Sussex County EOC earns police dispatching recognition

Sussex County’s Emergency Operations Center recently scored its first triple play in emergency dispatch honors.

The nonprofit International Academies of Emergency Dispatch has named the Sussex County 911 center as an Accredited Center of Excellence for police dispatching. The award, as the 30th certified Police ACE in the world, is the first for the center in police dispatching, and the latest since the center won initial fire and medical accreditation in 2001.

With the center’s work in all three disciplines now recognized — fire, police, and medical dispatching — Sussex County EOC becomes only the 24th agency to be Triple ACE accredited worldwide, out of more than 4,000 such centers utilizing IAED’s Priority Dispatch System in 59 countries.

“We are extremely honored to have achieved this distinction, and it’s a reflection of the discipline, professionalism and hard work of our talented team,” said Joseph Thomas, EOC director. “This accreditation is not just an award, but a standard we live by and a promise to the public we serve: to provide the best care possible and at the highest standard.”

Winning the award requires voluntary self-analysis and compliance with industry standards, including the Priority Dispatch System, a protocol for assessing emergencies and dispatching the appropriate response. The center had to meet the IAED’s 20 Points of Accreditation, which examines questions dispatchers ask, ongoing training, a center’s design and other criteria.

The center was recognized April 20 at the IAED’s Navigator 2023 conference in Denver.