CENTERVILLE, Ohio (WDTN) – Your mobile device just got a little more useful. Centerville Police said Thursday the dispatch center for the Centerville Police Department can now accept text messages through its 911 system. Anyone within the City limits of Centerville and West Carrollton can now text directly with 911 dispatchers for help.
“Voice 911 calls are still preferred, but texting offers another option for those with hearing impairments or who cannot safely call 911. It is best to remember call when you can, text when you can’t,” Centerville Police Department Chief Matt Brown said…
The Santa Barbara City Council approved City Fire Chief Chris Mailes’s proposal to join a regional fire communications facility during its weekly meeting Tuesday.
The six council members in attendance justified the dispatch center’s $800,000 annual price tag by considering the benefit of teaming up with neighboring departments.
The communications facility will be equipped by the Santa Barbara County Fire Department. The Santa Maria Fire Department, Montecito Fire Protection District and the Carpinteria-Summerland Fire Protection District have committed to join…
Blue Mountain Fire Chief Kory Bell recalls a time firefighters had to chase down an ambulance after it passed the emergency scene they were at. They were in a dead zone and the radios police, ambulance and firefighters use, simply wouldn’t work.
Unfortunately, until recently, dead zones were a common problem in the Blue Mountain area and posted significant communication barriers during an emergency.
Thankfully, that problem has been at least partially resolved. A ribbon-cutting was held recently for the new telecommunication tower in Blue Mountain that has greatly improved radio communications in the area for first responders…
Smart phone users accidentally dialing someone by mistake is an established part of life in our hyper-connected culture.
Sometimes, though, those butt-dials end up summoning the police or the county dispatch services.
And whenever a iPhone, Android or even Apple Watch hits the market, dispatchers across the country know they’ll be receiving a new rash of these accidental 911 calls.
“I think it’s gotten worse as more technology comes out,” remarked Steven Gordon, director of emergency communications for the Saratoga County Sheriff’s Office, which handles 911 calls for most of the county’s police and fire services…
A state funded study will look at the potential for a regional public safety dispatch center. Southborough is among the five towns that will be included.
The Edward J. Collins, Jr. Center for Public Management* will study dispatch services and needs for our area. The other towns included are Westborough, Grafton, Hopkinton, Marlborough, and Hudson.
During last night’s Board of Selectmen meeting, members had some questions and concerns about what the study will assess. But, as Chair Lisa Braccio summed up, since it’s not costing the Town, it behooves them to take the step forward..
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.
