Following the Sept. 11, 2001, attacks, federal and state governments invested billions of dollars on preparedness efforts within the first responder community to respond to weapons of mass destruction (WMD) events. As time passed, there was greater realization that WMD incidents were less of a threat than conventional firearms and explosives. The intricate, often unrealistic, CBRN scenarios were replaced with more representative and realistic examples of attacks on the civilian populace utilizing readily available materials and weapons. These attacks were occurring overseas in countries with internal or external conflicts and in the Afghanistan and Iraq war theaters.
These events, commonly utilizing a variety of violent modalities, came to be categorized as complex coordinated terrorist attacks (CCTA) – a bit of a misnomer, as these events, at least domestically, are not always coordinated and not always committed by “terrorists”. CCTA has an excellent ‘ring’ to it, but exactly how can jurisdictions, agencies and communities really prepare for this general, nondescript threat? The term CCTA is just too broad and open-ended; a better descriptor for the various threats we face is the term “high threat”…
House Republicans tried unsuccessfully on Monday to penalize communities that reduce police funding by taking away money in President Joe Biden’s proposed $3.5 trillion Build Back Better investment package intended for upgrading local 911 services.
They then claimed that by opposing the proposed amendment, Democrats were refusing to support law enforcement.
The attempt came during a markup of the Energy and Commerce Committee’s portion of the investment package. The legislation includes $10 billion, to be spent over five years, for community grants to implement, operate, and maintain the Next Generation 911 system… READ MORE
APCO’s Spectrum Management Division (AFC) now offers Engineering and Licensing services for microwave systems in support of Public Safety Communications. The new services generally consist of the licensing of new, or modifications of existing Point-to-Point (PtP) radio links and Multiple Access Systems (MAS). Furthermore, an applicant may contact ACPO to re-license an expired call sign, or in some cases, we can petition the FCC for reconsideration to avoid cancellation of a license under certain circumstances. Additional services include Path Design, Path Status/Frequency Protection monitoring for point-to-point links, and assistance with the required FAA Studies and FCC Tower Registration…
As public safety leaders and longtime citizens of cities directly impacted on Sept. 11, 2001., frontline workers’ responses deeply affected us. What happened that day continues to inform our approach to public safety and inspires us to work harder.
Twenty years ago, the frontline workers who responded to the horrific attacks in New York, Washington D.C. and Pennsylvania were unable to share a simple radio message and communications networks were overwhelmed.
Interoperability — the ability of the frontline to communicate with each other even if they use different telecom carriers — is critical to allow them to do their jobs safely and effectively and keep Americans safe. It allows first responders to coordinate their actions with full situational awareness of what is happening around them…
Federal Communications Commission (FCC) Acting Commissioner Jessica Rosenworcel released the agenda for the FCC’s upcoming September Open Commission Meeting, scheduled for September 30.
During the meeting, Commissioners will cover a wide range of topics, including network resiliency, IoT spectrum needs, promoting public safety, and expanding Tribal broadband access.
Items included on the meeting agenda are:
Promoting More Resilient Networks – The Commission will consider a Notice of Proposed Rulemaking to examine the Wireless Network Resiliency Cooperative Framework, the FCC’s network outage reporting rules, and strategies to address the effect of power outages on communications networks.
Reassessing 4.9 GHz Band for Public Safety – The Commission will consider an Order on Reconsideration that would vacate the 2020 Sixth Report and Order, which adopted a state-by-state leasing framework for the 4.9 GHz band. The Commission also will consider an Eighth Further Notice of Proposed Rulemaking that would seek comment on a national framework for the 4.9 GHz band, ways to foster greater public safety use, and ways to facilitate compatible non-public safety access to the band…
A view of regional dispatch in Middleton as shown on the Wenham PD website. Photo by Nicolaus Czarnecki.
In July of 1999, Ipswich transitioned its emergency communication staffing from sworn police officers to a group of civilian personnel specifically trained and experienced in this rapidly complex task.
Dedicated professionals, their duties include call taking, dispatching police/fire and ambulance services, and assisting members of the public who enter the station-house lobby.
They provide police officers with the timely and accurate broadcast of emergencies, calls for assistance, and partner in their safety during vehicle stops when criminal history or operator information is requested…
Learn about current efforts to continue to protect the 4.9 GHz Band for public safety as well as recent filings, key decisions impacting these efforts, and how you can support PSSA’s initiative to protect the 4.9 GHz band for public safety.
