by AllThingsECC.com | Oct 14, 2021 | Articles, Comm Center News
This week I decided to once again discuss the urgent need for nationwide Push-To-Talk (PTT) interoperability between FirstNet, broadband, and Land Mobile Radio (LMR). Well, we no longer have to wait for vendors to finally work together. With some vendors’ capabilities, and since many agencies have already deployed their preferred flavor of push-to-talk, perhaps we should look at building nationwide interoperability starting at the agency level and working up.
[Note: None of the vendors mentioned in this article are current clients.]
Push-To-Talk Interoperability Today
Many agencies have moved ahead on their own and worked with an approved FirstNet PTT vendor. Tango Tango has not waited around for the PTT vendor community to solve the interoperability problem. It has found solutions to the problems as it has focused on the agency level…
by AllThingsECC.com | Oct 12, 2021 | Comm Center News
There is a shortage of 911 dispatchers and call takers. Many Hampton Roads cities are down more than 10 workers.
CHESAPEAKE, Va. — Author’s note: the video above first aired in July 2021.
Emergency dispatchers help people through some of their worst moments.
Call takers say it’s a thankless job that comes with a ton of pressure and stress. Now, the stress is even higher because they don’t have enough people to answer your 911 calls…
by AllThingsECC.com | Oct 12, 2021 | Comm Center News
LOUISVILLE, Ky. (WAVE) – Louisville’s 911 dispatch center is facing staff shortages that are causing some callers to have to wait.
“I know it’s your emergency,” Jim Intermaggio, a 911 call taker, told WAVE 3 News. “We’re going to get you. Don’t hang up if you call and get put on hold.”
Because of the staff shortage across the country, many industries have seen people working longer hours, sometimes on forced overtime to cover shifts…
by AllThingsECC.com | Oct 12, 2021 | Comm Center News
Over time, the Columbia County Emergency 9-1-1 Emergency Communications Department, as it’s officially known, has increasingly become the nerve center for emergency response in Columbia County.
As director of 9-1-1 Rob Lopez says, “The 9-1-1 center is basically quarterbacking EMS services,” which includes fire, medical, or police-related activity. “The active role that 9-1-1 dispatchers play in managing an incident has greatly increased. Dispatch isn’t what it was 20 years ago.”
Director Lopez manages his department with a full-time staff of 12, including himself. In all, county 9-1-1 dispatches for 31 fire companies, five rescue squads, all police agencies on emergency calls, the county Haz-Mat team, and the county Cause and Origin Team…
by AllThingsECC.com | Oct 12, 2021 | Comm Center News
Millersville, MD (Arundel.News & AAFA)- A former police dispatch operator for the Anne Arundel County Police Department will face felony theft charges after being caught training for another agency while on the county’s dime. 27 year old Brandy Quarles of Cumberland, MD is accused of using paid sick leave to train as a call dispatcher for another department. According to Anne Arundel County Police, its office of Professional Standards began an internal review following a complaint about Quarles. Investigators discovered that Quarles fraudulently collected $4,300 in paid sick time for days she trained as a 911 call operator for a different department not named in the release. She reportedly used fake doctors notes to get out of working for Anne Arundel County’s dispatch center. The fraudulent documentation from a “doctor” stated that Quarles required medical supervision and an extended period of time off from work. During that extended time away from the Anne Arundel County call center, Quarles allegedly worked and trained for the new position she accepted while still employed for the county. She has been an employee of Anne Arundel County since 2018…
