by ECC Editor | May 14, 2020 | Articles, Comm Center News
Palm Beach County has 16 call centers for people dialing 911, a statistic that’s increasingly at the forefront of my mind as we grapple with the coronavirus pandemic. I live here with my wife, and like the rest of the world, we are sheltering in place and hoping to safeguard our health and that of our community.
However, if the number of people falling ill from coronavirus in Palm Beach County continues to grow, our local 911 call centers could potentially be overwhelmed, delaying the time in which an ambulance can be … READ MORE
by ECC Editor | May 14, 2020 | Articles, Comm Center News
Despite declining numbers of 911 calls, emergency call centers are struggling to maintain staffing levels, locate enough personal protective equipment and cleaning supplies and fund technological maintenance and upgrades as the coronavirus pandemic wears on, according to survey results published this week by the National Emergency Number Association.
The survey, which follows an initial report the group published last month, show that earlier predicted issues of delayed maintenance and upgrades … READ MORE
by AllThingsECC.com | May 14, 2020 | Articles, Comm Center News
By Richard Mirgon, Public Safety Consultant
Several years ago, there was a company called LightSquared that some of you may recall and prior to that name they were known as Sky Terra. This company operated satellites that would be used for land-based LTE Communications. It turns out this spectrum and these satellites interfered with GPS. After some reports of interference and significant testing they found that their signal interfered with and had negative impacts on the Department of Defense, aviation, and public safety, to name a few. Part of the problem is that P25 systems use GPS to sync the networks and…
by AllThingsECC.com | May 11, 2020 | Articles, Comm Center News
By Lori Stone, Senior Public Safety Advisor, First Responder Network Authority
The Nation’s 9-1-1 professionals are on the on the front lines of emergencies every day and play a vital role in keeping our communities safe and secure. As they take calls and gather essential information to determine a situation’s severity, public safety telecommunicators are using the FirstNet network to support innovative approaches to 9-1-1 and dispatch.
The nationwide network is built in public private partnership between the First Responder Network Authority (FirstNet Authority) and AT&T. It provides a dedicated, secure and reliable connection for public safety for everyday operations or emergency communications. READ MORE
by AllThingsECC.com | May 7, 2020 | Articles
The past year has brought more innovation, technology, and open lines of communication to public safety than ever before. We have seen the NextGen911 initiative gain traction and some states deploy emergency communications technologies in every public school. However, the influx of 911 calls that were made at the beginning of the coronavirus outbreak clearly displayed how strained and outdated systems truly are. Despite the progress we’ve made, the COVID-19 pandemic is proving time and again that we still have work to do to upgrade emergency communications.
by AllThingsECC.com | May 1, 2020 | Articles, Comm Center News
By Scott Yates, CEO, First Call Ambulance
NASHVILLE, TN – When COVID-19 hit, businesses had to find new ways to operate. With most of our employees working on the front lines of healthcare, the need to protect staff and patients was clear.
Our company, First Call Ambulance, is a medical transportation company, providing both emergency and non-emergency ambulance transportation. We are a certified, veteran-owned small business with 350 employees and more than 60 ambulances serving middle and east Tennessee. We respond to more than 50,000 calls a year for emergency and non-emergency ambulance transportation. READ MORE
