NG9-1-1 Interoperability Commission Welcomes Flaherty, Furth to Advisory Slots

The NG9-1-1 Interoperability Oversight Commission (NIOC) is pleased to announce that Laurie Flaherty, Coordinator for the National 911 Program at the U.S. Department of Transportation, and David Furth, Deputy Chief of the Federal Communications Commission?s Public Safety and Homeland Security Bureau, have been confirmed by the NENA Board to fill two non-voting seats on the NIOC. In this role, they will serve as liaisons between NIOC and the federal government?s 9-1-1 policy coordination and telecommunications regulatory functions, respectively…

 

Pandemic response surfaces security gaps

The changes to government security practices wrought by the COVID-19 pandemic are unlikely to dissipate when the virus does, current and former government officials said during a recent webinar.

Because public-safety data is usually highly sensitive, officials have been reluctant to use it, but technological advances such as cloud security are making it easier to share securely — and just in time. Public-safety data can be useful for contact tracing — or monitoring the people potentially exposed to the coronavirus. To achieve this…

ACLU Says Telling First Responders If People Have Virus Puts Responders At Risk

Saint Paul, MN – Minnesota Governor Tim Walz issued an executive order on Aprail 10 that forced the state health department to provide addresses of people infected with coronavirus to first responders.

Armed with that information, emergency dispatchers can tell responding police, firefighters, and paramedics if … the addresses of contagious cases of coronavirus to 911 dispatch centers, the Minneapolis Star Tribune reported…

School of hard knocks: 911 operations in the COVID-19 era

Boxer and pop philosopher Mike Tyson once opined that “everyone has a plan—until they get punched in the mouth.” Without question, the COVID-19 pandemic has punched the public-safety/emergency-response community squarely in the mouth—and hard. But the community’s resiliency and creativity is enabling it to fight back equally hard, and the lessons being learned through the experience will better prepare public-safety and emergency-response agencies for the future… READ MORE

It’s time for government to ‘throw the old 911 out the window’

Emergency responders are taking on expanded roles during the COVID-19 pandemic — from scheduling grocery deliveries to quarantined residents to triaging patients over video chat. These unanticipated changes are revealing the hidden value of emergency operations and will permanently transform the role of public safety officials after the crisis has passed, 911 communications directors said in a webinar Thursday…

Public Safety Advocate: Open Letter to Congress—Public Safety Needs Your Help Now

Dear Members of the U.S. House and Senate:

There are bills pending in both the House and Senate that need your attention now!

We understand you are facing many pressing issues including funding bills to help America survive the COVID-19 pandemic and positioning the nation for an economic recovery. Meanwhile, those fighting the virus from 9-1-1 dispatchers, police, sheriffs, fire, EMS personnel, nurses, and doctors are working tirelessly to save lives and help the nation return to normal (or the new normal)…