To the editor: Each year, the second week in April is designated as National Public Safety Telecommunicators Week.
It is a time to acknowledge and thank all of the people that work in this profession as public safety dispatchers. We have six public safety answering points in Berkshire County in North Adams, Williamstown, Great Barrington, Dalton, Pittsfield and at the Berkshire County Sheriff’s Office. Public safety dispatchers have unique training and talents that allow them to be exactly who you need when you call 911. Maybe a loved one is experiencing a medical emergency and the dispatcher is able to use their emergency medical dispatch training to talk you through providing help until they can get police, fire or EMS response. Maybe you are contemplating ending your life and the dispatcher, through their words and tone, gives you a reason to seek help instead. Maybe you are a police officer, EMT or firefighter whose safety depends upon the critical information gathered by the dispatcher to get you safely to the location of your call…
Multi-line telephone system (MLTS) owners and operators have several options for implementing Enhanced 911 (E9-1-1) and Next Generation 911 (NG9-1-1) technology. Whether the MLTS is on-prem, cloud-based, or hybrid, the organization’s responsibilities are the same. Every physical phone, softphone, call center application, videoconference application, etc., issued or in use and provided by the organization or connected to the organization’s network must be accounted for in the project plan. It is important to consider the most appropriate way to comply with FCC rules and regulations without sacrificing future options for NG9-1-1 service… READ MORE
SHOW LOW — Show Low City Council paid tribute to Show Low dispatchers at Tuesday’s meeting.
The proclamation declared April 10-17 Public Safety Telecommunicators Week.
In attendance to receive the honor were Show Low police Cmdr. Greg Westover, Show Low Communications Center Manager Catherine Salazar and the majority of the 911 staff.
Dispatchers are frontline public safety workers who answer emergency calls for police, fire and emergency medical services, assuring the appropriate assistance is quickly reached…
A decade ago, the First Responder Network Authority (FirstNet) was authorized under the Middle Class Tax Relief and Job Creation Act of 2012 as an interoperable broadband network designed exclusively around the needs of public safety organizations. It was conceptualized in the wake of the Sept. 11, 2001 World Trade Center attacks, which laid bare communication shortcomings.
At first, given the massive scope of the undertaking, its completion wasn’t certain. Today, however, with upwards of 95 percent of the network completed ahead of schedule, city and county organizations are signing on… READ MORE
PULLMAN – Across the nation, 9-1-1 operators play a critical role in coordinating first response and lifesaving efforts within their communities. These unseen heroes are the first to provide crucial assistance to people in need, reassuring and supporting them while law enforcement, fire personnel, or emergency medical teams are en route.
National Public Safety Telecommunicators Week, April 10-16, 2022, recognizes the invaluable contributions of emergency dispatchers to public safety and emergency response…
When winter storm Izzy dumped snow and ice on parts of the region during the early morning hours of Jan. 17, Lycoming County Department of Public Safety’s Telecommunicator Clinton Frackman was on hand to help a frightened mother on the telephone deliver her premature twins.
“The mother was very hesitant on delivering her baby at home and extremely anxious. She was constantly inquiring when the ambulance would arrive,” Beth Baylor, the department’s 911 manager, said…
Learn about current efforts to continue to protect the 4.9 GHz Band for public safety as well as recent filings, key decisions impacting these efforts, and how you can support PSSA’s initiative to protect the 4.9 GHz band for public safety.
