by AllThingsECC.com | Aug 6, 2020 | Articles, Comm Center News
In last week’s Advocate, I said one good thing had resulted from the pandemic because changing circumstances influenced more public-safety agencies to join the FirstNet network. I was concerned about both wired and wireless networks encountering difficulties keeping up with the increased load of work-from-home and school-from-home programs that started in March. Since FirstNet (Built with AT&T) is the only network with dedicated spectrum for public-safety broadband, I concluded that FirstNet would have a decided advantage if there were network slowdowns or other disruptions on other networks…
by ECC Editor | Aug 6, 2020 | Articles, Comm Center News
Apps like Uber or Lyft can find you easily for a ride to the airport. So why is getting help to get to a hospital in an emergency so much more complicated?
The authors of a new editorial in JAMA Cardiology say technologies used by ride sharing and even pizza delivery operations are more advanced in some communities than those used in the life-and-death circumstances managed by local 911 centers. But, they point out, things are changing… READ MORE
by AllThingsECC.com | Aug 6, 2020 | Articles, Comm Center News
Public safety should retain control of its 50 MHz of 4.9 GHz spectrum—airwaves that the FCC is considering for at least some commercial use—through an allocation to the FirstNet Authority, according to the newly formed Public Safety Spectrum Alliance (PSSA).
“We’re concerned that public safety is going to lose spectrum that we might need,” Jeff Johnson, CEO of the Western Fire Chiefs Association and former vice chairman of the FirstNet Authority, said during an interview with IWCE’s Urgent Communications. “[The PSSA was] created to provide a voice to public safety, saying, ‘We think that the 4.9 GHz spectrum needs to remain with public safety’—that’s Position 1…
by ECC Editor | Aug 5, 2020 | Articles, Comm Center News
The Department of Homeland Security (DHS) Critical Infrastructure Resilience Institute will develop a framework and process for testing the interoperability and compatibility of Next-Generation 911 (NG911) systems. The work could improve streaming video from emergency incidents, photos of accident damage or medical information sharing. These capabilities would benefit experts assisting 911 callers as well as emergency responders on the scene… READ MORE
by AllThingsECC.com | Aug 4, 2020 | Articles, Comm Center News
By Adam Geisler, National Tribal Government Liaison (Regions IX-X), First Responder Network Authority
At the tip of Northwest Washington State and south of the Canadian Border lies Neah Bay, a remote peninsula that is home to the Makah Tribe Reservation. The tribe’s unique location means that their culture and customs revolve around the ocean. It also means that the tribe contends with many water-related emergencies, such as drownings, rip currents that sweep people into the ocean, and a looming tsunami threat. For the Makah Reservation’s first responders who patrol the 1,100 square miles of rugged land and surrounding sea, resilient and reliable communications are essential. READ MORE
by AllThingsECC.com | Aug 3, 2020 | Articles, Comm Center News
The Department of Homeland Security (DHS) Science and Technology Directorate (S&T), in partnership with the Department of Transportation (DoT), has selected the Critical Infrastructure Resilience Institute (CIRI), a DHS Center of Excellence led by the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign (UIUC), to develop a framework and process for testing the interoperability and compatibility of Next Generation 911 (NG911) systems.
NG911 refers to an updated version of the current nationwide emergency response system operating on an Internet Protocol (IP) platform that will enable voice, video, photographs, text, and future communications technologies to be transmitted to and by the public and first responders for assistance…
