city action Guest Opinion: Return to clearcutting is wrong approach for counties Guest Opinion: Plan a Hawthorne playground for all children Guest Opinion: There is nothing uniform about the Uniform Crime Report Lifestyle Latest stories Cars We Remember: 1967 Rambler Rebel, 1960 Rambler American Super, and some early engine design flaws It Is What It Is: When in Rome... Kitchen Call: Cobblers, crisps and crumbles Community blog: Stoke meat-smoking passion with these tips Get a Life: Shopping as a short person Food Kitchen Call: Cobblers, crisps and crumbles Community blog: Stoke meat-smoking passion with these tips Prudence Hilburn: Head to kitchen for delicious cabbage dishes Eat this, not that Peanut allergy breakthrough Home and Garden Home Help: How green is your house? Plant a few dahlias, Dahling Hello, honey: Invite bees for a lush garden Understand home inspection Dear Monty: Tips for checking out an existing septic system Health Community blog: Sleep Tight: Making Your Bed, Body and Mind Ready for Rest Health Watch: 5 tips for seasonal allergy relief A better bedtime Studying stress Eat this, not that Hiking Biking Faith Religion briefs Religion News: Presbyterian Church gives approval on same-sex marriage Religion briefs: Friday, March 13 More religion events in the Rogue Valley Religion Briefs Milestones and Achievements Haga-Parks Exercise helps special-needs kids adjust to airport procedures Engagement: Workman-Wright Columnist for a Day Rogue Healthy Aging Tempo Latest stories Pimps of Joytime play Historic Ashland Armory The Brothers Reed win a slot in the Rising Stars finals Here's five top entertainment picks for the coming week Alt-rock band Key of Three is a contender this weekend at Rising Stars Improv rock and folk band hosts a dance party at the Ashland Community Center Theater Camelot's 'Sunset Boulevard' ambitious, not as dark Andrew Lloyd Webber's lush musical 'Sunset Boulevard' opens at Camelot Theatre in Talent Review: Thanks for the Memories pulls off challenging 'Anastasia' Review: 'Same Time' after all these years Randall Theatre presents playwright Bernard Slade's comedy Music Pimps of Joytime play Historic Ashland Armory Live Music in Local Clubs Alt-rock band Key of Three is a contender this weekend at Rising Stars Improv rock and folk band hosts a dance party at the Ashland Community Center Kites & Crows, Ryan Marchand and Mercy Duo face-off this weekend at Rising Stars music competition in Jacksonville Community Events Rogue Valley artist Linda Evans' pastel paintings capture landscapes of Southern Oregon Ashland Independent Film Festival announces this year's lineup OSF Hip-Hop Poetry Open Mic Ashland's First Friday Art Walk showcases new exhibits by regional artists Jesse Lawson and Joe Moxley host 'Barkeeper' Dining Restaurant Inspections: Sunday, March 22 Jasmine Thai Cuisine Restaurant Inspections Agave offers gourmet tacos, tamales, ensaladas and more Serra storms Seattle Tempo Videos Classifieds Jobs Autos Real Estate FEATURED » Obits Blogs TV Listings Movie Listings Oregon Outdoors Oregon Healthy Living Magazines/Special Sections Business Services NEWS NOW Fern Valley interchange work hits Phoenix businesses hard ... In-N-Out construction could start this spring in Medford ... Amy's Kitchen recalls products that might have contaminated spinach ... Fern Valley interchange work hits Phoenix businesses hard ... In-N-Out construction could start this spring in Medford ... Amy's Kitchen recalls products that might have contaminated spinach ... Automated system provides critical seconds for emergency responders Being a few seconds late may not matter much in most people's daily lives, but that time is precious to firefighters and paramedics responding to 911 calls of those in need. Comment By Sam Wheeler MailTribune.com By Sam Wheeler Posted May. 10, 2014 at 12:01 AM Updated May 10, 2014 at 2:15 AM By Sam Wheeler Posted May. 10, 2014 at 12:01 AM Updated May 10, 2014 at 2:15 AM » Social News Being a few seconds late may not matter much in most people's daily lives, but that time is precious to firefighters and paramedics responding to 911 calls of those in need. A new text-to-speech radio alert system at Emergency Communications of Southern Oregon is shaving seconds off the response times of local emergency crews by spitting out automated broadcasts to fire stations while dispatchers are still on the phone with callers. Central Point-based ECSO serves as the dispatch center for emergency response crews and police in Jackson County. "For our business, it's all about time," said Justin Bates, deputy chief with Medford Fire-Rescue. "Seconds count when we're