Over the last two decades, the emergency management community has recognized that natural disasters and other emergency situations don’t always follow county lines or town borders. Interagency collaboration is vital—mutual aid agreements expand the capacity of first responders, for example, and data sharing solutions can give local telecommunicators region-wide data at the click of a mouse button.
One such cloud-based advancement scheduled to soon be released by the New York-based emergency technology company RapidSOS, the Emergency Data Exchange, will enable real-time interoperability (the ability of computer or software systems to exchange information) through digital automation—even if different centers aren’t using the same programs or devices…
The International Association of Emergency Dispatchers (IAED) is a non-profit standard-setting organization dedicated to promoting safe and effective emergency dispatch services around the world.
The IAED, which is made up of three allied Academies for medical, fire, and police dispatching, promotes first-responder research, unified protocol implementation, legislation for emergency call center regulation, and the strengthening of the emergency dispatch community through education, certification, and accreditation.
This article highlights information about International Academies of Emergency Dispatch eligibility, requirements, and cost of each of the IAED certification courses…
Ipswich dispatchers David Irvine and Dan Morris (via ICAM).
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IPSWICH — At a well-attended public hearing where there was little apparent support for change, the select board voted unanimously to keep 911 operations in town.
Earlier this year, officials asked North Shore Regional 911 (NSR911) to prepare a feasibility report on absorbing Ipswich’s fire and police dispatch center.
Last month Durham City Council member DeDreana Freeman called 911 to report that a 17-year-old boy had been shot in the parking lot of a convenience store at East Main and South Elm streets.
Freeman, who lives in the community, heard gunshots while inside her home. Her husband went outside to see what was going on after they heard a woman screaming.
Four minutes passed before an emergency dispatcher answered her call.
Freeman told the INDY that the 911 line rang repeatedly while she watched the teen’s life energy bleed out into the asphalt…
Video and Data Analysis Address Risks for Responders
Several key technologies could help to support efforts by police to offload calls that don’t require a law enforcement response.
IDC Worldwide Research Vice President for Public Safety Alison Brooks points to video as a possible enabler. Police could, for example, use a livestream to give mental health professionals eyes on a scene — a potentially safer way of accessing those insights.
“In the traditional ride-along with mental health support, you’re putting that person in the police car and possibly exposing them to an element of danger,” Brooks says. With a video consultation, police can pull in the experts without putting them at risk.
Data analytics may also play a role in driving alternative responses by helping law enforcement understand which approaches work best for different types of calls. “You can use data to shift the response models so that the right people are actually intervening at the right time, including the social services folks,” Brooks says…
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.
