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Call to Action: Ask Congress to Fully Fund Next Generation 9-1-1
We need your help, public safety! On March 11, 2021 the U.S. House of Representatives introduced the Next Generation 9-1-1 Act of 2021 as part of the LIFT America Act (H.R. 1848). Now we need to urge the Senate to fully fund this legislation. This is what you can do to encourage the Senate to fully fund this legislation…
Features
The FirstNet Network: Prepared, aware, and ready for hurricane season
By Bruce Fitzgerald, First Responder Network Authority Senior Public Safety Advisory When hurricanes strike, many communities become vulnerable to high winds and widespread flooding that can cause injury and damage infrastructure. Communities in a storm’s path are...
News & Articles
New executive director oversees changes to emergency group (IN)
Joel Benz, recently named to the position of executive director of the Three Rivers Ambulance Authority, is supervising several changes throughout the agency. Resolving staffing issues and working on improving slow ambulance response times are significant priorities....
Archer County 911 dispatchers to get medical training (TX)
ARCHER COUNTY, Texas (KAUZ) - 911 dispatchers in Archer County will soon be even better equipped to help save lives. On any given day, they receive anywhere from five to up to even 15 crisis calls, but no matter the call volume, they want to be prepared for anything....
APCO Seeks Comments on Candidate Standard Managing Operational Overload in the Emergency Communication Center
Alexandria, VA – The Association of Public-Safety Communications Officials (APCO) International is seeking comments for the candidate American National Standard (ANS) Managing Operational Overload in the Emergency Communication Center. The purpose of this standard is...
Program being offered to help get certified to become 911 dispatcher (VA)
HENRICO COUNTY, Va. (WRIC) — Henrico Public Safety is offering a program to help students get started as a 9-1-1 dispatcher if you’re looking for a new job. Students who complete the 40-hour certification class are eligible to apply for a paid internship with the...
FirstNet Enables Remote Training, Enhanced Mapping Capabilities for Emergency Management in Pennsylvania
Indiana County is located approximately 60 miles northeast of Pittsburgh in Pennsylvania. Covering roughly 834 square miles with more than 80,000 residents, Indiana County is home to historic sites, outdoor adventures, and more than 250 cultural events each year....
Gov. Ivey introduces new technology upgrade to support public safety at Redstone Arsenal
REDSTONE ARSENAL, Ala. – Thursday Alabama Governor Kay Ivey and U.S Army officials announced new technology that they say will transform the military installation’s infrastructure in the future by boosting first responder and security personnel’s wireless...
Toledo Fire & Rescue calls increased (OH)
TFRDPvt. Sterling Rahe says that you can reduce the burden by asking yourself if you are really dealing with an emergency before calling 911. Toledo, Ohio — Toledo Fire Rescue Department Is dealing with a significant increase in telephones and is having a major impact...
St. Johns County Sheriff’s Office needs more dispatchers to meet growth (FL)
As the county's population continues to multiply by leaps and bounds, the St. Johns County Sheriff's Office is the looking to hire a growing number of dispatchers to handle an influx of 911 calls. Technically called public safety telecommunicators, those who fill the...
She gives birth at home thanks to the instructions of 911 (UT)
A 911 dispatcher from the state of Utah in the United States was able to guide a couple through the birth of their baby. The dispatcher only had a few months of experience in this position. Laura Meyerink was due to give birth on November 29. It was rather on the 18th...
Longtime N’West Iowa EMS workers honored (IA)
ORANGE CITY—Two N’West Iowa emergency medical services personnel who each have more than two decades of experience in the field were recently recognized for their outstanding work. Seventy-year-old Aiko Kamies of Boyden was inducted into the Iowa Emergency Medical...
The FirstNet Network: Prepared, aware, and ready for hurricane season
By Bruce Fitzgerald, First Responder Network Authority Senior Public Safety Advisory When hurricanes strike, many communities become vulnerable to high winds and widespread flooding that can cause injury and damage infrastructure. Communities in a storm’s path are...
Dorchester Co. developing first public safety strategic plan (SC)
DORCHESTER COUNTY, S.C. (WCSC) - Dorchester County public safety leaders are developing the county’s first strategic plan for public safety, and they’re using a survey to get feedback from the community. The county wants to create a “collaborative vision for public...
KITTCOM rolls out text-to-911 feature Wednesday (WA)
Kittitas County residents will have an entirely new way to summon first responders beginning Wednesday. KITTCOM is rolling out its text-to-911 service after months of preparations. The service will allow certain demographics, including the hearing impaired to make...
BC 911 Operators Can Now Hang Up On Callers Waiting For Ambulances (Canada)
The people who answer 911 calls in BC may disconnect if their callers wait on the line for an ambulance, according to new changes by the county’s largest 911 dispatcher. Allowing 911 operators to hang up allows them to take more calls in total, including urgent police...
