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Unpaid, Overworked and Understaffed, 911 Workers Complain of “Hostile Work Environment” (NJ)
Despite a rising chorus of complaints from the public, Jersey City’s 911 communications center continues to be mired in dysfunction. This is according to multiple employees of the Jersey City Public Safety Communications Center who, fearing retaliation, spoke to the...
New Mexico’s 911 service system being down a ‘hoax,’ officials say
The Tucumcari Quay emergency communications center reported the 911 system was experiencing issues statewide. They made the announcement on its Facebook page. KOAT has confirmed with the Department of Homeland Security that a message posted on that Facebook page is a...
Railroads pilot rail emergency dispatching system to increase first responder information access (TN)
The Association of American Railroads (AAR), in partnership with emergency management agencies in Sumner County, Tennessee, have piloted the addition of AskRail data to their emergency management dispatching system to ensure all first responders have accurate, timely...
RCC holds 9-1-1 telecommunications conference – (NC)
LUMBERTON — Robeson Community College welcomed many 9-1-1 telecommunicators to its campus recently for the NENA Center Manager Certification Program Conference.
Apache Junction Police: SPIDR Tech to improve communications with 911 callers (AZ)
The Apache Junction Police Department recently implemented a new tool, SPIDR Tech, to enhance communications with 911 callers, reporting parties and crime victims, as well as gather feedback about interactions with the agency.
Inside Kern County’s high-tech Emergency Operations Center (CA)
Flooding over the past week has prompted several evacuation orders and warnings in places all over Kern County. Although the face of the emergency response are the workers who arrive on the scene to help, there are many people who work behind the scenes to ensure they...
Dispatcher shortages across metro Atlanta could affect how quickly you get help in an emergency (GA)
COBB COUNTY, Ga. — 911 call centers across metro Atlanta are shorthanded, and that could leave families vulnerable during life-or-death moments.
911 dispatchers hoping to get designated as first responders through HB 291 (FL)
911 dispatchers are the first people to answer the call when there's an emergency, but they're not considered first responders like their peers.
Post From Community: City of Milwaukee’s “9-1-1 Is No Joke” Public Awareness Campaign (WI)
The City of Milwaukee has launched its 9-1-1 public awareness campaign to direct callers to the correct number when they need public safety services. When people call 9-1-1 in non-emergency situations, operators are distracted from their primary responsibility,...
New Orleans city council president questions 911 director over emergency responses (LA)
It was the most recent in a series of fumbled 911 calls that had the district's executive director, Tyrell Morris, playing defense Tuesday before a joint City Council committee.
Augusta 911 Center receives award for excellence (GA)
Augusta's 911 Emergency Communications Center has been awarded the prestigious Accredited Center of Excellence (ACE) certification by The International Academies of Emergency Dispatch® (IAEDTM) for emergency fire dispatching. This achievement makes Augusta the 70th...
New Relocation Plans For Wenatchee’s 911 Center
RiverCom 911, Wenatchee's public safety communications center plans to relocate. The center answers and processes 9-1-1 calls and non-emergency calls and provides that information to police, fire and medical agencies in Chelan and Douglas counties.
Prepared Partners with NextNav to Bring Vertical Location Intelligence to … (CA)
Partnership will allow 911 callers to share z-axis data and live videos with emergency dispatchers SUNNYVALE, Calif., March 15, 2023 -- Prepared, the leader in mission-critical emergency multimedia services, has selected NextNav Pinnacle to power its z-axis location...
New Orleans city council president questions 911 director over emergency responses (LA)
It was the most recent in a series of fumbled 911 calls that had the district's executive director, Tyrell Morris, playing defense Tuesday before a joint City Council committee.
New computer system to help Chatham Co. dispatchers with more 911 calls (GA)
CHATHAM COUNTY, Ga. (WTOC) - Chatham County Commissioner Aaron Whitely says a new computer aided dispatch system will be coming to the county soon and it will help free up dispatchers to take more of those 911 calls that are going unanswered.
FCC’s spectrum-auction lapse stalls next-generation 911 funding
The U.S. Senate declined to vote on the House's Spectrum Innovation Act, a bill that would have provided $10 billion for next-generation 911. READ FULL ARTICLE
Dispatch supervisor helps save toddler pulled from pool – (FL)
A Volusia County sheriff's dispatch supervisor helped save the life of a toddler found face down in a pool by guiding a person on the telephone on how to do CPR on the unconscious child, officials said.
EMS telecommunicators: Unsung heroes behind the scenes (AL)
The men and women and who make up Cullman’s first responder community are tasked with keeping the county and its residents safe and protected. Emergency calls come in at all hours of the day and night from people in desperate need of assistance. Within minutes of...
Tennessee First State to Backup Its 9-1-1 PSAPs with FirstNet
As it pushes ahead to NG911 (Next Generation 911) service, the State of Tennessee is building redundancy into this system by choosing FirstNet to provide wireless backup connections to its primary 9-1-1 PSAPs (Public Safety Answering Points). In doing so, Tennessee is...
