by ECC Editor | Aug 2, 2021 | Articles, Comm Center News
It’s a terrifying scenario, it’s 2:37 AM, you’re asleep in your own bed and suddenly you’re awakened by sound, a criminal has broken into your home. You pick up your cell phone and dial 9-1-1, the operator answers, you’re frightened and trying to be quiet so the criminal doesn’t hear you. “I’m at 1808 Dillon Ave” you whisper – “you’re at 1868 Dillan correct” the 9-1-1 operator says – “just hurry” you say in a panicked whisper.
In 2019 there was a 9-1-1 call and 15-year-old Dennis King died because police were mistakenly sent to 3356 N. 10th Street instead of 3356 N. 12th Street. As crime rates across the country rise an increasing number of Americans are coming to the realization of a serious problem, when you call 9-1-1 from a cell phone they do not know you’re location; the best they can do is to narrow your location down to an area between 25,000 square feet and 27,000,000 square feet… READ MORE
by ECC Editor | Aug 2, 2021 | Comm Center News
Extraordinarily high demand for emergency services has led to longer wait times on police non-emergency lines answered by E-Comm, as call takers prioritize a record-breaking number of 9-1-1 calls from people in life or death situations.
A number of major incidents across the province, from gang-related shootings and the ongoing opioid crisis, to the historic heatwave that swept across British Columbia and the earlier-than-normal wildfire season, have resulted in increasing 9-1-1 call volumes… READ MORE
by ECC Editor | Aug 1, 2021 | Comm Center News
Scott County Sheriff Luke Hennen is pleased to announce the promotions of three Sheriff’s Office employees: Corrections Officer Cassie Kelly has been promoted to Corrections Sergeant, Recreational Safety Deputy Jacob Edwinson to Patrol Sergeant, and Dispatch Supervisor Carrie Bauer to Public Safety Answering Point (PSAP) Manager.
Corrections Sgt. Cassie Kelly has been a Jail Corrections Officer with the Sheriff’s Office since 2012. She has served in many roles including Field Training Officer, Left-In-Charge Officer, Key Team member, Training Officer, and Jail Programs Officer. In her new role, Sgt. Kelly directly supervises corrections staff, jail operations, and activities. Sgt. Kelly attended Minnesota State University Mankato and has a degree in Corrections with a minor in Sociology… READ MORE
by ECC Editor | Jul 29, 2021 | Articles, Comm Center News
At the Uniformed Services University of the Health Sciences, a U.S. government medical training institution, David Lyons has been upgrading the phones.
In 2015, USU — which educates students who want to serve in federal health professions, similar to the mission of the military academies — converted its phones from conventional analog lines to Voice over Internet Protocol. In such systems, voice is converted to a digital signal, allowing users to make calls directly from a computer, a VoIP phone or other data-driven device.
Recently, the USU system underwent a series of enhancements as part of a five-year plan for telephony management, purchasing a host of Cisco Systems products. “There is a perception that government is always behind, always trying to play catch-up,” says Lyons, chief of telecommunications at USU… READ MORE
by ECC Editor | Jul 29, 2021 | Articles, Comm Center News
When it comes to user-interface design, 911 is about as good as it gets. It’s the “most recognized number in the United States,” Steve Souder, a prominent 911 leader, points out. Simple, fast, and it works from any telephone in the United States. No matter what the emergency is, the call takers on the other side will triage and dispatch assistance.
I’ve taken that ubiquity and simplicity for granted over the past three parts of this EC-1 on RapidSOS as we’ve looked at the startup’s origin story, business and products, as well as its partnerships and business development engine. The company is deeply enmeshed with 911, which means that the prospects of 911 as a system will heavily determine the trajectory of RapidSOS in the coming years, or at least, until its international expansion hits scale and it isn’t so dependent on the U.S. market… READ MORE
