[MCOA41]

Gil has know for a while and since I fly out Sunday I figured now was a good time to let everyone know what is going on.

Around the first of this year I received an email from Arifjan Kuwait and I was asked to go over and help two other dispatchers set up what will be the first US military overseas theater of operations combined dispatch center (9-1-1). We will be starting from scratch ie SOP's need to be made up, equipment purchased, training standards set and done, everything.

This is a one year contract and I may extend it for one more year after that. Pay and benefits are incredible and the oppurtuinty is once in a life time. I will be keeping in touch once I am settled in and from time to time I will be looking for help not only from my brother dispatchers but from everyone on this forum.

Everyone take care and keep in touch.

Jeremie Meyer
Arifjan Kuwait Dispatch (operations)

 

[Gil]

Best of luck Jeremie!

 

[fscpd907]

Good Luck & Stay Safe

 

[Dr.Magoo]

Stay safe brother. :t:

 

[pickels]

Good Luck and Stay Safe! Make us proud! :t:

 

[ecpd402]

Good Luck stay safe

 

[mpd61]

Watch Your Six dude!!!!!!
:sq:

P.S.
If you need some cover, call 40thMPOC and he'll come over with some F-15's brother!
:wink:

 

[MCOA41]

Thimios,

Have Mike come see me at Camp Arifjan Fire Dept. I will be in dispatch. I will be working 12 hour shift some days some nights. Please have him stop in and introduce himslef.

Thanks

Jeremie

 

[LeadDog17]

Best of luck out there Jeremie!

Look forward to hearing stories. Keep us updated!

Regards,
Eric

 

[EsxPD319]

Good luck and stay safe...Hope to hear from you soon..


Ed

 

[tomahawk]

Best of luck to you, Jeremie, and stay safe!!

-Mike

 

[MCOA41]

Update on Arifjan Dispatch

Well I have been here for 38 hours. Jet lag and home sickness are hitting hard. for you military peopl you will know what I mean when I say thank god for DSN phone line. We have a class a line in dispatch so I can call home daily. That will help.

Security meassures are tight (can not get into them) and there is alot to learn and do. I live about 20 minutes from the base in a secured apartment complex with TCN's (third country nationals) as security. They are nice and they do their job I always see them out. The apartmnet is huge and empty. It eckose inside. Only myslef and 1 firfighter in it now maybe a 3rd person down the road. We each have hour own rooms and bathrooms. Senior man gets the master bed room with has a master bathroom. The newest guy gets the smallest bedroom and down stairs bathroom. My bathroom is right accross the hall from my bedroom. You can see the ocean from the master bedroom and common room on the second floor.

Lets see what else. Oh o went into town and purchased a cell phone so my girlfriend and mom can call me. I will stick with the DSN line for the most part.

I have a question for the dispatchers on here. We are looking at gettng a new chair. I love those dispatch chairs that are mess on the seat and back rest but I can not find them online. Does anyone know of the companies name or website? If so please let me know.

Well I will post more in a few days. Please email or post to me here. It realy helpsget over the home sickness.

I want to thank all of you for the posts you have put on this forum so far. They mean alot.

Jeremie

 

[MCOA41]

CAD for Kuwait Dispatch

My first assignment here in Kuwait is to find a CAD.

We are looking for something that is or close to;

User friendly
MS base
Able to work on multiple computers (8+)
Able to show all users, type of calls that are pending or occuring
at the same time.
Able to work like a basic E911 system (example: enter phone # into
CAd and it shows you the location of that #)
Most important it needs to be inexspensive.

It is my hope to have at least five different CAD software to bring
to the fire dept chief and 9-1-1 board.

PLEASE forward all replies to my personal email address
([email protected])

Again Thank you for all your help.

Jeremie Meyer
[email protected]

 

[MCOA41]

Arifjan

Well I am still alive. It is Friday 12 march o4 at 0721.

I have been keeping bust rying to find a CAD system and now some Dispatch Furniture (having a hard time with the furniture).

I met with the Kuwait Fire Dept bosses and the Kuwait 777 (kuwaits 9-1-1) people. Meetings went very well and they are very happy to work with us when it comes to any incidents involving any US soldier or citizen off base. So and American any place in Kuwait can call 911 on a cell phone or DSN line from any one of the countless camps in Kuwait and get help.

