Integration Will Let Dispatchers Livestream Body Cam Video

Integration Will Let Dispatchers Livestream Body Cam Video

Axon, the biggest provider of body-worn cameras in the U.S., is integrating with the emergency data startup RapidSOS, giving more information to first responders as well as to 911 dispatchers. “Many agencies already rely on both Axon and RapidSOS to manage emergency response,” Axon Chief Product Officer and Executive VP of Software Jeff Kunins said in a press release. “By enabling our solutions to work seamlessly together, we empower first responders with a single source for mission critical information as well as the ability to deliver industry-leading tools for agencies to securely and more efficiently manage resources and thereby respond faster than ever…

Public Safety Advocate: NPSTC, Z-Axis, MegaRange

Last week I listened to a webinar sponsored by the National Public Safety Telecommunications Council (NPSTC) that was presented to the LTE/LMR Integration Committee, which I am a member of, and the EMS Committee; two of the many NPSTC working committees.

The purpose of the webinar was to provide both committees with updates on two new technologies that are now available on the FirstNet (Built with AT&T) network. The first part of the webinar covered the Z-Axis location technology designed to provide 3-D location with which FirstNet responders can be tracked not only to their current location but to their height above the ground as well. The second part of the webinar focused on High Power User Equipment (HPUE) as implemented on the FirstNet (Built with AT&T) network, which has been trademarked “FirstNet MegaRange.” These two technologies will have a significant impact on plans being formed by both committees…

Pascrell Leads Call to Modernize 9-1-1 Infrastructure

WASHINGTON, DC – U.S. Rep. Bill Pascrell, Jr. (D-NJ-09), the co-chair of the House Law Enforcement Caucus and the co-chair of the House Fire Services Caucus, today led a letter to House leadership urging inclusion of the Next Generation 9-1-1 Act in the upcoming infrastructure package. The legislation would provide $15 billion to update America’s 9-1-1 infrastructure, protect against cyber threats, and ensure that first responders will be able to efficiently use upgraded 9-1-1 technology to save lives. The letter was also signed by Fire Services Caucus co-chairs Steny Hoyer (D-MD-05), Brian Fitzpatrick (R-PA-01), and Mike Bost (R-IL-12), and Law Enforcement Caucus co-chair John Rutherford (R-FL-04)… READ MORE

Engage your team: it matters more now than ever!

We all know that the value in emergency response organizations is not vehicles, video laryngoscopes or ePCRs – it’s the people. Almost every EMS leader says a version of, “People are our most important and expensive asset.” Yet, few organizations have cultures and systems that enliven and engage their people effectively.

On Tuesday, Apr. 20, at 1 p.m. CT, Mike Taigman, Todd Stout, Scott Moore, Esq. and Eve Grau will present “Engage your team: it matters more now than ever!” as part of the Pinnacle webinar series…

Fire Dispatch: The Sounds of Silence

Fire Dispatch: The Sounds of Silence

Communications is the backbone of the fire service. Whether it is the relay of orders between the incident commander and the resources who are on scene or the flow of information from the citizen, to dispatch, to the first-alarm assignment, we count on this seamless exchange of information to get things done.

In the 21st century, more than ever, we rely on electronic resources to connect with the outer world and to interconnect with fellow responders. What if these everyday avenues suddenly fell silent for all of us? Would you be prepared?..

Gridlock Guy: Helping ease the load for our heroic dispatchers

Gridlock Guy: Helping ease the load for our heroic dispatchers

Last week was National Public Safety Telecommunications Week, a time to annually reflect on and appreciate the people that are just as vital to the first responders community as the men and women who drive up to relieve our problems. Dispatchers are the calm voices on the other end of the phone from usually some of the worst moments in the callers’ lives. And those phone calls roll in sometimes constantly in a 12-hour shift. Dispatchers are key in making sure those calls turn into timely action by police, fire, EMS, and other frontliners…