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First Responders Applaud FCC Proposal to Fund Next Gen 911 with Auction Proceeds
It was the kind of funding news that many first responders were hoping for. On February 22, 2022, FCC Chairwoman Jessica Rosenworcel proposed using revenues from future spectrum auctions to fund Next Gen (NG) 911 rollouts across the United States. She made the proposal during a speech at Washington’s National Press Club to mark FirstNet’s 10th anniversary.
News & Articles
DeWine unveils future of emergency response, technology to make state safer (NY)
In a room hidden away from the public eye at an undisclosed location in Cuyahoga County sits a small team of analysts and operators, law enforcement and civilian, ready at a moment’s notice to respond to the next emergency, be that a brutal home invasion, a school...
‘We’re Ecstatic’: New 9-1-1 Center Nears Opening at Clarion County Complex (PA)
PAINT TWP., Pa. (EYT) – “We’re ecstatic,” said Clarion County Director of Public Safety Jeff Smathers last Thursday as he surveyed the state-of-the-art 9-1-1 Center that will soon open at the Clarion County Complex in Shippenville, the site of the former...
Governor DeWine unveils new Communication Card to help Deaf and Hard-of-Hearing individuals communicate with law enforcement (OH)
COLUMBUS—Ohio Governor Mike DeWine announced today that the Ohio Department of Public Safety’s Traffic Safety Office (OTSO), Opportunities for Ohioans with Disabilities (OOD), and statewide law enforcement partners have developed a new communication card to help...
MedStar dispatcher, field staff describe an EMS day in the life (TX)
FORT WORTH, Texas — For first responders at MedStar, no day is ever the same, and not every day is high-intensity. But there’s one thing that remains the same day in and day out when they clock in for their 12-hour shifts — maybe they’ll help save or change a life...
Emergency Dispatch Service Could Change In Marlboro (NJ)
MARLBORO, N.J.— A special meeting to gather public input about possibly transferring township emergency dispatch services to Monmouth County is set for 7 p.m., June 2, Mayor Jonathan Hornik confirmed. Hornik is not a supporter of the idea, adding that it is an...
Christine Midolo: The Person Before the First Responders (CT)
“911, what’s your emergency?” That’s the phrase Christine “Chris” Midolo has spoken as a civilian dispatcher at the North Haven Police Department for the past three decades. While such words are just part of the job for Christine, they denote a haven of help and...
Former employees say Stilwell dispatch company hasn’t paid them for weeks (OK)
STILWELL, Okla. — A private ambulance dispatch company hasn’t made payroll, according to several former employees who claim they haven’t been paid in weeks. The company, Got to Go Medical Services (GTG), opened an office in December in Stilwell. Those former employees...
Worcester to implement new 311 customer service hotline with options for phone, text, WhatsApp and smartphone app (MA)
Worcester residents will soon be able to address any city-related issue 24 hours a day, seven days a week. The city is preparing to implement a 24/7 311 customer service hotline, which will be available by phone, text, WhatsApp and city of Worcester-branded smartphone...
Charleston County 9-1-1 earns Award for Dispatch Excellence (SC)
Charleston County’s Consolidated 9-1-1 Center has been recognized by The International Academies of Emergency Dispatch (IAED) as an Accredited Center of Excellence (ACE) for emergency dispatching. IAED is the standard-setting organization for emergency dispatch...
It’s our duty to address first responders’ mental health & wellness (Guest Opinion by Anna Fitch Courie)
Anna Fitch Courie, a Doctor of Nursing Practice and registered nurse certified in public health, is the Director of Responder Wellness for the FirstNet Program at AT&T. She is based in Columbia, South Carolina. FirstNet is a nationwide emergency communications...
Are law enforcement officers unknowingly breaking the law by using consumer messaging apps?
More than 80% of first responders said that interoperability – the ability to communicate with other agencies across differing technologies – is of “critical” or “somewhat” concern, according to a November 2021 survey by Verizon. Despite the pervasive presence and...
A day on the job at MedStar: What’s it like to be a paramedic or 911 dispatcher? (TX)
For first responders at MedStar, no day is ever the same, and not every day is high-intensity. But there’s one thing that remains the same day in and day out when they clock in for their 12-hour shifts — maybe they’ll help save or change a life that day — and that...
Broward Commissioners To Vote On Dispatcher Pay Raises Amid Shortage (FL)
Pay raises could soon be coming to Broward 9-1-1 dispatchers as commissioners address the critical shortage in the call center. There are dozens of vacancies and that means emergency calls are delayed or could go unanswered. Broward Mayor Michael Udine says they...
Concerns raised over 911 center system viability (KY)
PADUCAH- Millions of dollars of improvements are needed to get the Paducah-McCracken County 911 Center up to standard. Members of the joint city-county 911 Oversight Committee had a very candid conversation during their meeting on Monday about what would happen if the...
Lawrence County 911 operators honored for saving lives (PA)
NEW CASTLE – Two telecommunicators from the Lawrence County Department of Public Safety this month received letters of commendation for saving someone’s life in two separate incidents. Public Safety Deputy Director/911 Coordinator Richard Hoover said during the early...
Staff at Minneapolis 911 call center log more than 4600 hours of overtime in 3 months (MN)
Minneapolis 911 dispatchers and operators combined to log more than 4,600 hours of overtime over a three-month period this year, according to records obtained by 5 EYEWITNESS NEWS. Of the 50 Minneapolis Emergency Communications Center employees listed, 16 individually...
911 dispatcher recognized for helping parents deliver newborn baby in Algonquin (IL)
File Photo – Algonquin-Lake in the Hills Fire Protection District | Photo: Tyler Tobolt / Lake and McHenry County Scanner A 911 dispatcher will be honored Wednesday for helping parents who called 911 with delivering their newborn baby until paramedics arrived in...
New Haven names Joseph Vitale new 911 director (CT)
NEW HAVEN — Mayor Justin Elicker named Joseph F. Vitale Jr., a 30-year veteran of the Yale University Police Department, to be the new director of public safety communications, a month-and-a-half after naming his predecessor, Kevin Stratton, to the position. As...
Florida P25 system slated for completion in 2024, will interoperate with FirstNet
Florida’s efforts to transition its Statewide Law-Enforcement Radio System (SLERS) from legacy EDACS to P25 technology that is augmented by FirstNet broadband service is largely on schedule, with most public-safety users having P25 devices by July, according to an...
Smart911 emergency profiles provide first responders with more information, faster
Since the first full time fire department was established in Cincinnati in 1853, emergency responders have raced into unknown scenarios with limited advance information when the firehouse bell rings—until now. Among the many advancements of next-generation...
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Drumroll please… We’re excited to announce the winners of the #mFITprize challenge at #PSCR2022!
Join us on June 7th to meet the winners and learn about the innovative tech they developed to advance mobile fingerprinting for public safety. Details at: https://www.nist.gov/news-events/events/2022/06/2022-public-safety-broadband-stakeholder-meeting
If you've lost someone to #suicide, you're not alone. The Lifeline is available 24/7/365 if you need someone to talk to. Call 1-800-273-TALK (8255) or visit . #BeThe1To #MentalHealthMonth
For Suicide Loss Survivors - #BeThe1To
If you have lost someone to suicide, you are not alone. Losing a loved one to suicide is challenging, confusing,...
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Since 2020, gun violence is the leading cause of death among children and teenagers. When car crashes were the leading cause of death to children, we changed the laws. We made cars and driving safer. Now it’s time to act on #gunviolenceprevention.
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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