Washington state agencies brace for staffing disaster following Inslee’s vaccine deadline

The deadline for most state government, health care and school workers in Washington to get their mandated coronavirus vaccination is Monday, October 18. Democrat Governor Jay Inslee issued the mandate in August and unlike other mandates across the country, provided no test-out option. His message was crystal clear, obey or lose your job.

This is despite the Washington state Department of Health reporting, as of October 11, that 77.6 percent of Washingtonians ages 12 and older have received at least one dose of COVID-19 vaccine. 71.4 percent of people 12 and older are fully vaccinated, well past the CDC’s parameters for herd immunity, even without factoring in the number of residents who already contracted the virus… READ MORE

Local job fair aims to recruit 911 dispatchers and other positions (MO)

ST. LOUIS (KMOV.com) – Calling all job seekers, the St. Louis Agency on Training and Employment will hold a job fair to fill several positions.

From 10 a.m. to 2 p.m., future applicants can head to the Wesley House Association at 4507 Lee Avenue for the hiring fair. Employers are looking to hire utility drivers, airport workers, refuse drivers and 911 dispatchers. Refuse workers will receive a $3,000 sign-on bonus.

Since August, city officials have discussed the struggle to fill dispatcher positions. In 2020 and into early 2021, 64% of calls were answered by dispatchers in the city within 10 seconds. A significant decline from 2018 numbers, when nearly 80% of calls were being answered within that same time span… READ MORE

VIPS host First Annual Law Enforcement and Telecommunications Banquet (WV)

BUCKHANNON — Officers from multiple departments and telecommunicators, along with city officials, joined to celebrate the First Annual Law Enforcement and Telecommunications Banquet hosted by the Volunteers In Police Service (VIPS) on Saturday.

Local law enforcement agencies including Buckhannon Police Department, Upshur County Sheriff’s Department, West Virginia Division of Natural Resources, West Virginia State Police, Upshur County Security Officers, and Upshur County 911 Telecommunications were all honored at the banquet. VIPS Coordinator Steve Wykoff and Jewel Fisher worked diligently with BPD Chief Matt Gregory to communicate the invite to each of the offices. Wykoff acted as the emcee for the event and provided the musical entertainment… READ MORE

The Benefits of Z-Axis Through FirstNet

By Jeff Bratcher, Chief Network and Technology Officer, First Responder Network Authority

This year marks the 20th anniversary of the terrorist attacks on September 11. In the aftermath of that tragedy, the public safety community pushed for its own dedicated network to address some of the communications challenges responders faced on that day. The community called for a nationwide network, one it could rely on to communicate and share information with each other during emergencies as well as their day-to-day operations.

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Press Release: District’s 911 System: Reforms Needed to Assure Public Safety (Washington DC)

OUC staff requires more supervision, improved call handling, and efficient location identification; recent improvements should continue with enhanced support 

October 19, 2021 (WASHINGTON) The D.C. Office of United Communications 911 Operations Division (OUC)  has seen inconsistent handling of calls, difficulties with determining the location of emergencies, and does  not meet national standards in getting timely help to callers, according to a new report issued by the Office  of the D.C. Auditor (ODCA). 

The report by public safety communications consulting firm Federal Engineering, Inc. (FE) on contract with  ODCA assesses the effectiveness of OUC against national standards including a review of 2019 and 2020 call  metrics, a sample of 911 call recordings, an evaluation of OUC culture and training, and a review of OUC’s  technological capabilities and internal investigations… 

Durham 911 asks police dept. to help dispatch calls, interim chief says ‘we don’t have the staff,’ internal emails say (NC)

DURHAM, N.C. (WNCN) – Nearly 40 percent of the 911 operator positions at the Durham Emergency Communications Center (DECC) are now vacant, as the number of operational vacancies is now at 23 as of Friday afternoon, according to city’s website.

For months, the shortage has impacted 911 call pick-up times and responses to emergencies.

In an open records request, CBS 17 obtained emails that show on Aug. 30 the communications center director Randy Beeman sent an email to interim police chief Shari Montgomery that asked if there were any officers who could help with communications at the call center… READ MORE