DODGE COUNTY, Wisc., (SPECTRUM NEWS) – Another Wisconsin county is joining a program that helps dispatchers respond faster to emergencies.
It may be surprising to know that if you call 911 from a cell phone, dispatchers don’t get a specific location.
“Sometimes it might show up with a name, but that’s really all the information we get outside of the number itself,” says Dodge County sheriff Dale Schmidt…
Imagine being able to text 911 when you need help or sending a video to 911 that shows how a car accident happened. Both would be possible with Next Generation 911 (NG911). Today, most of the 911 systems in use were built using analog systems rather than digital technology. These analog systems use copper-based wire and do not allow all types of data to be transmitted. Public Safety Answering Points, more commonly known as 911 call centers, would need to be upgraded to digital or Internet (IP) based 911 systems to allow more types of data to be transmitted and make other improvements… READ MORE
First Responder FirstNet Authority July 23, 2020
As the summer months heat up, so too does hurricane season. With the U.S. Department of Commerce’s National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) forecasting an above-normal Atlantic hurricane season for 2020, first responders must be prepared. FirstNet, the only nationwide, purpose-built network for public safety, has been battle tested and designed to keep first responders connected during large storms and hurricanes. READ MORE
KALAMAZOO, MI — A question on whether to fund a central public safety communication system and 911 service system through 2029 will appear on all ballots in Kalamazoo County in this year’s Aug. 4 primary election.
The Kalamazoo County 911 Millage Proposal asks voters to approve a tax not to exceed 0.65 mills ($0.65 on each $1,000 of taxable value) annually for a period of 10 years from 2020-2029…
Efforts to improve accessibility and coverage of Erie County’s Next Generation Public Safety Radio System continues, the Erie County Department of Public Safety announced Friday.
The department, along with first responders in the region, have identified areas in the County that lack adequate coverage.
Federal Communications Commission (FCC) licensing continues to be a factor in the radio system’s delay. Canadian approval is required to avoid potential interference across Lake Erie. Any subsequent changes would need to go back to Canada for approval…
Amid calls for police budget cuts, Oakland police plan to hire more dispatchers, improve their dispatch center’s technology and seek more funding for the center, all to improve public safety.
The planned changes follow a grand jury’s findings that police dispatchers are overworked and the center is short-staffed and underfunded. Police will seek more resources for the center from the City Council in the next biennial budget, and the department is working now to improve the center’s technology, said police spokesman Paul Chambers…
