by AllThingsECC.com | Dec 2, 2018 | Articles, Comm Center News
The smart city concept offers the possibility of more effective fire detection, notification and extinguishment systems.
By Charles Werner
SOURCE: Firehouse.com
DATE: December 1, 2018
The concept of smart cities has become a worldwide discussion and trend. This is a direct result of broadband connectivity and the Internet of Things (IoTs). The IoTs refers to all the devices that can be connected via the internet or an IP network.
Wikipedia defines a smart city as, “An urban area that uses different types of electronic data collection sensors to supply information that is used to manage assets and resources efficiently. This includes data collected from citizens, devices and assets that is processed and analyzed to monitor and manage building systems, traffic and transportation systems, power plants, water supply networks, waste management, law enforcement, information systems, schools, libraries, hospitals, and other community services.”
IoT Today (iot-today.com) identified the top 5 smart cities in the world as Singapore, London, Barcelona, San Francisco and Oslo based on their use of broadband connectivity and integration of various data systems for the purpose of analyzing and increasing operational efficiencies. The scope of the smart city concept will impact city employees, buildings/infrastructure, technology, citizen engagement and community expectations.
Fire service impact ……
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by AllThingsECC.com | Nov 14, 2018 | Articles, Comm Center News
By Edward Parkinson, Acting Chief Executive Officer, First Responder Network Authority
Emergencies and disasters can strike any community. From the recent devastation of Hurricane Michael to massive wildfires that swept across the West Coast, far-reaching disasters cause devastating economic, public safety and health impacts. Localized emergencies also have a major impact on a community – like flash floods or active shooter situations. In counties, cities and towns across America, emergency responders prepare for these events to help minimize the effects and aid in recovery. Now, devices and apps are helping them build resilient communities.
Over the last decade, consumer adoption of mobile technology has continued to climb, making it a prime means of communicating to the public during emergencies. Smartphones are now owned in 87 percent of U.S. homes, according to CTA’s 20th Consumer Technology Ownership and Market Potential Study.
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by AllThingsECC.com | Nov 9, 2018 | Articles, Comm Center News
By Lori Stone, Region III Lead, First Responder Network Authority
The Washington County Sheriff’s office is leading the nation on transforming public safety communications and is putting FirstNet to use serving rural communities. The agency was among the first in the nation – and the very first in the State of Maryland – to subscribe to the nationwide public safety broadband network.
The Sheriff’s office serves more than 150,000 residents across 458 square miles of Western Maryland. “Washington County is shaped very similar to the state of Maryland – it’s in an L-shape with the city of Hagerstown being kind of the hub in the center,” said Washington County Sheriff Doug Mullendore. “And, to respond from one area in the county to the next, even in an emergency situation, will be well over an hour.”
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by AllThingsECC.com | Oct 27, 2018 | Articles, Comm Center News
By Brent Williams, Senior EMS Advisor, First Responder Network Authority
As a former paramedic, I know that saying “reliable communications are essential” is truly an understatement. It can be all the difference in patient care. After more than 30 years in the EMS field, I joined FirstNet because I know it will revolutionize the way EMTs and paramedics serve their communities. With FirstNet, EMS practitioners can communicate effectively and efficiently, whether they are treating patients at a scene or en route to the hospital. The network’s “always-on” connection links EMS professionals and hospitals by providing public safety with asset tracking and location services, push-to-talk priority and preemption, secure data sharing, and 24/7 customer support.
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by AllThingsECC.com | Oct 14, 2018 | Articles, Comm Center News
By Richard Mirgon, Public Safety Consultant
How many times do we say to friends, colleagues and people we know “How can I help”? We do that more often in public safety because helping is in our core. We are service-oriented and we care about our communities. How often do we want to help, but don’t know how to help? Let me make a small suggestion that could end up being a big idea.
FirstNet is up and running. FirstNet built by AT&T is aggressively working every day to meet the commitment they made to the FirstNet Authority and to the first responder community. One key element of that is coverage. We know it is improving everyday and will continue to improve. Coverage is King as they say and we can help improve coverage. As AT&T is building out our band 14 spectrum, they are building and modifying cell sites coast to coast. Many of these sites will need local permits and approvals. This process can be extensive and is different for each community. One element that will slow this process down is when the permitting authority doesn’t understand who or what FirstNet is.
We can help by educating and briefing our local planning departments, planning commissions and elected officials about FirstNet. I am not suggesting we bypass the process. Those processes exist for a reason, but one element that can slow down a process is not understanding the intent of the request or the impact on the community. When we educate our local officials, it allows them to make better and quicker decisions. With that said it is also my belief that asking for permits to be expedited supports the community we serve.
As we all know wireline 9-1-1 is no longer the primary mode to access public safety. It is wireless 9-1-1 that accounts for 80% of all 9-1-1 calls. Each and every cell site impact someone’s life and safety. Here is how impactful a cell site is.
- There are 323,448 cell sites in the US according to statista.com
- There are over 240 million 9-1-1 calls made every year, 80% via wireless according to nena.org. That is about 192 million wireless 9-1-1 calls.
- Each cell site processes on an average of 593 9-1-1 emergency calls a year.
