THE MANATEE COUNTY EMERGENCY COMMUNICATIONS CENTER IS CALLING YOU FOR HELP (FL)
“As Manatee County continues to grow, so does the need for emergency response employees…” WATCH VIDEO
TELEPHONE SERVICE OUTAGE AFFECTING 911 SERVICE IN DOUGLAS CO. (OR)
DOUGLAS COUNTY, Ore. – The Douglas County Sheriff’s Office has been notified by Lumen Technologies & Reliance Connect of a fiber line cut near Cottage Grove that is impacting telephone service and disrupting the ability of those affected to dial 9-1-1 from their landline telephones. The outage began roughly around 10:30 pm on Saturday, October 23, 2021.
Residents in the communities of Drain, Yoncalla, Elkton and Scottsburg are experiencing the effects of the telephone service outage… READ MORE
NextGen 911 and the Future of Emergency Management
Almost every emergency response begins with a call to 911, and states have begun the process of modernizing the current outdated call-center answering infrastructure with a digital upgrade. NextGen 911 (NG911) is the modernization initiative states are implementing to better facilitate emergency response.
In the NG911 environment, the large telecom companies in charge of maintaining the 911 answering system (AT&T and Motorola) computerize the process, routing calls through an emergency services IP network (ESInet) instead of the currently used call centers. Ideally, computerizing the system reduces the likelihood that calls will go unanswered, either because a system is inundated with too much incoming network traffic or because the resources are not available to handle the calls. But defending a computerized system against cyberattacks is no simple task… READ MORE
After years of debate, Oconomowoc will disband its local dispatch service (WI)
The issue of dispatch services in the city of Oconomowoc has been a topic of discussion for years, and now officials have decided to disband the local dispatch center at its public safety building in favor of a countywide option.
At an Oct. 19 meeting, the Oconomowoc Common Council voted 6-2 to transfer dispatch operations to the Waukesha County Communications Center. According to the motion, the transfer could be completed within six months or less, but an exact timetable was not set… READ MORE
Revisiting 911 Network Reliability
Last week, the Federal Communications Commission (FCC) entered into Consent Decrees with eight Covered 911 Service Providers for failing to timely file their required 911 reliability certification in 2020.
The Rules
As background, the FCC adopted rules in 2013 aimed at improving 911 network reliability. The rules require Covered 911 Service Providers (“Providers”) to take certain measures to provide reliable 911 service. The specific measures adopted by the agency attempt to address three network vulnerabilities identified by the FCC in the aftermath of the derecho storm that knocked out 911 service along the east coast in 2012… READ MORE
