Guernsey County Sheriff’s Office activates Text to 9-1-1 (OH)

Guernsey County took a big step forward in emergency services on Sept. 30 by joining 20 other counties in Ohio to deploy Text to 9-1-1.

The Guernsey County 911 coordinator notified the Ohio 911 Program Office and Federal Communications Commission of the status two days earlier and Ohio acknowledged the status when they updated their website.

Guernsey County is the first county in southeast Ohio to go live with Text to 9-1-1… READ MORE

Controversial 911 consultant already at work for county (MI)

BRANCH COUNTY — IXP Public Safety Service Corporation staff member Kevin Keams was in Branch County this week beginning interviews under the contract signed Oct. 1 with the county commission to review 911 operations.

Under the contract, IXP is billing the county $250 per hour plus expenses for Keams. Some on the 911 board expressed concern the county is looking for IXP to take over management and operations of the 911 Central Dispatch after the retirement of director Kurt Spalding… READ MORE

Can Congress stop a government auction of spectrum would cost public safety officials millions? (PA)

Allegheny County 911 dispatchers field about 1.3 million emergency calls a year and coordinate ambulances, police units and fire crews — using radio signals at a precise frequency that was set up 50 years ago to guarantee smooth operations in regions with high demand for telecommunications.

A government spectrum auction planned for February 2021 would force the county — along with public safety jurisdictions spanning from Eastern Ohio to Indiana County and Greene to Butler counties — from that wavelength. The cost of upgrading operations to a new frequency could reach $250 million, county officials have estimated…

Public Safety seeks input on dispatch fee system (VT)

The Vermont Department of Public Safety would like to hear from first responders and members of the public as part of the process of enacting a fee structure for dispatch services through Vermont State Police Public Safety Answering Points.

Dispatchers most often are the first contact that people have with the Vermont State Police and the 100+ agencies for whom we provide dispatch services. VSP dispatch centers are staffed 24 hours a day, 7 days a week to provide emergency and non-emergency support to the people of Vermont. This means we answer every phone call, assess the safety needs of callers, and dispatch a wide array of resources to the public…

Billy Bob Brown Jr. Appointed Assistant Director for Emergency Communications at CISA

Today, Director Christopher Krebs appointed Billy Bob Brown Jr. as Assistant Director for Emergency Communications at the Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security Agency (CISA).

CISA enhances public safety interoperable communications at all levels of government and conducts extensive, nationwide outreach to support and promote the ability of emergency response providers and relevant government officials to communicate in the event of natural disasters, acts of terrorism, and other hazards…