(WAND) – Emergency dispatchers are the first to answer the call for help. But in Illinois, they are categorized as clerical staff – not first responders.
Now, a bill moving through the Illinois Senate could change that.
“Dispatchers are the lifeline, the vital lifeline really, between our citizens and the emergency services that they need,” Desir’ee Wright, communications supervisor for the Central Illinois Regional Dispatch Center (CIRD), told WAND News…
PORTLAND, Maine (AP) — Maine has become the first state in New England to create an alert system for missing children with intellectual or developmental disabilities.
The Maine Department of Public Safety and supporters of the new system said it addresses a gap in emergency alerts in the state. The new program is part of the state’s silver alert system that was created more than a decade ago to inform the public about missing older residents who suffer from cognitive impairments…
COOS BAY, Ore. – Coos Bay voters will be asked to approve a $20 million bond measure for a new combined library and 911 communications center.
The City Council unanimously approved placing the bond measure on the upcoming May ballot during a meeting this week.
The measure authorizes the city to issue bonds to help pay for a combined library and 911 communications center in John Topits Park. The structure will be approximately 32,700 square feet and is expected to include space for library collections, study and computer locations, as well as community meeting and age-specific programming spaces… READ MORE
The Iredell County Board of Commissioners reviewed several funding requests for American Rescue Plan Act (ARPA) funds during their winter retreat on Friday.
So far, Iredell County has received $17,656,842 in ARPA funds, which are provided by the federal government to recover losses related to the COVID-19 pandemic. A second installment this spring will boost the total to $35,313,684.
Various funding requests have been submitted to the board, but commissioners are waiting to make a final decision on most of the proposals until they learn more about recently announced state grant programs…
Stutsman County’s new 911 system will allow for better interconnection with state agencies, better workflow and texting to 911 to local dispatchers, according to Emergency Manager Andrew Kirking.
The new 911 system was installed the week of Jan. 17. Stutsman County is the second county in the state with a new mapping system, Kirking said.
“The big change for us is streamlining the workflow, and it is more connection with the state for information sharing, which is great to have when we have a corridor like (U.S. Highway) 281 and a corridor like Interstate 94,” he said…
A new fast, more efficient iteration of Virginia’s 9-1-1 system is now active in about 20% of the state, including Henrico County. In total, the new system is serving about 43% of the state’s population.
During the past four years, the Virginia Department of Emergency Management and the Virginia 9-1-1 Services Board have been working to transform Virginia’s 9-1-1 system into the Next Generation 9-1-1 (or NG9-1-1) system, which is based on a modern internet protocol network. The move was funded by the board. NG9-1-1 securely delivers 9-1-1 calls to the appropriate 9-1-1 center faster, transfers 9-1-1 calls and associated data where needed, and interconnects with other public safety systems and databases, according to state officials… READ MORE
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.
