JEFFERSON COUNTY, Ohio — A call to 911 could be the most important call of your life, but what do dispatchers need to know when you call?
And what can you do until help arrives?
Dispatchers have to be prepared for anything when the calls come in. “You have no idea what they’re going through, and you hear the screaming and you’re just trying to get an address, something… READ MORE
There are more than 6,000 dispatch points throughout the United States, and this vital emergency service is now under constant threat, because hackers are infiltrating dispatch centers and rerouting calls away from dispatchers.
Malware and spear-phishing attacks impact emergency service dispatch centers without warning. There’s no siren going off to alert a dispatcher about a problem at their workstation, so it might seem impossible to fight back… READ MORE
By Sarah Calams
The Boulder, Colorado, lab tests FirstNet-compatible devices and applications before their deployment in the field.
Imagine a firefighter is battling a massive wildfire and she has to check in with her fellow firefighters regarding changing wind conditions. But when she attempts to contact them, the connection is virtually non-existent.
This scenario is, without a doubt, dangerous. It could also lead to life-threatening results.
That’s why when the Boulder Mountain Fire Protection District (BMFPD) — a volunteer department made up of about 60 firefighters — visited the FirstNet Authority offices in Boulder, Colorado, their purpose was to not only prove the importance of clear communication but also expose the difficulties they sometimes face while ensuring crews’ safety on scene.
This article was written by Sarah Calams and appears in efficientgov.com dated November 7, 2019.
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Never is the nexus of public safety response and economic impact more prevalent than during a disaster. From flooding to hurricanes and wildfires, during a disaster, it is imperative that public safety and local officials have the best tools and technologies to save lives. Having this critical response infrastructure is also instrumental in helping local economies recover and remain resilient into the future. That’s why three agencies within the U.S. Department of Commerce – the Economic Development Administration (EDA), the National Institute of Standards and Technology and the First Responder Network Authority (FirstNet Authority) are working together to help foster innovations in response and resiliency technologies.
This article appears in eda.gov dated November 6, 2019.
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Publication of next week’s Advocate will be delayed a few days while I attend the International Association of Chiefs of Police (IACP) annual conference/convention in Chicago beginning Saturday.
Next year I also plan to attend the International Association of Fire Chiefs (IAFC) and the National Sheriff’s Association (NSA) conferences. Even though I am an affiliate member of both…
Recently, law enforcement and fire chiefs from around the country joined the First Responder Network Authority (FirstNet Authority) in Reston, Va., to help implement the recently released Roadmap and kick-off a new approach to engagements with the public safety community.
Meeting with stakeholders at the Joint Fire Services and Law Enforcement Leadership Roadmap Forum, our advocacy team zeroed in on the Voice Communications and Situational Awareness domains in the Roadmap, with discussions focusing on police and fire’s operational needs…
