ST. PAUL — Minnesota legislative leaders burned the midnight oil and were poised to release state budget targets Monday, May 17, the officials said early in the day.
After a week and a half of closed-door talks, Senate Majority Leader Paul Gazelka, R-East Gull Lake, and House Speaker Melissa Hortman, D-Brooklyn Park, said they were “at a place of signing the dotted line” on budget targets. The targets determine how much Minnesota will spend on schools, roads and bridges, public safety and other areas of state government.
Without those numbers, the Legislature slowed to a standstill over the weekend and lawmakers braced for a special session to complete a nearly $52 billion state budget, a police reform package and a plan to erase income taxes on Paycheck Protection Program loans and some unemployment insurance funds…
Early hang-up calls are a common problem for Buchanan County dispatchers, something that can make the process more difficult for emergency responders.
Sometimes callers hang up out of frustration or thinking it will lead to a faster response time, Melody Reese, a Buchanan County emergency medical dispatcher, said. But it’s important to stay on the line so dispatchers know if a situation changes.
“Your call may have started with chest pain and now, a minute into the call, that patient’s gone unresponsive,” she said. “We want to know that so we can update the crew… READ MORE
Perhaps the most pervasive lifestyle changer of the past 25 years is the cellphone. Many people seem to be connected if not by the hip, then at least by the thumbs, to these ubiquitous devices. eDispatches leverages them as tools to offer alerting capabilities in addition to their conventional uses. According to a spokesperson, “In recent years, we have added [the features of] availability and response. Responders can set their availability throughout the day before calls occur, so the department can see who is or is not available. Additionally, once a call is dispatched, personnel can identify if they are going to the station, scene or not going on the call.” Real-time tracking enables the incident commander to know the number of firefighters who are available as well as their identities and proximity to the scene. Because cellphones have evolved to combine functionality that formerly was provided by a number of disparate devices—in other words, the smartphone—eDispatches touts not having to carry separate electronics for personal and fire service purposes as a comparable benefit…
The $642,312 change order to the city’s contract with Motorola will help complete the city’s migration to the Arkansas Wireless Information Network, but it won’t guarantee radio coverage downtown or at the Lakeside School District.
A resolution approving the change order is on the Hot Springs Board of Directors’ consent agenda Tuesday night. Its adoption would increase the cost of the contract to $5.23 million, half of which the city said will be paid by enterprise accounts such as the city’s water, wastewater and solid waste funds. The $3.54 million the city said the temporary 2.6 general fund mills raised during the 2016 and 2017 tax years will pay the balance…
New York State’s Sheriff’s Association, 911 Coordinators Association, Emergency Management Association, Fire Coordinators Association and Association of Counties have joined together in the following appeal to the state government regarding the promised yet undelivered funding for 911 services:
“Throughout New York State, counties control most of the 9-1-1 call centers, or Public Safety Answering Points (PSAPs) where 9-1-1 calls are handled by trained dispatch personnel. From these PSAPs dispatchers direct local law enforcement, Sheriff’s, Fire Departments, Emergency Medical Services (EMS), State Troopers, Park Police, and other agencies to the location of the call, depending on the nature of the emergency…
The Clearfield community came together Sunday to pray for those who serve their municipalities as first responders.
A Blue Mass was held at St. Francis of Assisi Catholic Church, Clearfield, on behalf of police officers, firefighters, emergency medical services personnel, corrections officers and emergency dispatch employees.
The event was organized by Clearfield County District Attorney Ryan Sayers and a committee consisting of the Rev. Fr. Brandon Kleckner, Monseigneur Richard Siefer, Stephanie Tarbay, James Tarbay and John “Herm” Suplizio…
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.
