by AllThingsECC.com | Aug 6, 2021 | Comm Center News
As 911 calls spike along with coronavirus cases, a short-staffed Baton Rouge EMS is struggling to keep up.
“Our people are working nonstop,” EMS spokesman Mike Chustz said in a recent interview.
The shortage has only been exacerbated by a dramatic uptick in non-emergency 911 calls.
Late last month, the department reported that the East Baton Rouge 911 dispatch center saw an 880% spike in COVID-related calls between June and July — an uptick Chustz said he’d never seen during any crisis in his 26-year career..
by AllThingsECC.com | Aug 6, 2021 | Comm Center News
HOLBROOK — Navajo County recently put the finishing touches on an ambitious plea for $25 million in federal funding to improve broadband speed and reliability in the southern reaches of the county.
Meanwhile, Arizona Sens. Kyrsten Sinema and Mark Kelly announced nearly $1 billion in federal grants to improve broadband coverage on reservation – including the sprawling Navajo Reservation covering northern Navajo and Apache counties.
The twin announcements represent solid progress in efforts by Navajo County to lay the groundwork for a fast and reliable internet network, which economic development officials see as the key to the region’s economic future. Navajo County recently hired a consultant to come up with a broadband master plan that would extend coverage to isolated communities and eliminate the slow speeds and frequent, prolonged outages that have plagued the current system…
by AllThingsECC.com | Aug 5, 2021 | Comm Center News
RICHMOND (August 5, 2021)—The Virginia Association of Counties (VACo) announced the 30 recipients of the 2021 Achievement Awards, which recognize excellence in local government programs. VACo received 102 submissions.
Winning entries focused on addressing issues of inclusion, belonging, and reconciliation that challenge counties today.
“I want to thank all who participated in the 19th year of the Achievement Awards,” VACo Executive Director Dean Lynch said. “Our counties face challenges every day, and those challenges are written in these program submissions. What’s also written are the innovative solutions that overcome these obstacles to make life better for communities across the Commonwealth. We celebrate these victories with all who participated…
by ECC Editor | Aug 5, 2021 | Comm Center News
HILLSBOROUGH COUNTY, Florida — Across the nation, 911 call centers are dealing with staffing shortages.
According to the National Emergency Number Association (NENA), 911 dispatch departments are seeing a 15 to 20 percent rate of staff turnover.
It’s an issue seen at local departments just the same. In Pasco County, the EMA director said they’re currently hiring for 15 dispatchers. To make matters worse, the number of applicants has dramatically dropped… READ MORE
by ECC Editor | Aug 5, 2021 | Comm Center News
A pair of Portland 911 dispatchers received suspensions in connection to leaked reports that erroneously identified City Commissioner Jo Ann Hardesty as the suspect of a minor hit-and run crash earlier this year.
An investigation by the city’s Bureau of Emergency Communications found that while the two employees did not leak police and dispatch records in which the victim wrongly identified Hardesty as the culprit, each violated bureau policy by gossiping about some details of Hardesty’s supposed conduct to friends and co-workers, officials said… READ MORE
by AllThingsECC.com | Aug 5, 2021 | Articles, Comm Center News
First, some clarification. “Mission-Critical Push-To-Talk” (MCPTT) is the form of Push-To-Talk (PTT) the 3GPP standards body developed in accordance with its PTT standard. However, networks, including FirstNet (Built with AT&T), are not using the term “mission-critical.” I seem to have confused some readers last week and I have been fielding questions about Motorola’s new offering, which, according to Motorola, will be fully-compliant with the 3GPP standard except it does not support off-network communications (ProSe).
Samsung developed the first PTT to meet the 3GPP standard and it is being offered on FirstNet as “FirstNet PTT.” Motorola’s offering will be the second 3GPP-compliant PTT application available on FirstNet. While it meets the 3GPP PTT standard, it will not use the term “mission-critical” either…
