by ECC Editor | Oct 28, 2021 | Articles, Comm Center News
Every year, millions of 911 calls involve a person experiencing an emergency related to a mental health or substance use disorder—situations often referred to as behavioral health crises.1 How these calls are handled can determine whether the incident ends safely, the person in crisis is arrested, or the person is connected to appropriate care.
The call-takers and dispatchers answering these emergency calls make critical assessments of the health and safety of those involved in each call, decide whether help is needed, and, if it is, determine whether it should be led by law enforcement officers, emergency medical services, or more specialized field responses (if available)… READ MORE
by AllThingsECC.com | Oct 28, 2021 | Articles, Comm Center News
Weber Area 911 dispatcher Matt Graves works at dispatch and emergency services on Wednesday, Nov. 13, 2019.
It started when a young woman desperately sought help in a mental health crisis and her call went to voicemail. She then took her life.
State Rep. Steve Eliason, R-Sandy, told the story Tuesday as a national group of experts discussed the growing challenges of communities effectively responding to life-or-death behavioral health situations without throwing people in jail or handing them off to overwhelmed hospital emergency rooms…
by AllThingsECC.com | Oct 28, 2021 | Comm Center News
TOWN OF ERIN, Wis. – The well-known view from Holy Hill could be changing.
Washington County is considering building a communications tower not too far from the iconic church that, in fall, offers one of the most iconic views in the state.
Holy Hill draws visitors from across Wisconsin to the town of Eric each year.
“Those from the area have grown up with Holy Hill, and when we say Erin, the home of Holy Hill, people know where we are,” said Maripat Blankenheim, town of Erin supervisor…
by AllThingsECC.com | Oct 28, 2021 | Articles, Comm Center News
DIU test portable private 5G network for responders
To improve communications for public safety, the Defense Innovation Unit announced a year-long test of a private, portable, wireless 5G network for first responders in California, including the California National Guard.
With DIU’s solution, the responders arriving first at a remote incident can launch a private cellular network using a vehicle-mounted, backpack, hand-carried or wearable node, said Jeff Kleck, director of the Cyber and Telecommunications Portfolio at DIU. It will free them from reliance on legacy radios or expensive satellite phones and give them access to networked applications such as push-to-talk voice, geolocation and live maps of their surroundings…
by AllThingsECC.com | Oct 28, 2021 | Comm Center News
National First Responders Day is Thursday.
The Tennessee Department of Commerce & Insurance and the Tennessee Emergency Communications Board “recognize the bravery, heroism and commitment to training by Tennessee’s emergency communicators on National First Responders Day,” a news release said.
“On National First Responders Day, the TECB honors Tennessee’s public safety telecommunicators and call-takers for their professionalism and dedication to protecting the lives and property of Tennesseans,” TECB Executive Director Curtis Sutton said in the release…
by AllThingsECC.com | Oct 28, 2021 | Comm Center News
A senior executive at British Columbia’s emergency dispatch agency had expressed concern about the shortage of personnel that killed more than 500 people until a year before the historic heat dome in June. An email released through a request for freedom of information shows.
According to an internal email released by BC Liberals this week, senior e-commerce leaders were discussing ways to raise concerns about 911 call latency and long ambulance response delays.
The email indicates that at one point the e-commerce boss was so frustrated that he considered holding a press conference to appeal directly to the government…
