C-COM provides complete dispatching services to six law and nine fire agencies within Clackamas County. Several other smaller agencies also contract with C-COM for limited dispatching services.
When a 9-1-1 or non-emergency call is received, the information in input to Computer Aided Dispatching software that routes the information to the appropriate dispatcher. Dispatchers are assigned to monitor certain areas of the county and the units working in those areas. Once the call appears on the dispatcher's screen, he or she relays the information to a responder (police officer or fire station) via radio or through the computer system, depending on the priority of the call.
High priority law enforcement calls are dispatched over the radio while lower priority calls are transmitted to the laptop computer in the officer's car. Only high priority calls are dispatched on the radio to keep the airwaves from being saturated with transmissions that may walk over or block an emergency transmission from a responder in trouble.
Fire and medical calls are dispatched over the radio and information is also sent to the laptop computers in the responders' vehicles (if equipped).