Newton County launches Text-to-911 service for emergency situations (MO)
NEWTON COUNTY, Mo. (KY3) - Newton County Central Dispatch has announced that dispatchers are now accepting Text-to-911 cases. Text-to-911 is a service that can be used in an emergency when making a call is not possible. It is meant to help if a caller is deaf or...
Fairhaven PD unveils Sully’s dispatch center (MA)
This plaque hangs in the foyer of the Fairhaven Police Department, where all who enter can see the smiling face of Michael A. “Sully” Sullivan, and read his story and the reasons the dispatch center was named after him. Photo by Beth David. By Beth David, Editor By...
Study: 911 system consolidation in Sebastian County feasible; cost savings possible (AR)
Call volumes The call center at the Sebastian County Sheriff’s Office received 13,070 emergency calls and 78,500 nonemergency/administrative calls in 2020, which comes to a total of 91,570 calls. The Fort Smith Police Department call center got 57,045 emergency calls...
Menominee County joins Michigan’s Public Safety Communications System (MPSCS)
MENOMINEE, Mich. (WJMN) – According to Menominee County 911, the Menominee County Board of Commissioners approved a plan to replace the county’s more than 20-year-old emergency communications system. The County began working with GCCSS Consulting in early 2020 to...
Harrison County Commission discusses 911 dispatcher pay raises (WV)
CLARKSBURG, W.Va. (WV News) — The Harrison County Commission discussed pay increases for E-911 workers, restructuring of Charles Pointe tax increment financing bonds and voter precinct redistricting during a special work session held Wednesday. Following discussions...
Dispatchers get tech to pinpoint 911 callers (CA)
SAN BERNARDINO — The communications center that runs the dispatch for San Bernardino County Fire Department and handles all 911 calls for fire or emergency medical services is working with new partners and technology to accurately track cellphones during 911 calls....
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Opinions
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...
Prop. 2 would modernize 911 with $41 million (WA)
By Mike De Felice
Special to Bainbridge Island Review
It’s 2 a.m. and a police officer has pulled over a driver on an isolated rural road on suspicion of driving under the influence. The officer calls for back-up before approaching the vehicle, but emergency dispatch is unable to hear the call.
A fire crew is called to a house fire in a remote part of Kitsap County. Upon arrival, firefighters hear a person yelling from inside the burning building. The crew calls for another unit to respond, but the request is never heard.
Such scenarios could play out in parts of the county due to Kitsap’s outdated 911 communication system, according to South Kitsap Fire and Rescue Chief Jeff Faucett. The system does not provide reliable coverage for parts of the county where population has grown dramatically since the system’s original design, officials said. The radio system has limited capacity and cannot keep up with the increasing 911 incidents, they added.
Spotty radio coverage and the unpredictability of first responders communicating among themselves during an emergency, is behind Proposition 2 on the Nov. 2 general election ballot, officials said.
Opponents of the measure complain it’s a one-time technology upgrade, but the tax will never go away.
Law enforcement agencies using the system include the Kitsap County Sheriff’s Office and police departments serving Bainbridge Island, Poulsbo, Suquamish, Port Gamble, Bremerton and Port Orchard. Fire departments reliant on the system include Bainbridge Island, Poulsbo and Bremerton, as well as North Kitsap, Central Kitsap and South Kitsap fire and rescue departments.
Passage of the proposition will secure funding to replace the entire emergency communication system and ensure safe and effective radio and data communications for first responders, supporters say. It would include upgrades to the county’s radio towers, mobile computer terminals and radios used by first responders in the field and Kitsap 911’s computer-aided dispatch equipment and software.
Proposition 2 would fund a $41 million modernization of Kitsap 911’s emergency communications system with a sales tax rate increase of 1/10th of 1%, which would add a penny to a $10 taxable purchase. If approved, the measure will cost the average taxpayer about $16 per year.
Kitsap 911 is not part of Kitsap County government and receives no financial support from property taxes. It is funded primarily by use fees from police, fire and support agencies, and from sales taxes and 911 telephone taxes, 911 officials say.
Kitsap County’s 911 system was implemented in 1998. Police and fire and rescue administrators say the manufacturer of the county’s emergency communications equipment will no longer support the system beginning in 2028. K-911 handles an average of 1,000 calls each day, and call volume has increased 50% since 1997.
Assistant supervisor Drew Tetrick described the system’s problems on a Kitsap 911 website video:
“In times where a unit is in a bad radio coverage area, there is poor radio reception. They might make a radio request to us that we can’t hear clearly, and we have to ask them to repeat it or maybe call us on the phone. In an [emergency], seconds count. The more we can minimize those things, the better.”
