by AllThingsECC.com | Jun 24, 2021 | Comm Center News
KENT COUNTY, Mich. — Kent County-area public safety agencies have upgraded the 911 radio dispatch system used to transmit public safety information to law enforcement agencies and personnel countywide.
The $25 million upgrades in radio equipment and technology are funded by the 911 surcharge and the Kent County Dispatch Authority, according to a news release Thursday.
The improvements went online in Grand Rapids in December and in other Kent County agencies in February and March…
by AllThingsECC.com | Jun 24, 2021 | Comm Center News
Jun. 23—High stress, low pay and a tight job market have the Morgan County 911 communications center facing staff shortages that are putting its 911 dispatchers in an even more stressful work environment, the local director said.
“What keeps me up at night is when we’re short-staffed, the dispatchers are on mandatory overtime and tired. When you get tired, mistakes can happen,” Director Jeanie Pharis said. “We have to cover when people are out sick and on vacation. We have to answer the calls; many times it’s a life-or-death situation.”
Pharis said she recently filled four full-time and two part-time dispatcher positions, and she has two more full-time openings to reach a full staff of 29…
by AllThingsECC.com | Jun 24, 2021 | Comm Center News, Jobs
GENERAL SUMMARY
Receives and broadcasts information through telephone, radio, and several computer systems to ensure safety of officers as well as the public. Entering, modifying, second-party checking, validating, and canceling warrants. He/she is a communications link to the residents, the police department, fire department and other outsource services.
ESSENTIAL DUTIES & RESPONSIBILITIES
The intent of this job description is to provide a representative summary of the major duties and responsibilities performed by incumbents of this job. Employees may be requested to perform job-related tasks other than those specifically presented in this description…
by AllThingsECC.com | Jun 24, 2021 | Articles, Comm Center News
This week’s Advocate is made up of a series of shorter pieces covering items I think the public-safety community should to be aware of, starting with how upcoming wildfires, hurricanes, tornados, floods in the east, and severe drought in the west will potentially increase the number of incidents and affect first-responders’ ability to handle them efficiently.
Then we will look at the new National Fire Protection Association (NFPA) standard for portable radios and speaker/microphones for withstanding the extreme conditions often faced by firefighters. Having bet on NFPA-certification, L3Harris appears to be the first vendor to build a fully-functional portable with multiband Land Mobile Radio (LMR) and FirstNet capabilities that should comply with the NFPA standard…
by AllThingsECC.com | Jun 24, 2021 | Comm Center News
Trinidad Police Department (TPD) announced last week that it plans to encrypt its radio communications between officers and dispatchers starting this week — creating concern for adequate oversight of the department.
“The decision to move forward with encryption was based primarily on public safety concerns,” TPD said in a release.
Representatives of TPD said that there were not any specific incidents leading up to this decision that prompted the change — but it is in line with many municipalities nationwide including Denver, Colorado, Baltimore, Maryland. and Sioux City, Iowa, who have encrypted both S.W.A.T. and routine communications, according to the Reporters Committee for Freedom of the Press…
