At Bloomington’s 911 dispatch center, helping others makes the tough days worth it (IL)

At Bloomington’s 911 dispatch center, helping others makes the tough days worth it (IL)

The Bloomington Communications Center is the first dispatch center in Illinois to earn accreditation from the International Academy of Emergency Dispatch in part for its handling of calls with diligence and respect. That’s not an easy thing to do in the middle of a crisis.

No day is the same for telecommunicators handling 911 calls. Working in dispatch means one has to be prepared for anything.

City of Bloomington Telecommunicator and Trainer Bobbie Jo Smith says when the phone rings, you have to separate regular life from work…

Demonstrating Priority and Preemption in the Boulder FirstNet Lab

By Kim Coleman Madsen, Senior Public Safety Advisor, First Responder Network Authority

The Boulder FirstNet Lab is a state-of-the-art laboratory in which the First Responder Network Authority (FirstNet Authority) tests public safety functionality and features unique to the FirstNet network. Experts in the lab in Boulder, Colorado, have the capabilities to carry out network validation and testing of features such as priority, preemption, quality of service, and public safety-specific applications. READ FULL ARTICLE

Stephen Whitaker: Local leaders must get involved in planning public-safety network (VT)

Stephen Whitaker: Local leaders must get involved in planning public-safety network (VT)

This commentary is by Stephen Whitaker of Montpelier, an author who has worked for 30 years on integrating planning, government transparency and accountability, public records access and more recently utility networks resiliency.

We should all take some time to appreciate that in Vermont we don’t have dozens of people drowning in a desperate, overcrowded raft accident, crossing the English Channel to safety. Or adults and children burning to death in a bus crash returning from Hajj, as in Bulgaria. Or maliciously mowed down at a holiday parade in Waukesha, Wisconsin.

Our public safety may often be taken for granted in Vermont. But it’s important to recognize the very real need for substantial investments in, and ongoing maintenance of, our public safety infrastructure. These investments are essential to assure that not only can we call for help when we or a loved one needs it, but that those responding will have reliable communications service everywhere necessary to deliver that assistance…

911 technology upgrades, projects across NC awarded $14 million; new grants for PSAP … (NC)

RALEIGH — The N.C. 911 Board has approved $8.45 million in grants to 12 local public safety answering points and $6 million for three statewide projects. The grants will fund improvements to 911 PSAPs, radio-and-dispatch equipment upgrades and creation of new Public Safety Answering Points.

The Boone Police Department received $252,565.43 for a radio replacement project, and Watauga County received $154,130.86 to upgrade equipment.