The first in the first responders (VA)



				                                National Public Safety Communications Week was recently celebrated at the Carroll County Sheriff’s Office. Pictured in the communications center as Telecommunication Officer Linda Vaughan (seated) takes a call are from l-r, Telecommunications Manager Jason Newman, Sheriff Kevin Kemp and Telecommunications Officer Jacob Burns.
                                 David Broyles | The Carroll News

		National Public Safety Communications Week was recently celebrated at the Carroll County Sheriff’s Office. Pictured in the communications center as Telecommunication Officer Linda Vaughan (seated) takes a call are from l-r, Telecommunications Manager Jason Newman, Sheriff Kevin Kemp and Telecommunications Officer Jacob Burns.The purpose of National Public Safety Telecommunications Week, according to Carroll County Sheriff Kevin Kemp, is to celebrate their work which nationally saves millions of lives.

This year, the week was celebrated from April 10 to April 16. If nothing else, it is hoped the public comes away with a sense that their work is more than dispatching…

Local 911 Dispatcher Recognized for Assisting Birth Over the Phone (NM)

Local 911 Dispatcher Recognized for Assisting Birth Over the Phone (NM)

Emergency 911 dispatcher Robbie Trujillo was recognized for his exemplary service of assisting a childbirth over the phone during the meeting the E911 board April 12.

“It’s really exciting. 911 dispatchers don’t get a lot recognition, we work 60 hour weeks,” Trujillo said. “I’m so honored and so humbled, deeply.

Trujillo said the call started off like many other emergency calls…

If Verizon Outage in Wyoming Prevents You From Calling 911, You Can Text It

If Verizon Outage in Wyoming Prevents You From Calling 911, You Can Text It

A Verizon outage has left many residents of Casper and beyond without the means to make phone calls. But what about those who are having an emergency?

Natrona County Emergency Management has put out a social media post, stating that if people are experiencing an emergency and are unable to call 9-1-1, they can text their emergency to that same number.

“Verizon Wireless is reporting intermittent Voice Call Disruption in Natrona County, as well as in Sublette County, and possibly other areas of the state,” Natrona County Emergency Management wrote in a Facebook post. “This is a multi-state outage, and there is currently no estimated time until repair…

Public Safety Advocate: FirstNet (Built with AT&T) Announces More Communications Tools

At IWCE 2022, FirstNet announced a new, significant upgrade to FirstNet (Built with AT&T) that prompted me to write about communications tools for first responders.

One of these tools is actually an upgrade to the network that many of us have been expecting for a long time. This network enhancement makes it possible to send Push-To-Talk (PTT) voice, data, and video to multiple devices simultaneously (multicasting). The most significant effect I see with multicasting videos is that this activity consumes much more bandwidth than PTT.  Multicast, or eMBS, is important because it not only supports one-to-many broadcasts over the network, it adds yet another attribute which, until now, only Land Mobile Radio (LMR) could provide…

Police, Republicans, Even a Democrat Pile On Biden FCC Pick

President Joe Biden’s nominee for the Federal Communications Commission is drawing opposition from an unusual array of foes, including a police group, a North Dakota Democrat and former Republican aides working to stymie the president’s agenda.

Gigi Sohn, who would give Democrats a majority on the five-member commission and potentially revive net neutrality policies she favors, has yet to get a vote of the full Senate, almost six months after her selection by Biden…