You’ve been able to call 911 through Uber for years, but now the company says the majority of Chicago area 911 centers are now able to track your location.
911 dispatchers will always ask for your address when you call, but you may not know the answer to that or other crucial details if you need emergency help in an Uber.
“You may not be able to verbalize the vehicle you’re in, you probably don’t know the license plate,” said Madelyn Walsh, DuPage Public Safety Communications Center dispatcher.
Walsh said she and other emergency responders will automatically know those details and an exact location if riders or drivers use the new “slide to call” 911 feature in the Uber app…
BERRYVILLE — A cybersecurity expert will be hired to help Clarke County determine how to better protect its computer systems from hacking.
Clarke County is receiving almost $2.84 million from the Coronavirus State and Local Fiscal Recovery Fund, established under the American Rescue Plan Act (ARPA) signed into law earlier this year. Along with the $50,000 for the cybersecurity project, the supervisors have made the following appropriations from the money:
• $7,343 for a system that pumps fresh air into the county’s 911 emergency communications center, helping employees to breathe better in close quarters. The system has been installed and is working well, officials have said…
One city resident is concerned that public safety is getting shorted in Jamestown’s proposed plan for spending over $28 million dollars in American Rescue Plan monies.
Doug Champ spoke before the City Council’s Public Safety Committee and at last night’s work session, saying Chautauqua County had designated 4% of their ARP money toward public safety, “Such things as new hand guns, personal ballistic vests, body and mail scanners; communications upgrades, message boards, EOC upgrades.. whatever that is, replace a dive boat, EMC equipment, and additional money for the District Attorney’s office. $985,000 for those. We’re doing nothing for our Police and Fire Departments.” …
FONDA — Montgomery County has received a $374,781 state grant that will be used to update systems and equipment used by the 911 dispatch center.
Montgomery County Sheriff Jeffery Smith on Monday said the county applies annually for the State Interoperable Communications Grant administered by the state Division of Homeland Security and Emergency Services to ensure emergency communication systems are kept up to date.
“The technology changes on a regular basis and we have to stay on top of things. It’s a daunting task at times, thankfully these grants help us,” Smith said…
The city of Tucson is facing significant staffing vacancies in departments that provide crucial services ranging from park maintenance to 911 assistance.
The issues aren’t new, or exclusive to Tucson, but they are severe in some of the city’s departments:
More than a third of positions are vacant at the Parks and Recreation Department and the Public Safety Communications Department — where Tucson’s 911 operators work.
About a fifth of the positions in Information Technology and the General Services Department are unfilled…
Learn about current efforts to continue to protect the 4.9 GHz Band for public safety as well as recent filings, key decisions impacting these efforts, and how you can support PSSA’s initiative to protect the 4.9 GHz band for public safety.
