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…
Proposed budget-reconciliation legislation introduced in the U.S. House calls for $10 billion in federal funding to support implementing IP-based next-generation 911 (NG911) in the United States during the next four years, according to language in the massive multi-trillion-dollar budget-reconciliation proposal.
Grant money would be available to support eligible entities “implementing [NG911], operating and maintaining [NG911], training related to implementing, maintaining and operating [NG911], … and planning and implementation activities,” according to legislative text released on Thursday…
20 years ago, on September 11 planes hijacked by Al Qaeda operatives crashed into New York’s World Trade Center, killing more than 3,000 people and injuring thousands of others. After the attack, more than 100,000 responders and recovery workers from every US state – along with some 400,000 residents and other workers around ground zero – were exposed to a toxic cloud of dust that fell as a ghostly, thick layer of ash and then hung in the air for more than three months. Till date, the 2001 attack remains the deadliest terrorist attack in US history.
Needless to say, it was an emergency of epic proportions. But contrary to the opinions of some, the horrific incident does not have any correlation with the 9-1-1 US Emergency Phone Number helpline. For the uninitiated, the three digit number can generally be used for any police, fire or medic and provides direct access to a public safety answering point. The system has been used ever since the 1960s… READ MORE
By Edward Parkinson, CEO First Responder Network Authority
Soon after the planes hit the World Trade Center towers on September 11, 2001, Brad Morrell deployed from Utah to New York City as part of an urban search and rescue team.
Aboard the military airlift transporting rescuers, Brad remembers seeing otherwise empty skies except for the fighter jets escorting their plane. When they got to the fallen towers, the scene was unlike anything else he and his teammates had experienced.
In the initial days, cell service was non-existent, land-mobile radios were down, and repeaters to boost signals weren’t working. The only communications available to Brad and his team were two-way pagers they brought from Utah.
“We knew that comms was an issue. For the first few days, we couldn’t talk from Ground Zero back to our base of operations,” said Brad who now serves as the FirstNet Authority’s Director of Network and Technology Operations.
Twenty years ago, 9/11 changed our lives as we know it. Everyone who lived through the horrific events of that day will never forget what they witnessed.
As we take this time to reflect on the loss we all experienced that day, I also vividly recall what I, and countless others, observed in the immediate aftermath. I saw humanity working together at its best in the wake of immeasurable tragedy. I saw a fighting spirit that wouldn’t let evil get the best of them. I saw unyielding support for the heroes who ran toward danger to help their fellow man.
That’s why FirstNet ® is proud to work with the nonprofit 9/11 Day to channel the emotions from the annual remembrance of 9/11 into a worldwide day of unity and doing good…
WAYLAND — For everyone old enough to remember Sept. 11, 2001, what started out as a perfectly normal day turned out to be harrowing. We can remember exactly where we were when we heard the news of the planes hitting the Twin Towers. As we commemorate the 20th anniversary of the largest attack on American soil, one local EMT shares his story of being in New York City on that day.
Fred Grambs, chief for Springwater-Wayland EMS, was a captain for Lindenwood Volunteer Ambulance Corps in Queens. He recalls arriving comfortably at work, and then, when the second plane hit, his boss immediately relieved him for duty with the ambulance service.
“I called the base to find out where our ambulances were, and couldn’t get through. I knew we had one crew on, we had two ambulances, so I sat back and being an officer, I had to think about what to do,” he remembered…
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.
