Officials reflect on importance of new Huntsville-Madison County 9-1-1 Center (AL)

Huntsville Fire & Rescue Chief Howard “Mac” McFarlen is in a unique position. Each day, his department employs cutting-edge technology to save lives and property, but he also remembers the old days.

Lee Gradford, who has chaired the Huntsville-Madison County 9-1-1 Center Board since 2006, cuts the ribbon Jan. 10 on the new Huntsville-Madison County 9-1-1 Center on Old Monrovia Road in Northwest Huntsville. He was joined by members of the 9-1-1 Board, Madison Mayor Paul Finley, Huntsville Fire & Rescue Chief Mac McFarlen and Chip Cherry, president and CEO of the Huntsville/Madison County Chamber…

Sheriff Promoting Text-to-911 Option For Emergency Help (MN)

Sheriff Promoting Text-to-911 Option For Emergency Help (MN)

(KNSI) – The Benton County Sheriff’s Office is reminding Minnesotans if they need help and can’t dial 911; they can text 911. Public safety officials say the service has been around for two to three years, but it’s a technological advancement that some may not know exists.

Benton County Sheriff Troy Heck says to call if you can, text if you can’t.

“It’s for those situations where people have needed help, but they can’t pick up the phone and make that voice call because maybe somebody would hear them, or any number of reasons that they can’t make the voice call…

Richland County set to unveil new 9-1-1 dispatch center on Wednesday (OH)

MADISON TOWNSHIP — Richland County will “publicly unveil” its newly remodeled $1 million 9-1-1 dispatch center inside the Peoples Community Center.

A ribbon-cutting ceremony is planned Wednesday at 11 a.m., followed by a televised virtual tour of the new facility, Richland County Commissioner Tony Vero said.

It’s not an event open to the general public, culminating a project first approved by commissioners in August 2019… READ MORE

911 center checks year-end numbers (MO)

The board governing 911 operations at the St. Francois County Joint Communications Center heard about finances, year-end call totals and the Simms Mountain Tower project during its virtual meeting last Wednesday.

Board member and finance committee chairwoman Ginger Taylor announced there was a surplus of $1,148,000 at the end of the year.

“So that’s exciting. I think that’s probably the largest surplus we’ve seen on the board since we’ve been here. So I was really thrilled about that,” she said. “I’m very appreciative of that sales tax initiative and the fact that our citizens in our county, saw fit to make this happen… READ MORE

5 Pressing Questions Surrounding Enterprise E-911 in 2022

Federal legislation (Kari’s Law and RAY BAUM’s Act) and their mutually inclusive regulations, including finding, routing, and reporting an E-911 emergency event, have phased into place over the last few years. The final requirements of the RAY BAUM’s Act, dispatchable location for non-fixed voice endpoints— just went live January 6, 2022. You’ve heard the trumpets sound off about these requirements for several years now. If your organization has already put an Enterprise NG/E-911 (911) solution in place, excellent. Even so, further mitigation may be required to comply with the latest RAY BAUM’s Act requirements. If you are currently seeking a 911 solution for your organization, you’ll need to fast-track your road map and implementation plan to get one in place ASAP… READ MORE

Parlier threatens to cut off Coalinga contract for emergency dispatch services over hiring of ex-chief (CA)

Parlier threatens to cut off Coalinga contract for emergency dispatch services over hiring of ex-chief (CA)

The cities of Parlier and Coalinga are in the midst of a heated battle over, of all things, radios.

The two communities, located on opposite ends of Fresno County, have a contract to share Coalinga-based emergency dispatch services for public safety needs.

The two-year-old contract for emergency dispatch is now in danger because Parlier’s former police chief is moving into the same position with Coalinga…