We have SP's now (Air Force Police) and they are kinda a pain in the 6th.
They think they own the 9-1-1 line (rings at both places). So I get the privledge of going to the PMO (Provost Marshal/Chief) and educating him on the role of dispatch and how the system works here. Fun Fun. One female E5 (SGT) gave us crap the other day and we had to put here in here place. I do not think she is use to civilians telling her how to do hings. LOL We were polite but she still did not like it.

We had Army MP's prior and most are civilian cops so they know how it works. We still have Army MP K-9 officers. They use the station weekly for k-9 training (drugs and explosives) they are very well trainined. Once in a while they are at the vehicle inspection area (our daily strip search to come on base) checking the vehicles.

We have had a few security warnings. You know people taking pictures at places Americans hang out. Last year the company I work for had 2 of their employees shot and killed while parked at a stop light about 1 mile from the base they worked at. So yeah we are on our toes.

I have some pictures and will try and get motivated to send some to Gil,

Well I hope everyone is good and I will chat with you soon.

Jeremie

 

[tomahawk]

Jeremie,

Our dispatch center here in the states ordered furniture last summer, and it was supposed to arrive in early December... it did not arrive until 2 weeks ago. Hopefully you will have better luck than we did.

Thanks for the update, and stay safe over there!!

-Mike

 

[MCOA41]

UPDATE FROM KUWAIT

Well I just wanted everyone to know I am safe and doing good. As you all know things are harry up in Iraq and one of the truck drive that was kidnapped and condition/status is unknown i s married to a fellow dispatcher from down south. Kuwait is much safer then Iraq. Not as safe as being home of course but safe. You keep an eye out more you learn about what to look for and what to avoid. With this I still go out and explore. I have some local friends that I do things with and I have the cell phone # to the Kuwait Police Harbor/port patrol police chief. He has an apartment next door to me that he, his major and there life long buddies use on the weekend. So I am good.

I have been incredibly busy with the proposal fro equipment and furniture for the dispatch center. This is not a complaint but I did it myslef because they othe two did not bother to take part in it. On the good side the chief knows it was all my research and work.

Here is a breakdown of what I proposed. 2 items I could not price since we do not know what we will be getting for radios and I am still researching the DSN phone system and its abilities.

EMFOTEC CAD and Mapping $3,200.00
Dell OptiPlex
CAD Server $1,715.25
CAD computer $2,477.48
Radio Console Unknown
Phone System Unknown
Ergostoreonline ETS Console $5,327,28
Delux Matrex Black Mesh Chair (2) $579.98
ALM Information Center $793.95
HP 1100d printer $199.99
3 lockers $599.97
Compact Refrigerator $199.99
TOTAL $15,113.89

Now I am looking at being able to get a compact refrigerator, lockers and a microwave from the military for free. so I am thinking just about $20,000.00 with the phone system and radio console.

I never did a proposal before and I was smiling ear to ear when the Chief and Deputy Chief told me how much they liked it. I have since had others including the other dispatchers tell me the same thing. I was 30 pages in length and had a complete break down of each items specifications and cost.

I think it would be to large to post on here since I included pictures in it. Well now it is the hurry up and waite game to see what happens with it.

I start working on my DOD HazMAt awareness DVD class (they do not except any other HazMat Awareness). I then start on my DOD Telecommunicator 1 and 2 courses. That is all the require for DOD dispatchers.

At the same time I will be wokring with George (one of the other dispatchers) on SOP's and I will be working on an in-service monthly training program (self taught).

Well that is all that is going on here. I will try and be better about updating everyone more often.

Jeremie

 

[MCOA41]

Well I know a lot of you probably saw or heard the news about the incident in Kuwait on 30 Jan 05. Well it was only 1 of 4 things that happened in the past month.

I am safe. A few of the things have been a little close to me (about 20 minutes away).

I am safe. They keep us aware of what is going on via text messages or phone calls. I keep a low profile when the threat alert goes up.

Here is a link to the local paper about what happen. WARNING pictures are graphic.

http://www.kuwaittimes.net/today/index.php

 

[EOD1]

yeah good luck out here. u gotta drop me a line next time ur out my way.