Northern Colorado fire agencies launch system where closest unit responds (CO)

Northern Colorado fire departments and other emergency response agencies have joined forces to create a system that will get responders to those in need faster. 

The new system shows 911 dispatchers all available emergency vehicles in the area based on GPS location and dispatches the nearest unit, regardless of jurisdiction, according to a news release from Poudre Fire Authority. 

The new system allows agencies to share resources and respond to calls faster, according to the release… READ MORE 

Public Safety Advocate: FirstNet and WiFi, FCC to License 4-9 GHz Spectrum to States

I have several things on my mind this week. The first concerns how WiFi fits into FirstNet communications. The second is the sudden decision by the FCC Chairman, who seems to have the votes, to license the 4.9-GHz spectrum currently licensed to multiple public-safety agencies under FCC Part 90, to the individual states. To understand what might happen if the spectrum is handed over to the states, we will look at the last time the FCC followed this path and licensed a block of 700-MHz Land Mobile Radio (LMR) spectrum to the states…

Payette, Washington counties to update shared 911 phone system (ID)

A recent grant from the Idaho Public Safety Communications Commission will allow Payette and Washington counties to update a shared 911 phone system between the two sheriff’s offices.

Officials said the update, which includes new software and hardware, will cost $378,279 for the installation and first two years of maintenance. The IPSCC grant covers the total project, and won’t financially impact residents of either county…

RapidDeploy Enters into Agreements with Google, OnStar, ADT, Priority Dispatch and Rave Mobile Safety to Transform U.S. Emergency Response Systems

AUSTIN, Texas, Sept. 16, 2020 /PRNewswire/ — RapidDeploy, the industry’s only truly open and integrated emergency response platform, announced today that the company will directly integrate supplemental emergency data from some of the largest and most influential companies in technology and public safety. Google, OnStar, ADT, Priority Dispatch® and Rave Mobile Safety are the most recent additions to RapidDeploy’s Unified Critical Response (UCR) ecosystem, which already has partnerships with AT&T, Microsoft, AT&T FirstNet, and Esri, among others… READ MORE

Overnight calls to 911 for Westminster police to be handled by Carroll County staff (MD)

At the request of the City of Westminster, Carroll County 911 services will cover overnight radio and dispatch communications for the Westminster Police Department, and along with that change the county will hire two more emergency communications staff members.

The Board of County Commissioners unanimously voted to cover communications from 11 p.m. to 7 a.m. for the city’s police. The county already provides this service for the municipalities of Hampstead, Manchester and Mount Airy… READ MORE