The future status of the 911 emergency communications division is somewhat of a side issue in the recently approved county investigation into allegations of wrongdoing in the Ontario County Sheriff’s Office.
Now, the communications division is part of the Sheriff’s Office, and it’s a busy place. In 2020, the 911 center answered 13,039 emergency medical calls and 4,105 fire calls, according to the Sheriff’s Office’s recently released annual report.
The Ontario County Board of Supervisors earlier in the month voted to create a task force to see if that department should stand alone, work independently from the Sheriff’s Office in some other way or keep the status quo…
Being a 9-1-1 telecommunicator means having the potential to save a life every day.
Such was the case recently for Brooke Brady, an advanced telecommunicator for Whitfield 9-1-1.
After receiving a call about a three-week-old baby who was not breathing, Ms. Brady talked the parents through CPR over the phone and got the child breathing again before EMS and Whitfield County Fire Department personnel arrived on the scene… READ MORE
Since we will be attending IWCE 2021 in Las Vegas all of next week, there will not be time to publish a September 30 issue. The Advocate will return the following week with a lot of news and information from the show—Next week, what happens at IWCE in Vegas won’t stay in Vegas!
The wireless community is cautiously returning to live events. APCO was held live in San Antonio and, according to reports, it was well-attended. However, the IACP yearly event that was to be held in person in New Orleans had to be canceled for two reasons. The first was that the Covid-19 epidemic is still not under control in New Orleans. The second reason was that while the convention could probably have been held with safety measures in place, hurricane Ida had other ideas and came ashore a few days before the conference was to start…
For the first time in two decades, on September 14, 2021 the Belleville Police Department has hired civilian dispatchers to assist officers at the Chief Mark Minichini Communications Center.
With the emergency line previously staffed by police officers, civilian dispatchers are considered a key part of creating a smoother communication center. Hiring civilian dispatchers allows police officers to be on the streets while professional dispatchers answer calls, according to Police Chief Mark Minichini.
“Adding civilian dispatchers relieves us as a department and allows us to become more effective and efficient,” said Minichini, “Now our officers can be out in the community where they are needed, so this is a win-win. I am grateful to the mayor and council for supporting this initiative.” … READ MORE
AURORA | Aurora firefighters are working to deter a select number of people from repeatedly calling 911 for non-emergency issues, a practice that regular clogs dispatch channels and siphons resources from others in need.
Aurora Fire Rescue Lt. Paramedic briefed city council members last week on the status of the city’s relatively nascent 911 high-utilizer program, which unites several city entities in an effort to steer people away from calling 911 on a daily or weekly basis and instead admit them to long-term treatment or care.
Started in 2018, Hardi and a small team from Aurora Fire are currently managing 78 patients who consistently call emergency phone lines for help, with hundreds of other referrals in the pipeline, according to city documents…
New FirstNet Cell Site Launches in Fillmore County to Support First Responders in Southeastern Minnesota
New Infrastructure Will Help Advance Public Safety, Improve Connectivity for Area Residents and Visitors
What’s the news? First responders in southeastern Minnesota are getting a major boost in their wireless communications thanks to the FirstNet® network expansion currently underway by AT&T. We’ve added a new, purpose-built cell site located in Fillmore County.
This FirstNet site will provide coverage when traveling along State Highway 43 and Alpine Drive near Yucatan between Peterson and Spring Grove. It will also give first responders on FirstNet – America’s public safety network – access to always-on, 24-hours-a-day priority and preemption across voice and data…
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.
