The Quell Foundation Announces First Responder Training and Preparedness Program

NORTH FALMOUTH, Mass., Sept. 2, 2021 /PRNewswire/ — The Quell Foundation, which strives to reduce the number of suicides, overdoses, and the incarceration of people living with a mental health illness, today announces that FirstNet®, Built with AT&T will underwrite the Foundation’s first responder mental health preparedness and training program.

“The women and men of our nation’s first responder community are more likely to die by suicide than in the line-of-duty,” says Kevin M. Lynch, CEO, and President of The Quell Foundation. “These Americans who have dedicated their life to protecting, and saving ours, are taking their own lives at unprecedented rates. We are honored FirstNet is supporting the development of Quell’s First Responder Training and Preparedness Program, the Foundation’s training curriculum for first responders to recognize mental health warning signs amongst their own.”

FirstNet is also underwriting The Foundation’s upcoming documentary “Lift the Mask – First Responders Sound the Alarm,” produced by The Quell Foundation and MOD Worldwide. The film provides insight into the lives and the experiences of the first responder community, their families, and the lives they touch through their day-to-day activities…

Jonesboro E911 working on system to eliminate language barrier between dispatchers, public (AR)

Jonesboro E911 working on system to eliminate language barrier between dispatchers, public (AR)

JONESBORO, Ark. (KAIT) – City leaders are working to make every 911 call just a little more efficient.

Thousands of calls come into the dispatch center every day.

But what happens when there is a language barrier during that emergency call?

“Sometimes, we have trouble communicating and finding out you know the information we need,” said Ronnie Sturch, Jonesboro E911 Director.

He said bringing in a system that provides translators would make the process easier in an emergency…

St. Paul police chief: Officers ‘are being pushed to the brink’ (MN)

St. Paul police chief: Officers ‘are being pushed to the brink’ (MN)

Citing an inability to keep up with a surge in crime that’s overwhelming officers, St. Paul Police Chief Todd Axtell is asking the City Council to spend $3.1 million more on his department than what Mayor Melvin Carter proposed.

The unusual bucking of authority during a routine budget presentation on Wednesday sparked tensions between the police chief, the mayor and council members about the role of law enforcement in St. Paul, a debate that has intensified in cities across the country since the murder of George Floyd sparked calls to defund police agencies and invest in alternative public safety programs.

Carter has proposed allocating $120.8 million, about 17% of the city’s overall budget, to police in 2022. That amount is $1.2 million less than what the department received in 2021, but Carter’s plan shifts $5.1 million from the police to other city departments taking over management of St. Paul’s community ambassadors program and emergency communications center…

Goose Creek upgrades 911 call center, equipment (SC)

Goose Creek upgrades 911 call center, equipment (SC)

GOOSE CREEK, S.C. (WCSC) – Goose Creek Police say their newly-renovated communications center will better serve the community and prepare first responders before they arrive on the scene of a crisis.

Goose Creek emergency dispatchers will begin working in the new center Thursday.

People who call 911 going forward can expect additional questions when they call in to report a medical emergency.

The $1.1 million upgrade to their emergency dispatch facility means new processing equipment and training for 911 calls…

Goose Creek emergency dispatchers are trained on a system that will help them prepare first...
Goose Creek emergency dispatchers are trained on a system that will help them prepare first responders for the calls they’re responding to and give critical instructions to callers who report medical emergencies.(Live 5)

Sheriff’s Deputies, Communications Dispatchers and Police Officers Deployed to Assist with Caldor Fire (CA)

Santa Barbara, Calif.  – The Santa Barbara County Sheriff’s Office has sent 21 Sheriff’s deputies and two communications dispatchers to El Dorado County to assist in the fight against the Caldor Fire. In addition, the Santa Barbara Police Department sent four officers, and the Lompoc Police Department sent two officers. These Santa Barbara County first responders will join a contingent of more than 100 law enforcement personnel from Region 1A (Ventura, Santa Barbara and San Luis Counties) who are responding to a request for assistance through a mutual aid agreement between all California law enforcement agencies that is coordinated through the California Governor’s Office of Emergency Services…

Public Safety Advocate: Good News for Push-To-Talk Interoperability?, Bad News for 6-GHz Microwave

Last week, several readers pointed out that cloud-based interoperability might not always be best for network-to-network and network-to-Land Mobile Radio (LMR) Push-To-Talk (PTT) interoperability. For example, one reader suggested Los Angeles County (Los Angeles Regional Interoperable Communications System, LA-RICS) and the Los Angeles City Police Department, which are using cloud-based interoperability between them, would be better served if they used direct interconnectivity instead of relying on a remote cloud. I agree, and I should have mentioned that one major vendor could become the only FirstNet-to-LMR interoperability provider. I also neglected to talk about my fear that even if this vendor’s PTT will interoperate with other already-certified FirstNet PTTs, there will be pricing discrepancies between this vendor and other push-to-talk providers that have already amassed a large number of FirstNet/LMR-integrated customers…