Unlike in other years, this year’s Portland Bureau of Emergency Communications annual 911 Awards were not celebrated with pageantry, as at this celebration in 2019 – but these everyday heroes are worth celebrating, even if remotely.
By David F. Ashton
Although typically unseen, the operators who take calls at the Portland Bureau of Emergency Communications (BOEC) 9-1-1 Center – officially called “telecommunicators” – perform life-saving service all day and night, every day of the year.
Because of their service, East Portland News has been privileged to report every year on their “Telecommunicator of the Year” awards program. But alas, the onset of the COVID-19 pandemic scuttled their in-person program for the last two years…
Four members of the Effingham County 911 were recognized this week for their serviced. For two, their terms are expiring and two others stepped down.
Board Chairman Julie Stephens, who started on the board in 2016, and Board Treasurer Wayne Rubach, who also started in 2016, are leaving the board after their terms end on June 30. Both Stephens and Rubach are “at-large” members of the board.
“Thanks for allowing me to be on the board for these five years,” Rubach said…
Some local law enforcement officers are calling for an upgrade to the county’s aging radio dispatch equipment.
During a Wednesday board of commissioners meeting, members of the Curry County Sheriff’s office made their case for upgrading the dispatch system, which multiple local police and fire agencies use for communication. Among those using the system, Gold Beach and Port Orford police, multiple fire departments, as well as the sheriff’s office and Coos Forest Patrol. Brookings police has its own dispatch system…
In the wake of the Nashville bombing that create extended outages for 66 public-safety answering points (PSAPs) AT&T has committed to improving its network resiliency, communications with 911 centers, and its backup-power capabilities, according to a report to the Tennessee Emergency Communications Board (TECB).
TECB Vice Chairman Steve Martini presented key findings of the report to the board during its May 5 meeting, although “sensitive” network-security information was not shared publicly. Based on five meetings with AT&T officials between April 6 and May 3, Martini said that the main cause of the 911 outages stemmed from the fact that the AT&T personnel were not allowed to provide supplemental power sources to the key network in a timely manner after the bomb detonation resulted in the failure of the commercial power grid in the area…
STATE HOUSE — The House of Representatives today approved legislation introduced by Rep. Mia Ackerman (D-Dist. 45, Cumberland, Lincoln) that would improve over-the-phone CPR instructions by requiring the 911 system to certify and staff individuals trained in telecommunicator CPR.
The legislation (2021-H 5629) would establish an emergency telephone system call review and quality improvement, and would require all 911 system operators to be trained in telecommunicator cardiopulmonary resuscitation… READ MORE
Photo by/Laura Hayes
A radio site will be built at the fire station on Centech Boulevard as part of the project.
By Laura Hayes, Contributing Writer
SHREWSBURY — Shrewsbury is interested in using Worcester’s public safety radio frequency.
Trying to make that possible, Shrewsbury firefighter and lead technical support on public safety radios Joseph Milosz presented an intermunicipal agreement between the town and Worcester during the May 11 Board of Selectmen meeting, which was unanimously approved.
“Part of the challenge of the radio world unfortunately right now is frequencies are very regulated by the FCC [Federal Communications Commission],” Milosz said…
Between cellphones and 5G rollout, it’s not easy to get a new radio frequency, he said.
“The best way to go forward was to take and add on to the City of Worcester’s system,” Mizlosz explained. “…It’s using what’s already built into the city, which is new.”
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.