That is a significant number. Now, I realize as much as anyone that the number is an average and there are sites in major cities that see more calls, with some rural sites seeing far fewer calls. However, you can’t deny that the numbers are staggering. I can’t think of a single other technology that saves or impacts more lives.
So back to my point. As the numbers show, every cell site in the US saves lives. Sites being built for FirstNet not only save lives in our community, they protect the lives of our first responders and provide access to additional lifesaving technology and information. Our first responders have become dependent on broadband data and are becoming more dependent every day. Permitting and approving cell sites should be a national and local priority.
It is time to take action once again, but this time on a local level. Reach out to your local officials, planning departments, and permitting authorities and asked that they give priority to FirstNet sites. Writing a memo, sending an email or providing a briefing to those officials is simple and meaningful. Firstnet.gov has a number of PowerPoints and information brochures to make this task easy and painless.
Again, I am not suggesting bypassing the laws and regulations. I am asking that we support those requests for FirstNet sites. That they be given priority in the permit and request process – because it matters. It makes a difference to our community and it saves lives.
(This is a corrected version of the article. we would like to thank our readers for pointing out math errors.)
Richard Mirgon is a Public Safety consultant focused on FirstNet. He is a Past President of APCO International and has over 35 years of public safety and first responder experience. For more information about the author please go to http://www.next-paradigm.com/about/
by AllThingsECC.com | Oct 10, 2018 | Comm Center News
By Christopher Vondracek
ESInet is making a more nimble 911 Center a possibility in North Carolina’s capital city.
The City of Raleigh, North Carolina and Wake County, a 1 million urban area who shares a 911 Center for dispatch, and recently they begun taking their first calls on ESInet (or emergency services internet protocol), a broadband-enabled network that makes PSAPs more resilient and effective. According to a release from AT&T, Raleigh-Wake County is the first public safety answering point system in the nation to implement AT&T’s i3 ESInet service. “We were working on a 50-year old technology, the old analog phone system, the old copper wire technology, and a lot of them still work,” said Dominick Nutter, director of the Raleigh-Wake Emergency Communications Center. “But with the phone systems going IT-based, we felt like it was time for a shift.”
Now, residents making the more-than one million calls annually in the Raleigh-Wake County area have their distress calls routed to a telecommunicator on the broadband system. And the shift happened just in time for hurricane season. “The big part is redundancy and resiliency of our individual 911 centers,” said Nutter. “If something gets cut between us and anywhere else, the phone calls can automatically be routed to another connection. There is a second pathway. On the old analog way, we could be cut anywhere, and we might lose that connection.”
The built-in dependability and flexibility of the new system was on display during Hurricane Florence. Even though they’re about 2 hours from the coast, they lent a hand to dispatch centers in the impacted area. “We were, during the middle of the hurricane, running dispatch for New Hanover County, which is Wilmington,” said Nutter. “They’re on the old system, and had they remained there, they likely would’ve failed. But we were able to, with AT&T, to revamp the architecture to connect their analog with our ESInet, and we took the phone calls from out on the coast of Carolina. We were also able to bring some telecommunicators to our center and then they were able to dispatch to Wilmington.” The model could be used in future disaster situations far away from the Carolinas. “It could be someone experiencing an earthquake in California, and we’d do the same thing,” said Nutter.
Late last year North Carolina opted in to FirstNet, and Nutter said Raleigh officials are also interested. “That’s something we’re evaluating, and we’re supposed to have a meeting in November with FirstNet.” But the latest upgrade in technology has meant that they’ve taken what a release from AT&T calls “the critical first step toward next-generation 911.” Already, Wake County and Raleigh are receiving text message distress calls. Within a month, Nutter anticipates building the capacity to allow videos and pictures, as well, to be sent. “This is a significant change, and it’s very important for our hearing and speech impaired community,” Nutter said. “Years ago, they had to be around a device near their homes. Now, the hearing and speech-impaired community will text us. Of if they see something, they can take a video or picture and then text that to us. It’s a tremendous shift.”
Nutter’s 911 center counts roughly 140 people in its ranks, including about 112 people who are answering phones. The fear of data overload isn’t felt by Nutter. He welcomes the public having more ways to share information. “It’s a good thing because we’re all human, and you see something and might not be the exact same thing that you remember. But having a picture of a suspect wearing a red and white sweatshirt that you may’ve thought was pink and grey, now you have that essential data.”
Nutter said approximately 70 percent of their 911 calls come in from cellphones, and while the technology may very soon be available to send videos or images, Nutter said he still relies on the old-fashioned phone calls. “We always encourage people to text if you must, call if you can. Texting can take much longer to process an emergency incident, and it really is a rare exception when people should be texting.” He imagined if someone were in a home during a break-in and the distress call was made in hopes of eluding the intruder. “It’s important to have the capability.”
While ESInet and the fiber-optic-based phone service may in the long run save taxpayer dollars by building efficiencies, Nutter says the reason for any change is primarily the improved quality of outcomes. “It’s like car insurance,” Nutter said. “We’re not in the business of saving money. We’re in the business of delivering protection to our clients. And that means we’re in the business of making sure we have the best products available.” The 911 Center for the City of Raleigh oversees the county fire and EMS dispatch. “I think the most important thing is the reliability and speed that has been greatly increased,” said Nutter.
Christopher Vondracek is a freelance journalist living in Washington D.C., most recently with Courthouse News.
