Manchester mulls regional dispatch (MA)

MANCHESTER — The long-running debate on whether the town should regionalize its dispatch services will continue when selectmen meet this Thursday.

A virtual public forum on the topic is scheduled for 7:30 p.m. — the meeting itself begins at 6:30 p.m. Information on how to join the meeting online or by phone is available at www.manchester.ma.us.

The town is considering two options.

“These deficiencies (with the current system) can be corrected either by bolstering our in-house operations or by joining the regional dispatch center that the state now operates in Middleton next to the county jail complex,” according to a summary of the problem and options published last week on the town website, manchester.ma.usREAD MORE

Public Safety Advocate: PTT Corrections, CHP Joins FirstNet, Smarter Smartphones, Rural Broadband Feeding Frenzy

First and foremost, Tango Tango Push-To-Talk (PTT) is FirstNet-certified for both the Android operating system and iOS (Apple), not Android-only as stated in the list of vendors that have met FirstNet’s rigorous evaluation. I also neglected to note that Tango Tango, JPS VIA, and ESChat are the only FirstNet-certified PTT applications I am aware of that are fully interoperable with each other.

Tango Tango has been growing quickly as a result of working primarily with smaller departments that want interoperability with Land Mobile Radio (LMR) and PTT over FirstNet. Tango Tango also enables fire departments to send alert tones to FirstNet smartphones as well as normal alerts to pagers…

Deputy, telecommunicator honored in Mound City ceremony (IL)

MOUND CITY, Ill. (WSIL) — Two employees at the Pulaski County Sheriff’s office received commendations for their work on Tuesday.

Deputy Alek Jimenez received the county’s Rookie of the Year award for his efforts in his first year in uniform. Jimenez recorded more than 1000 traffic citations and 24 felony arrests said Deputy Chief Lyle Womack, who emceed the ceremony. But Jimenez isn’t on the force for fame.

“I’m not big into all of that, I just come here and do my job,” Jimenez said. “I just hope that one thing I can do can make a difference in the community.”

Three of those 24 arrests came on the night of May 18, when Jimenez responded to a fire on the 700 block of Pearl Street in Mound City. Kenneth Kerley, lead telecommunicator for the Pulaski County Sheriff’s Communication Center, backed up Jimenez that night. Kerley, who was driving to his shift, was the closest deputy on scene… READ MORE

Groundbreaking “9-1-1” technology released, 1st time 9-1-1 will receive current address from cell phone

In 2012 Joan Lantz called 9-1-1 on her cell phone. She died in her apartment in Rock Hill, South Carolina because 9-1-1 operators could not locate her. In 2020 Sheila Sheppard died in her Washington DC residence because the address of her emergency did not appear on the 9-1-1 operator’s screen. Every year there are countless tragic stories like these. Over the past 10 months calls to 9-1-1 have increased dramatically to exceed pre-pandemic levels and over 80% of those calls are from cell phones; as a result an increasing number of Americans are becoming aware of a serious problem… READ MORE

Heights-Hillcrest emergency communications center considers merger with Chagrin Valley Dispatch (OH)

Heights-Hillcrest emergency communications center considers merger with Chagrin Valley Dispatch (OH)

SHAKER HEIGHTS, Ohio — City officials have introduced a proposed merger of the current Heights-Hillcrest Communications Center (HHCC) with the much larger Chagrin Valley Dispatch for all police, fire and emergency medical dispatching services.

To do that, the five participating cities in HHCC — Cleveland Heights, Richmond Heights, Shaker Heights, South Euclid and University Heights — would have to dissolve the existing “Council of Governments (COG)” originally formed in 2016, with Richmond Heights signing on the next year.

For the most part, it would be a formality in joining the 28 municipalities that are part of Chagrin Valley Dispatch (CVD), with the proposal calling for the current HHCC joint dispatch facility in MetroHealth’s Cleveland Heights Medical Center remaining fully staffed and operational for the original five cities…

Fort Worth Fire Department, MedStar Assisting Police with 911 Call Center Shortage (TX)

Fort Worth Fire Department, MedStar Assisting Police with 911 Call Center Shortage (TX)

FORT WORTH (WBAP/KLIF)- The Fort Worth Fire Department and MedStar are working with the Fort Worth Police Department to improve emergency response times.

Much like other agencies across the country, the Police Communications Division has been experiencing staffing challenges that they are working diligently to rectify.

Residents can now call an emergency back up number if they feel 911 is taking too long…