The Public Safety Communications Department (PSCD) manages the 9-1-1 Emergency Communications Center for the City of Tucson; which governs the largest public safety entity in Pima County. PSCD is responsible for the provision of emergency services to over 526,000 City residents and over 122,000 County residents.
In December of 2017 PSCD was formed to combine all facets of emergency 9-1-1 communications previously managed under separate divisions of the Tucson Fire and Tucson Police Departments. These facets include:
- Answering 9-1-1 calls for both the City of Tucson and the City of South Tucson
- Dispatching Tucson Police and Tucson Fire/EMS calls
- Dispatching South Tucson Police and South Tucson Fire/EMS calls
- Dispatching Fire/EMS calls for six (6) additional County entities whose geographical jurisdictions are proximal to the City’s
Now consolidated, PSCD’s purpose is to enrich collaboration between the community and the public safety agencies it serves. PSCD staffs Communications Specialists who are trained to answer and dispatch 9-1-1 calls. The main function of the specialists is to provide a vital link between those needing emergency services and safety units who are responding to those calls for service.