Cape May County, technical school creating dispatching learning program (NJ)
CAPE MAY COURT HOUSE — The Cape May County Department of Emergency Management and Cape May County Technical High School are partnering to create a program for students interested in a career in emergency dispatching services.
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We had a great turnout for our veterans job and resource fair earlier this week in @CityEastvaleCA. Veterans in #CA35 can always reach out to my office for any help with service-connected claims or Veterans ID Cards.
Thx to @CommerceGov Dep.Asst.Sec. @delaneyNTIA for hosting #iCERT’s leadership Eric Hagerson, Don Brittingham & @gfkelemen today. Appreciated the opportunity to meet w/@NTIAgov team to discuss importance of emergency response technologies to our nation.
We know collaboration is critical to connecting more communities and we're committed to working #together to create more opportunities. Learn more:
The Cherokee Nation and @ATT are celebrating the newly constructed 355-foot-tall cell tower built by Cherokee Nation in collaboration with AT&T, giving thousands of residents in Kenwood, Oklahoma, fast, reliable and secure connectivity for the very first time! 🤳🌐 #together
Opinions
Letter to the Editor: More training for 911 operators (SC)
It is time that we see a change in the number of individuals that survive sudden cardiac arrest (SCA) in South Carolina. Currently, there is only about a 12% survival rate for those who experience SCA outside of the hospital setting. With a large...
Unsung heroes (WY)
To the Editor:Can we take a minute to talk about some of our most unsung heroes in our county? I’m referring to our dispatchers, the people who answer our calls when we are having an emergency.
It’s important for our citizens to know how often these people are forgotten as some of our most important heroes in our community. When we call them, it doesn’t matter which town we are from, whether we are in the city or the county. What matters to them is getting us the help we need, as quickly and efficiently as they can. They are our fist line of defense in every situation that comes to them. They have to make the decision of who needs to be notified and sent our way. They have to know what to tell us to do in any emergency that we call them with, how to administer first aid, how to perform CPR, the safest measures to take when there’s been an accident, etc. They must keep us as calm as possible, often in situations that seem like the worst moments of our lives.
Most importantly they are doing all of these things simultaneously. While they are dealing with us they are also monitoring our rescuers’ safety, locations and providing quickest route details. In most cases they don’t ever know the outcome of any given situation. When we hang up with them, we often forget that they have just experienced our trauma with us, but they have to be ready to answer the next call when it comes in. Can most of us imagine what the weight of that might feel like?
After saying all of this, I’m wondering if our two governing bodies, the city council and county commissioners, have given this any thought?
We’ve all heard about communication equipment and whether we should or shouldn’t pay for it. We’ve all heard about the possibility of a joint powers board and should we have one or not. We’ve heard discussion of the possibility of splitting the dispatch center into two different centers.
Have these two governing entities ever talked to the people who matter significantly here? Again, referring to the dispatchers who are doing this extremely difficult job. Are they asking for their input on what they might need, to do their jobs most efficiently? Were any of them ever asked to be on a joint powers board? Have they been asked if they want to split the dispatch center? Have they been asked for any input at all?
Are these governing agencies choosing to make all of these decisions, that affect the public’s safety, without talking to the people who actually do the job?
I believe every city council member and county commissioner should be required to spend a 12-hour shift in the dispatch center watching what these people do to keep us safe. When they do, they should pray that it’s not one of the “bad days” because they might leave there a little scarred. Maybe if we require this of them before they make these important decisions they will realize that these are not just glorified receptionists we are talking about.
These forgotten heroes the dispatchers are in fact the oil and fuel that keeps the rest of the machine running!
RICK MACLEAN: ‘9-1-1. What is the nature of your emergency?’ (Canada)
“9-1-1, what is the nature of your emergency?” I knew who it was before I answered. “This is 9-1-1. Is there an emergency?” But I’m guilty of jumping to the end of this story – emergency? It started much earlier, in the wee hours, around 8:30 a.m., definitely the wee...
If you call in an emergency, try to give useful information (TX)
This year, 2022, already doesn’t seem much different from 2021. We had COVID and still have COVID, and we had lots of traffic and still have lots of traffic. As Hood County grows, so will our growing pains. My office is here to serve all who live in Hood County and...
Open Source: Why has the Knox County 911 line gone down recently? (OH)
EDITOR'S NOTE: This story is in response to a reader-submitted question through Open Source, a platform where readers can submit questions to the staff. MOUNT VERNON — The 911 phone line in Knox County has gone down twice in the last few weeks. The reason why? On Nov....
An Open Letter to City Council and the City Manager on Police Encryption. (CA)
We, the undersigned, are writing to express our concern about the recent decision by the Berkeley City Council, the City Manager, and the Berkeley Police Department to use encrypted public safety radio devices in Berkeley. It is our understanding that the City of...
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