by ECC Editor | Feb 3, 2021 | Articles, Comm Center News
When the Dec. 25 explosion in Nashville caused outages that prevented 911 calls from being completed, many 911 centers turned to technology from cloud-based RapidSOS to both identify and locate emergency callers, so response efforts could be initiated, according to officials from RapidSOS and a Tennessee 911 center.
Cassie Lowery, assistant director at Rutherford County (Tenn.) Emergency Communications District, said the workaround is representative of the resourcefulness of the telecommunicators and other personnel at her 911 center, which also lost Automatic Location Identification (ALI) data for all 911 calls received during the outage… READ MORE
by AllThingsECC.com | Feb 3, 2021 | Articles, Comm Center News
The Department of Homeland Security (DHS) Science and Technology Directorate (S&T) and the Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security Agency (CISA) jointly announced today that the Integrated Justice Information Systems (IJIS) Institute will spearhead a $268,000 project to develop interoperability standards for Computer Aided Dispatch (CAD) systems used by the Nation’s public safety agencies.
Managed by S&T’s First Responders and Detection Program on behalf of CISA’s Emergency Communications Division, the research project will seek to rectify the current inability of first responders (i.e., police, fire and emergency management services) to use their CAD systems to electronically exchange information with other CAD systems during a joint emergency response…
by ECC Editor | Feb 2, 2021 | Articles, Comm Center News
In the evolving environment of Next Generation 9-1-1, the data received will change and come from different sources. The NENA NG9-1-1 Data Flow Standard seeks to inform on E9-1-1 and NG9-1-1 data flow issues and identify at least a few transition issues for additional consideration… READ MORE
by AllThingsECC.com | Jan 31, 2021 | Articles, Comm Center News
The following is a statement from Edward Parkinson, CEO of the First Responder Network Authority (FirstNet Authority), on key network developments:
The FirstNet Authority is pleased to see the adoption of the FirstNet network continue to grow at a fast pace. First responders need a network that works for them, and with the number of connections almost doubling since late 2019, it is clear that FirstNet is providing them with the capabilities they want and need.
It is also exciting to see how FirstNet is transforming the marketplace for public safety. These new mission-ready solutions are delivering innovative capabilities into the hands of first responders. Through our engagements with public safety, they identified these features as essential to advancing the FirstNet user experience, so we are thrilled to see them move from concept to reality…
by ECC Editor | Jan 29, 2021 | Articles
Once upon a time before I began my career in 911, I was a thriving, overly enthusiastic cashier with a popular grocery store chain based in the southeastern United States. Working at a store so renowned for its “premier customer service” and employees with “bright, pleasant faces” meant hours of having such principles drilled into my head like “the customer is always right” and “your smile is the most important part of your uniform.” I was trained to never walk by a single customer without asking if they needed assistance or offering them a hand in finding whatever item they were looking for…
by AllThingsECC.com | Jan 29, 2021 | Articles, Comm Center News
Research focuses on ensuring first responder communication tools are designed to meet users’ operational needs.
What do first responders do? It’s an easy question, and I used to think I knew the answer. Firefighters put out fires; police officers enforce the law; emergency medical system (EMS) workers treat injuries; 911 operators answer 911 calls and dispatch first responders to the scene. Simple, right? …
