Berkeley County Central Dispatch is the primary answering point for 911 calls requesting emergency assistance from citizens of Berkeley County, including the City of Martinsburg and the Town of Hedgesville. Two emergency telecommunicators per shift staff the center, 24 hours per day, 7 days per week. Training to become an Emergency Telecommunicator includes:
CPR (Cardio-Pulmonary Resuscitation)
APCO (Associated Police Communicators Officer) Dispatch
certification
Medical Priority EMD (Emergency Medical Dispatch) certification
WEAPONS (West Virginia Police Automated Police Network
System) FBI/NCIC certification
Berkeley County Central Dispatch handles approximately 450 telephone calls daily on both emergency and business telephone lines. Every day the dispatch center answers an average of 135 calls to 911, resulting in an average of 90 calls for emergency assistance. This may be for any type of fire, a medical or trauma patient needing emergency room care, or a crime in progress. The dispatch
center also directly monitors fire and burglar alarms for a variety of local businesses. Berkeley County Central Dispatch is the warning point for weather and disaster emergencies for Berkeley, Jefferson, and Morgan Counties of the Eastern Panhandle.
Berkeley County Central Dispatch provides primary dispatch and related services to the following agencies:
Fire & Rescue
o Martinsburg Fire Department
o South Berkeley Volunteer Fire Department
o Hedgesville Volunteer Fire & Rescue Department
o Bedington Volunteer Fire & Rescue Department
o Back Creek Valley Volunteer Fire & Rescue Department
o Baker Heights Volunteer Fire & Rescue Department
o Veterans Medical Center Fire Department
o Office of Emergency Services
Emergency Medical Services
o Berkeley County Emergency Ambulance Authority
Law Enforcement (emergency calls only)
o Berkeley County Sheriffs Department
o Martinsburg Police Department
o West Virginia State Police – Martinsburg
With the completion of the Address Conversion Project, Berkeley County residences and businesses were identified with a unique number and road name. This project was the foundation to begin upgrading the telephone, computer, and radio systems. Verizon telephone company now has the ability to provide Berkeley County with true Enhanced 911 services. The computer system hardware was upgraded
to meet the specifications of the current technology.
As of January 1, 2001, Berkeley County Central Dispatch has been using the new house numbers and road names. Computerized mapping software, Eagle Locator, is used by 911 Emergency Telecommunicators to pinpoint the exact location of the emergency. Map books are supplied to each Berkeley County emergency response vehicle to guide field responders to the best appropriate route. By automating tasks, the computer aided dispatch software, VisionCAD, provides efficient entry of call information that results in a faster dispatch. Less time is spent looking up information and more time can be spent helping people until field responders arrive at the location.
