What Is Public Safety Interoperability?

by | Jun 17, 2026 | Comm Center News

Recently there have been several stories describing what public safety interoperability is and how FirstNet users should “enjoy” the benefits of interoperable networks.  The authors apparently aren’t familiar with the history of public safety communications or how public safety interoperability has been established or defined in the past, but, regardless, they’ve missed the mark.  Interoperability isn’t about being able to access as many networks as possible; It’s about first responders being able to access a single network on a prioritized basis with cost effective devices that meet their complex mission critical needs.

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911: A Lifesaving Reunion (NC)

by | Jun 12, 2026 | Comm Center News

“I can’t believe I’m meeting the person whose life I helped save – and her husband, who did the work.”

Those were Call Taker Mariah Friedrich’s first words when she met Stephanie and Joe Schouten. Stephanie and Joe, along with their children Susan, 13, and Miles, 10, recently visited the Raleigh-Wake Emergency Communications Center about a year after Stephanie collapsed in cardiac arrest. Thanks to the CPR instructions Mariah shared over the phone with Joe, Stephanie survived and has since made a full recovery.