Emergency response was the main focus as a four-member delegation from the Republic of Armenia visited Kansas emergency responder organizations. Armenia recently adopted a U.S. model for a 911 emergency system and Hovhannes Khangeldyan, head of Crisis Management Center, and his colleagues were eager to see real-world operations of this system.
“We are amazed and impressed with the high level of service that you are providing for your population for managing disasters,” said Khangeldyan.
The delegation started their tour at Shawnee County’s 911 center Sept. 12 to gain a better understanding of how the system worked. Capt. Lance Royer, deputy with Shawnee County Sheriff’s Department, gave the delegation a tour of the 911 center and the communication tower site. He was able to demonstrate what technologies are in place to track not only calls from land-line phones, but cell phones as well.
“They were interested in a lot of statistics,” said Royer. “They were interested in how our technology works and the software that we have in our communication center.”
After a tour of the center, the delegation had a round table discussion with Topeka and Shawnee County law enforcement leadership, giving them an opportunity to share and ask questions about the staffing of the center and training of the operators, and gather more detailed information about the entire system.
“I think that partnerships are good to have because anywhere we have the same type of problems,” said Royer. “It is good to see what the other guy does, because maybe they have already solved a problem that you have in your area of expertise.”
The tour continued at the Kansas City Kan., Police Department, where they were able to see the system operating within a larger populated area. According to Capt. Robert Angell, Kansas City, Kan., Police Department, the 911 center handles approximately 30,000 calls a month.
“[The delegation] has explained the system currently in place in Armenia,” said Angell, “and it sounds as though their system is in an infancy and they are trying to figure out ‘How could we improve? What plans and procedures do you have in place that can help us?’”
The delegation gained as much information as possible from the two different centers and will use that knowledge to improve their emergency system for the future.
“I think that this is not only beneficial for Armenia, but for Kansas, too,” said Anahit Hovhannisyan, Armenian Education and Training Specialist. “Sharing information makes the cooperation level higher and higher.”
The visit was arranged through the State Partnership Program, a National Guard Bureau program that pairs developing nations with state National Guard organizations to foster mutually beneficial relationships, both military and civilian. Kansas has been partnered with Armenia since 2003 and has engaged in multiple exchanges by military and civilian agencies and organizations.