Faucett said: “This for us is a firefighter safety issue. Sixty percent of our responders had difficulty transmitting because of radio traffic caused by static or because there are so many responders using their radios.”
He added that he was recently driving when he heard a 911 report of a house fire. “I was only about five miles away. But I couldn’t hear what the on-scene fire crew was saying.
“For the majority of the South Kitsap Fire District, [firefighters on the scene or responding units] can radio others only if they are outside of a building. If they are inside fighting a fire, we can’t hear them — it’s scratchy or we have to have K-911 relay the information to us,” he said.
There is opposition to the measure. A voter’s guide statement says that K-911 has been aware of the required system upgrades for years and complained the agency’s lack of planning is now being passed down to voters.
“No reason for a forever tax has been given and little to no detailed plans of how the funds will be used has been provided,” the group’s statement reads. “Any sales tax increase is regressive and unfairly impacts the middle class and lower income.”
Keep Your 911 Commitment
In your day-to-day work life, have you ever stopped to wonder why you continue to come in to work every day? Why the PSAP life? More specifically, why you are an emergency services telecommunicator? Bills, boredom, family to support, or just getting out of the house?...
Letter: From deep stress to soaring morale, dispatchers thank supporters (MA)
Please Support Local Advertisers On September 20, 2021, the Ipswich Select Board voted unanimously to reject joining the North Shore Regional 911 center which would have closed our local 911 Communications Center. We understand it is the job of the Town Manager and...
BCLA privileged to honors emergency responders | Opinion (KS)
To the Editor,Did you know Brown County has 279 emergency responder positions filled? Did you know that in addition to community fire departments, police departments, dispatch, the sheriff’s department and our county wide ambulance service, we also have a mounted search and rescue team (which uses horses & riders to search off the beaten path during an emergency) and Squad 48 (which extract people from vehicle accidents & other emergencies requiring special equipment)?The men and women doing these jobs are not doing it for fame and fortune. They are doing it because they feel called to serve and protect their community…to make it a better and safer place for themselves, their families and ALL of us.BCLA was privileged to honor Brown County’s 279 emergency responders on Patriot Day – Saturday, September 11, 2021. On a day filled with much emotion – the 20th anniversary of 9/11 – we remembered those that gave the ultimate sacrifice at the World Trade Center in New York City. Then we said thank you to our Brown County First Responders because we never know when that opportunity could be taken from us.THANK YOU to the almost 200 people who participated in the procession and ceremony and another approximately 70 people who took advantage of the World Trade Center Virtual Tour at Arrow Twin Theatre. If you were unable to attend Saturday’s events, we encourage you to take a moment, pick a specific emergency responder &/or a department and send a handwritten thank you to them. Brown County departments honored on Saturday included:Everest Fire DepartmentFairview Fire DepartmentHiawatha Fire DepartmentRescue Squad 48 & Town & Country EMSHorton Fire DepartmentIoway Tribal Fire DepartmentKickapoo Tribal Fire DepartmentMorrill Fire DepartmentPowhattan Fire DepartmentRobinson Fire DepartmentBrown County Sheriff, Dispatchers & Mounted Search & RescueHiawatha PoliceHorton Police & DispatchersIoway Tribal Law EnforcementKickapoo Tribal Law EnforcementReginal Highway TroopersSac & Fox Tribal Law EnforcementIf you were unable to see the Virtual Tour we invite you to visit this link so you can watch from home. The link will be active through Sunday, September 19. https://www.911memorial.org/demand-tours PASSWORD: NC9DNVWe also want to give a BIG THANK YOU to the other groups and individuals who helped make these Patriot Day events possible:Lingling (Rachel) Zhang, Arrow Twin TheatreLynn Allen, Brown County Historical SocietyWilliam Geisendorf, Hiawatha Family DentistryBrad Unruh & Monte Unruh, Jackrabbit CoffeeLauren Lock, McDonald’sMatt Bartlett, SonicJoan Stoller, American Heritage Girls Troop #KS2315Laura Hooper, Scout Troop #313Matthew Leahy, Hiawatha High ArtKarie Covert, Hiawatha Middle ArtMike Dunaway, Zion Lutheran ChurchRichard Lehmkuhl, Eternal HopeSteve Stoller, Sabetha Thrivent FinancialSpencer Madison, vocalistSarah Kleopfer, vocalistJudy Bruning, pianistJoey May, Hiawatha WorldHorton HeadlightHiawatha Kiwanis ClubBrown County CommissionersHiawatha City CommissionersBrown County Home GuardBlake Ezra Burton Memorial FundSubmitted by: Brown County Liberty Alliance – Patriot Day CommitteeJerry & Jeanette AllerStuart & Amanda AllerLucas & Kendra HeinenBrian & Annette Hoskins
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