LOUISVILLE, Ky. — Over 30 positions are vacant at the MetroSafe 911 center and officials say filling these vacant positions has been a challenge even before the pandemic.
“There are people who retire out of this position and when they do, we need to fill those positions and it takes up to a year to do that with the training,” said MetroSafe spokesperson Jody Duncan. Duncan says the emergency services center is feeling the effects and is now promoting a telecommunicator trainee program as part of its hiring spree. It’s a paid eight-week program with a starting salary of nearly $18 an hour… READ MORE
911 dispatchers have some of the most stressful jobs in the world. They are constantly helping people through the toughest moments of their lives. All that stress can lead to high levels of burnout and turnover. That is bad news not just for the dispatchers, but for everyone who needs their help, and city budgets. Researcher Elizabeth Linos at UC Berkeley’s Goldman School of Public Policy has found a simple but effective way to address burnout among dispatchers by giving them a sense of community on the job…
The Virginia Association of Public Safety Communications Officials (VA APCO) has honored Arlington’s Emergency Communications Center (ECC) Deputy Administrator Jeffrey Horwitz with its Public-Safety Communications Information Technologist of the Year award.
The honor recognizes an individual who has demonstrated extraordinary technical knowledge and expertise in their support of public safety communications.
“Jeff Horwitz is an exceptional leader in the field of public safety communications,” said Dave Mulholland, administrator of the Emergency Communications Center. “Not only has he has led our team through the County’s most significant emergencies of the past three decades, including working as 9-1-1 Systems Manager and dispatching emergency services to the Pentagon on 9/11, but has also used his vision and dedication to position Arlington County as a national leader in the adoption of cutting edge emergency communications technology…. READ MORE
Alexandria, VA – Today the Federal Communications Commission adopted an order staying – or suspending – provisions of its rules for the 4.9 GHz spectrum band that would permit licensing of the spectrum for commercial purposes. This action is responsive to requests from the public safety community and warnings that the recent changes to the 4.9 GHz rules would cause problems for emergency communications.
In September 2020, a majority of the FCC – over the objections of then-Commissioner Rosenworcel and Commissioner Starks – approved an order that opened the door to stripping the 4.9 GHz spectrum from public safety. The majority took this action despite significant opposition expressed by multiple major public safety associations including APCO…
Agencies on Michigan’s statewide P25 system again are able to buy L3Harris Technologies equipment for their operations on the network, but the system director said there is no shift from Motorola Solutions, despite significant industry speculation sparked by a recent L3Harris new release about its role in the state, according to the system director.
Brad Stoddard, director of the Michigan Public Safety Communications System (MPSCS), said the L3Harris press release—entitled “State of Michigan selects L3Harris Technologies for public-safety communications technology system”—has created “plenty of intrigue and myriad questions” about the P25 network. In reality, there are no plans to switch any existing gear in the 25-year-old Motorola Solutions-built P25 statewide system, he said…
A 911 dispatcher recalls a heartfelt phone call from a homeless woman that “changed her life forever.” The woman begins by sharing her background and the events that led to the life-changing encounter.
“My name is Priscilla and I am a 911 dispatcher in Santa Clara County, California. As you can imagine, we come across some crazy stuff. On the early morning of November 26th, I received a call that would change my life forever.”
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.
