(CNN) — More than a dozen cities are developing “alternative” or “co-response” programs to minimize or eliminate the role of police officers responding to 911 calls involving mental health, homelessness, or substance abuse.
Thirteen cities just finished an eight-week “policy sprint,” coordinated by advocacy groups Everytown For Gun Safety and What Works Cities. The goal was for cities to develop pilot programs or to nudge cities along that have already explored this model of 911 response. A handful of others are testing out programs on their own…
FCC Secures Life-Saving Commitments From Wireless Carriers To Deliver 9-1-1 Vertical Location Information Nationwide.
Federal Communications Commission Acting Chairwoman Jessica Rosenworcel this week announced agreements with America’s three largest mobile phone providers to begin delivering vertical location information in connection with 9-1-1 calls nationwide in the coming days. This information will help first responders quickly locate 9-1-1 callers in multi-story buildings, which will reduce response times and ultimately save lives…
Artificial intelligence (AI) is the most disruptive innovation in a generation. It is quickly becoming an essential component in many industries, including public safety.
A perfect example of this combination of technology-assistance and human decision-making is in Public Safety Answering Points (PSAPs), where call-takers serve as the public’s first point of contact in an emergency. PSAP call-takers and dispatchers must separate the signal from the noise, which is all the more difficult when a flood of information from frantic callers washes over them. When the clock is ticking, highlighting critical data points even a few seconds earlier can save lives, and assistive AI excels at such essential work…
HALEYVILLE – First responders–those who daily put their lives on the line serving others–will literally take center stage at the Haleyville 9-1-1 Festival Friday, June 4, and Saturday, June 5. Celebrating Haleyville as the birthplace of the nation’s first 9-1-1 call, which was made in 1968, the festival has grown through the years, but has always paid tribute to all first responders. The festival has branched out to include a wide array of activities and entertainment, which this year will include a line up of top-notch live acts building to the award-winning headliner Sawyer Brown Friday night, June 4… READ MORE
As chair of the Committee on Transportation and Infrastructure, I have a responsibility to ensure that actions Congress and the federal government take regarding our transportation networks contribute to, and do not detract from, public safety. That’s why I oppose the Federal Communications Commission’s decision to repurpose more than half of the 5.9 GHz radio frequency band, also known as the Safety Band.
Since 1999, the 5.9 GHz band has been reserved for dedicated short-range communications to enable vehicle-to-everything (V2X) communications. V2X communications, and the technologies they will enable — namely, connected vehicles — will make our transportation networks smarter, more efficient, dramatically reduce congestion, significantly increase throughput on existing infrastructure, and, most critically, make us safer. These technologies, in other words, have the potential to save lives but only if the frequencies they rely on continue to be available for V2X applications…
Lewis County 911 Communications has received a $150,000 grant to upgrade its software and equipment that will help the dispatch center maintain and improve its services for the next five years. The grant comes from the TransAlta Centralia Coal Transition Grants Economic and Community Development Board and fully covers the cost of the project.
“If we would not have received that grant we would have had to bill our first responder units and our agencies,” said Scott Smitherman, administrator for Lewis County 911.
The project covers updates for Lewis County 911’s existing software and hardware both in the back room and at the consoles that the dispatchers use…
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.
Federal Communications Commission Acting Chairwoman Jessica Rosenworcel this week announced agreements with America’s three largest mobile phone providers to begin delivering vertical location information in connection with 9-1-1 calls nationwide in the coming days. This information will help first responders quickly locate 9-1-1 callers in multi-story buildings, which will reduce response times and ultimately save lives…
