Update on the WHIRC COVID-19 action plan

Update on the WHIRC COVID-19 action plan

All of us at WHIRC want to keep you informed about the changes we are making due to COVID-19 and how we will continue to provide monitoring to all our partners. Our decisions are made with the utmost concern for our employees, partners and community.

WE ARE AN ESSENTIAL BUSINESS.
Under Department of Homeland Security guidelines, WHIRC dispatchers and support staff are designated “Essential Critical Infrastructure Workers.” This means our work will continue uninterrupted when the “Stay at Home” order begins in Minnesota on Friday, March 27.

WE ARE WORKING REMOTELY.
To protect the health and safety of our employees, those who can are now working from home and have been equipped with the necessary technology to complete their jobs remotely. All employees accessing account databases are using a secure VPN connection to ensure all account information remains safe.

WE ARE COMMITTED TO OUR PARTNERS.
We have made a number of changes in how we conduct our work, but the end result is the same. We will continue to deliver excellent monitoring services to help protect lives and property. If you have any questions at all, give us a call at (763) 477-4275.

~ Ashley Raisanen, WHIRC Business Manager

Update on the WHIRC COVID-19 action plan

WHIRC COVID-19 Plan

WHIRC Partners:
I write to provide you WHIRC’s plan regarding our COVID-19 plan. Our decisions are made with the utmost concern for our employees, partners and community. We remain aligned with the guidance from the Minnesota Department of Health (MDH) and Centers for Disease Control (CDC).
The following actions are effective immediately:
  • All non-essential business travel and in-person meetings will be cancelled, rescheduled or conducted remotely. This includes conferences, trade shows and vendor meetings.
  • Even for routine business, we will use telephone or video conferencing whenever possible to minimize face-to-face interaction.
  • The MDH and CDC are encouraging everyone to practice “social distancing” to prevent the spread of the virus. Therefore, we are prepared to execute alternate schedules, isolation from other work groups and remote working arrangements where feasible.
The most important things we can ALL do to prevent the spread of any illness are to:
  • Stay home from school, work and activities/events if you are not feeling well.
  • Wash your hands with soap and water for at least 20 seconds.
  • Cough and sneeze into your sleeve (or tissue).
  • Avoid touching your eyes, nose and mouth with unwashed hands.
  • We encourage employees to reschedule personal travel where possible, especially to areas in high concentration of the virus.
Thank you for your cooperation as we do our part to keep employees safe and service continuity in place.
~ Ashley Raisanen, WHIRC Business Manager
WHIRC renews prestigious designation as a TMA Five Diamond Monitoring Center

WHIRC renews prestigious designation as a TMA Five Diamond Monitoring Center

Rockford, Minn. (March 12, 2020) — WH International Response Center (WHIRC) recently renewed the prestigious “TMA Five Diamond Monitoring Center” designation from The Monitoring Association (TMA) for the 17th straight year. WHIRC first earned the “Five Diamond” designation in 2004. It is granted annually to monitoring centers that satisfy all of the requirements of the “five points of excellence.” These are:

  • TMA Five Diamond Monitoring Center logoCommitment to ongoing job-related education and testing by having 100 percent of its monitoring center operators certified using the TMA online training series on industry best practices.
  • Commitment to random inspections and quality criteria standards by a nationally recognized testing laboratory such as FM Approvals, Intertek/ETL and UL.
  • Commitment to raising the industry standards through TMA membership and participation in its activities.
  • Commitment to reducing false dispatches.
  • Commitment to the highest levels of customer service.

The TMA Five Diamond designation means that a monitoring company has demonstrated an exceptionally high degree of responsibility to their businesses and customers through the investment of time, money and commitment to quality operator training.

There are approximately 2,700 monitoring centers in the United States that communicate and interact with police, fire and emergency services agencies. Fewer than 200 have achieved the Five Diamond designation, setting these companies apart.

To learn more, visit the WHIRC website at whirc.com or call (800) 858-7811.