Citizens' Police Academy: Week Four

No, I didn’t drop out of Citizens’ Police Academy. I vowed not to, remember!?

Due to a “stay-cation” and circumstances beyond my control, I was unable to write about my week-four experience right away. That said, I’m back and ready to share.

Last week’s class was a field trip to the in Upper Nazareth Township.

Our first stop was the PennSTAR helipad, or the helicopter landing pad, located behind the building that sits off Gracedale Avenue.

According to www.pennmedicine.org, PennSTAR “provides critical care air medical transportation within a 100-mile radius of the University of Pennsylvania Health System.”

A few interesting facts:

• “Since 1998, the PennSTAR flight team has flown the equivalent mileage to circle the earth more than 65 times and rendered lifesaving care to more than 30,000 patients.

• “Since the program began in 1988, PennSTAR has maintained a perfect safety record with no injury accidents or significant aircraft incidents.

• “At the 2006 Association of Air Medical Service (AAMS) Conference in Phoenix, the PennSTAR flight team was awarded the American Eurocopter Platinum Safety Award for completing over 20,000 accident-free patient flights.

• “PennSTAR aircraft can reach all parts of Delaware, New Jersey, central Pennsylvania and southern New York in 30 minutes or less.”

The gentleman in our class -- of course -- had to ask if the pilot could turn on the helicopter’s main rotor system.

As we all moved to the hangar -- out of harm’s reach -- we learned that we were the first class to ever get a “yes” from a pilot. How cool is that?

We then got a chance to climb aboard and check out the helicopter from the inside out. There was only one rule: don’t touch any buttons. Darn.

After our visit with the PennSTAR team, we headed inside for the lowdown on the 911 Center. I’ve said it before, and I’ll say it again: 911 dispatchers have the patience and multitasking skills of Gods.

Imagine this: four computer screens (five if you’re a supervisor), two keyboards and three mice. I’m pretty sure my head would explode... yes... it definitely would.

According to our tour guide, it takes a new hire about six months to finally hit the floor on his or her own. And, he added, if the center hires 10 people, about five will make it through training.

In the event of a massive power outage -- an outage that makes “Snowtober” seem like child’s play -- the center has generators that will keep everything up and running for about two weeks.

And there’s a lot to keep running. We all lined up inside the central nervous system of the building. I didn’t take any pictures, but the amount of wires and fuses that line the entire room is absolutely incredible.

The 911 Center is also known as Northampton County Emergency Management Services. As director Robert Mateff explained to me almost a year ago, “In the event of a natural or man-made disaster that affects Northampton County residents and visitors, Northampton County Emergency Management Services coordinates relief efforts, trains and deploys emergency responders, advocates for community efforts and informs the public.”

I couldn’t have said it better myself.

Stay tuned for my week-five installment. In the classroom, we learned about use of force, and we also hit the gun range this past weekend.