A happy call: 911 dispatcher stays on the line through childbirth (ID)

DRIGGS — On Jan. 24, Teton County dispatcher Katie Hall was settling in for a standard evening shift of working the phones and radios when, a little before 9 p.m., she received a 911 call.

The woman on the other end of the line was going into labor.

“I started the initial call, asked her location, age, how far long she was, how far apart her contractions were, trying to get a general picture of what’s happening,” Hall said. The expecting mother said she was 36 weeks along and was experiencing contractions three minutes apart… READ MORE

JBA hosts groundbreaking for new communications center (MD)

“Honorees, you may now break ground,” boomed over the loudspeaker. The honorees plunged their shovels into the ground and tossed the loosened dirt forwards, signifying the beginning of construction for the new building.

Joint Base Andrews hosted a groundbreaking ceremony for the upgraded Consolidated Communications Center on base, Feb. 2, 2022.

The project is a joint effort between the Air Force District of Washington, the 316th Wing, the Air Force Civil Engineer Center at Joint Base San Antonio-Lackland, Texas, the Naval Facilities Engineering Systems Command of Washington D.C. and the London-based infrastructure group Balfour Beatty… READ MORE

Emergency alert system could see future changes (TN)

An emergency alert system, commonly referred to as reverse 911, could only have been used last week if Eastman Chemical Co. had asked for it, city officials said.

But the alert system can be triggered by field supervisors with the police, fire or public works departments.

Adrienne Batara, spokeswoman for the city of Kingsport, confirmed that the Eastman Fire Department, as the lead agency in dealing with the steam line rupture, had to request the calls be made…

APD’s 911 communication center is behind on calls; commissioner proposes solution (TX)

Austin’s Public Safety Commission met Monday night to discuss concerns over backlogs and long response times within the city’s 911 system, and proposed solutions to the problem.

“When our citizens’ world is starting to unravel, you’re the first voice they hear,” said commissioner John Kiracofe.

But some Austinites are finding it’s taking longer and longer to actually hear that voice. Case in point: an armed robbery at Liberty Pharmacy on Spicewood Springs Road in October…

Tucson 9-1-1 dispatch center works to turn around troubled past (AZ)

TUCSON (KVOA) – When you dial 9-1-1 in an emergency, every second counts.

But as the News 4 Tucson Investigators told you over the past several years, seconds​ were turning into minutes for callers to the city’s 9-1-1 communications center.

Back in 2017, the News 4 Tucson Investigators broke the story about dangerously long 911 hold times center.

The following year, Tucson Police and Tucson Fire combined their dispatch centers.

In 2020, the city had a third-party assess the combined public safety communications center…

Ohio legislation pushes for 911 upgrade to allow texts, but county officials balk at the costs

Ohio legislation pushes for 911 upgrade to allow texts, but county officials balk at the costs

A dispatcher for the 911 center at the Pickaway County Sheriff's Department in Circleville. Ohio is looking at funding to help accelerate the push for a statewide next-generation 911 system.

Ohio’s 911 system is outdated, made for a time period when landline phones were dominant. In many places, you can only call, not text, 911. Pinpointing locations of mobile callers can be difficult. Infrastructure is old.

“911 in Ohio is way behind even the most reasonable of expectations,” said Matt Franke, a 911 coordinator in Butler County, in written testimony. “Our current 911 network still operates as it did when introduced in the 1960s.”

So for almost eight years, the state has studied and made plans to upgrade all of Ohio into a “next-generation” 911 system. That new system would allow all Ohioans to text 911 and improve emergency response for mobile users…