There are many uses of technology as a Customer Logistics Specialist that were not available 10 years ago.As a specialist I am the interface betwen the gas marketeer, customer service, company headquarters and field operations, not to mention the government agencies we have to contact when there is an emergency. To do this you need people skills, computer skills,logical thinking and to know what and when to act in an emergency situation College education is preferred but a high school diploma and experience are acceptable. More and more a higher education will be required for jobs in the $40,000 to $60,000 range. Advancement from here is limited only by your talents and your continuing education as in most fields. This can be a high stress job comparable to a 911 operator.

Quite a few community colleges offer training as a 911 dispatcher, but there is no fomal training nor could I find anything applicable to this on the internet. This title was given to Dispatchers about 9 years ago when the job changed drastically and most of its functions were computerized. The only place I have found for this designation is Atlanta Gas Light Company The folowing link is to Portland Community College about 911 Training: http://www.pcc.edu/programs/emergency-911/

The technology we use has been taken partially from existing programs and from programs built by our own Information Technology staff. We use a scheduling program to schedule work for the Field  Resource Technician pr FSR. Another program maps his route and tells us who is closest if we have an emergency. Gas leaks are dangerous and must be responded to immediately. A third program is a map of all our infrastructure giving the placement, size, pressure and type of pipe in the ground. There are several other programs we use for information and reporting emergency information to company personnel and governmental agencies. This link is to the site where our scheduling software is developed and maintained: http://www.clicksoftware.com/ . this link is to the State of Tennesee requirements for 911 Training: http://www.state.tn.us/commerce/911/documents/DispatcherCalltakerRegulations.pdf

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