responding, so if we can respond with our units even 15 seconds faster, that may be the difference between life or death. "We're really driven by trying to shave off a few seconds here and a few seconds there, because over time that can add up to lives being saved." Once a dispatcher enters the type of incident and its location into a computer and assigns units to the case, the automated program broadcasts a computerized voice over the radio. The automated broadcasts were implemented at the beginning of April and the system has taken some fine-tuning, but dispatchers and emergency crews are settling in with it, said Kevin Harris, operations manager at ECSO. "I think there are somewhere around 9,000 street names in the county, and there are some odd ones it's had trouble with," Harris said. "We're tying to be proactive with the pronunciation of streets. ... If it fails, we have the ability to reach over and manually send those alerts like in the past." The automated broadcasts are used only for initial announcements from dispatch, with human dispatchers following up with any further information. Also, the automated broadcasts are not used when communicating with police, Harris said, because the dialogue between police and dispatch is oftentimes "too dynamic." Bates said the computerized voice lacks some authenticity, but it makes up for it with consistency and efficiency. "As far as the computer voice itself ... we're still getting used to the way it sounds and the way it pronounces streets. I think the adjustment period will be ongoing for a little while," Bates said. "One point that we do miss is when you have a live person, we could tell by the tone of their voice whether it was a real call." The automated broadcasts are just one facet of an automation makeover the dispatch center and several area fire stations have been implementing over the last few years to reduce response times, Harris said. The upgrades were paid for mostly through an about $550,000 grant from the Federal Emergency Management Agency's Assistance to Firefighters Grant Program, which was matched by the city of Medford with $45,500 and by participating local fire agencies with about $91,000 in 2011, city records show. Along with the automated broadcasts, the new alerting system sends incident-specific tones over radios and through fire stations to alert firefighters and turns on incident-specific lights inside stations. The tones also ramp up in volume over time to gently alert firefighters who may be sleeping, instead of sending the sound of a blaring siren through a fire station, Harris said. "Right from the get-go when the crews are in the station and they hear that tone, they know that they are going to a structure fire call or going to a medical call," Bates said. "The lights do the same thing. If it's a medical call, the lights turn blue, or lights turn red for a structure fire ... all this happens automatically from dispatch." Harris said MFR, Ashland Fire & Rescue, Jackson County Fire District Nos. 3 and 5 and the Medford airport's fire department are the only agencies that have ramped tones and incident-specific alert lights installed at their stations, but all of the fire stations in the county hear the computer automated broadcasts. "In this day and age you're having to look at equipment to create some efficiencies where you're not able to add staffing," Harris said. "I am hearing that firefighters like the new system, and we've set up means for them to report any issues that arise." Reach reporter Sam Wheeler at 541-776-4471 or [email protected]. Follow him at www.twitter.com/swhlr. By Sam Wheeler MailTribune.com By Sam Wheeler Posted May. 10, 2014 at 12:01 AM Updated May 10, 2014 at 2:15 AM » Comment or view comments Reader Reaction » STAY INFORMED Email NewsLetter Sign Up Today Sign up for our newsletter and have the top headlines from your community delivered right to your inbox. calendar Connect with MailTribune.com Facebook Twitter RSS Back to top Reader Services Reader Services Home Subscriptions Subscriber controls Contact us Submissions Photos Events Letters to the editor Corrections Announcements Obituaries Story ideas Since you asked Alerts Email Alerts RSS Feeds Text Alerts Advertise Media Kit Home Products and services Ad rates Advertising contacts Mail Tribune Daily Tidings The Nickel Shop Our Valley Blogs Stay Informed Email newsletter Sign Up Today Sign up for our newsletter and have the top headlines from your community delivered right to your inbox. Your privacy is important, read our privacy policy. © Copyright 2015 Local Media Group, Inc. 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