For the past 50 years, 911 has remained relatively unchanged. The need to upgrade is evident as technology evolves and the demand for more reliable emergency response grows.
Although 911 is vital to every community, NG911 can help make it better. As the nationwide initiative to upgrade traditional 911 systems to NG9-1-1 continues, so does the opportunity to enhance public safety in the new year… READ MORE
By Bruce Fitzgerald, Senior Public Safety Advisor, First Responder Network Authority
FirstNet helps with the four phases of emergency management – preparedness(link is external), response(link is external), recovery, and mitigation. I’d like to dive deeper into how FirstNet helps with the recovery phase.
Every year, disasters put millions of Americans in danger and cost billions of dollars in property damage. After the threat of harm from a disaster has passed, the recovery phase starts. Recovery can take months or years to get a community back on its feet. It’s critical to quickly start damage assessments and applications for financial assistance following a disaster.
An appeals court rejected petitions for review from multiple organizations asking that the FCC’s rules allowing unlicensed use in the 6 GHz band be remanded back to the FCC for reconsideration.
In April 2020, the FCC adopted rules allowing for unlicensed use of the 6 GHz band, leading to backlash from public safety and critical infrastructure groups who argued that such use could lead to harmful interference to key critical communications systems.
In January 2021, multiple public-safety, industry and critical infrastructure groups filed petitions for review with the U.S. Appeals Court for the District of Columbia asking the court to remand the rules back to the FCC for reconsideration. The court later combined all of those petitions into one petition…
Written by Edward Parkinson / FirstNet Authority
You would be hard-pressed to read the news today and not find a headline about 5G. It has been an exciting year for the telecommunications industry as a whole, with initial 5G services becoming more available on smartphones and tablets — including some of the devices our first responders use during emergencies and everyday operations.
Unlike previous technology upgrades, when public-safety users were mostly an afterthought, they are now a critical market to consider in technology rollouts. At the First Responder Network Authority (FirstNet Authority), we are pleased to see a robust marketplace for public safety expand and reach new heights in just our fifth year of the public-private partnership with our network contractor AT&T. READ FULL ARTICLE
Introduction: There are currently few stress management options provided to emergency dispatchers regarding the negative emotional, physical, and mental symptoms of stress that come with the job. Similarly, there is a lack of information about how these professionals experience this role and manage to cope with the challenges associated.
Objective: The objective of this study was to describe the sources of stress, coping mechanisms, stress responses, workplace environments, support services, and employer strategies to mitigate stress experienced by emergency dispatchers.
Methods: This was a descriptive, non-experimental study using an online survey tool (SurveyMonkey) to address the research questions that framed the study. The survey included open-ended items used for the collection data on the sources of stress, sources of support, and the lived experiences of 911 emergency dispatchers. The study utilized an inductive qualitative approach, consensual qualitative research, to analyze data within a multiple case study design. Data was collected in the Spring of 2020.
Results: The results of the cross analysis on research findings identified common domains across participants, including (a) types of stressful/traumatic calls, (b) responses to stressful/traumatic calls, and (c) workplace environment/support.
Conclusion: Implications address areas for ongoing discussion, including considerations and strategies to best promote mental health and wellbeing in the emergency dispatcher population. Our findings suggest further development, promotion, and utilization of employee assistance programs, peer to peer support networks, and critical incident stress management services may serve as a mechanism to enable emergency dispatchers and their organizations to better counteract job related stress and promote more positive mental health outcomes and workplace environments.
1. Willis, E., Beidel, D., Bowers, C., & Neer, S. Using a mobile application to address stress-related symptoms in emergency dispatchers. Annals of Emergency Dispatch & Response. 2020; 8(1), 9-15.
2. Meischke, H., Painter, I., Lilly, M., Beaton, R., Revere, D., … Baseman, J. An exploration of sources, symptoms and buffers of occupational stress in 9-1-1 emergency call centers. Annals of Emergency Dispatch & Response. 2015; 3(2), 28-35.
3. Trachik, B., Marks, M., Bowers, C., Scott, G., Olola, C., & Gardett, I. Is dispatching to a traffic accident as stressful as being in one? Acute stress disorder, secondary traumatic stress, and occupational burnout in 911 emergency dispatchers. Annals of Emergency Dispatch & Response. 2015; 3, 27-38.
4. Turner, K. D., Lilly, M. M., Gamez, A. M., & Kressler, K. Impact of Work-Related Factors on Stress and Health among 911 Calltakers and Dispatchers in California. Annals of Emergency Dispatch & Response. 2019; 7(1), 5-11.
5. Golding, S. E., Horsfield, C., Davies, A., Egan, B., Jones, M., Raleigh, M., Schofield, P., Squires, A., Start, K., Quinn, T., & Cropley, M. Exploring the psychological health of emergency dispatch centre operatives: A systematic review and narrative synthesis. PeerJ. 2017; 5.
6. Anderson, J. P., Papazoglou, K., Koskelainen, M., & Nyman, M. Knowledge and training regarding the link between trauma and health. SAGE Open. 2015; 5(2), 215824401558038.
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8. Coxon, A., Cropley, M., Schofield, P., Start, K., Horsfield, C., & Quinn, T. ‘You’re never making just one DECISION’: Exploring the lived experiences of ambulance Emergency operations CENTRE PERSONNEL. Emergency Medicine Journal. 2016; 33(9), 645–651.
9. Gurevich, M., Halpern, J., Brazeau, P., Defina, P. S., & Schwartz, B. Frontline stress behind the scenes: Emergency medical dispatchers. 2016. Retrieved from https://ovc.ojp.gov/sites/g/files/xyckuh226/files/media/document/wcul_front_stress_dispatch-508.pdf
10. Marks, M., Bowers, C., Trachik, B., James, N. T., & Beidel, D. Differences in PTSD symptomology between combat veterans and emergency dispatchers. Annals of Emergency Dispatch & Response. 2017; 5(2), 12-21.
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12. Pew Trusts. (2021, October 26). New research suggests 911 call centers lack resources to handle behavioral health crises. https://www.pewtrusts.org/en/research-and-analysis/issue-briefs/2021/10/new-research-suggests-911-call-centers-lack-resources-to-handle-behavioral-health-crises
13. Shakespeare-Finch, J., Rees, A., & Armstrong, D. Social support, self-efficacy, trauma and well-being in emergency medical dispatchers. Social Indicators Research. (2015); 123(2), 549-565.
You would be hard-pressed to read the news today and not find a headline about 5G. It has been an exciting year for the telecommunications industry as a whole, with initial 5G services becoming more available on smartphones and tablets — including some of the devices our first responders use during emergencies and everyday operations.
Unlike previous technology upgrades, when public-safety users were mostly an afterthought, they are now a critical market to consider in technology rollouts. At the First Responder Network Authority (FirstNet Authority), we are pleased to see a robust marketplace for public safety expand and reach new heights in just our fifth year of the public-private partnership with our network contractor AT&T…
