The U.S. must upgrade its 911 emergency systems and enhance and reauthorize its dedicated public safety communications network if states and localities are to be able to respond to increasing threats, a House subcommittee heard this week.

Fort Worth’s newly created Emergency Management & Communications Department is expected to operate on a $20.7 million budget, giving the city’s 911 call-taking team its own department and streamlining the city’s emergency response, officials said.

The City of Las Vegas Planning Commission unanimously voted to pass a proposed nearly 96,000-square-foot emergency services communication center in the northwest Las Vegas valley.

GREEN BAY (WLUK) -- After months of staffing shortages and complaints about forced overtime, relief has finally arrived for Brown County 911 dispatchers. The county has hired contract workers to help fill the void.

Sep. 2—TUCUMCARI — The Tucumcari Police Department, including the emergency dispatch center inside, was evacuated for about 90 minutes on Wednesday night because of a bomb threat.

RALEIGH, N.C. (WTVD) -- The N.C. 911 Board has recently awarded nearly $5.7 million toward the state's 911 system, the N.C. Department of Information Technology announced Friday.

CHARLOTTESVILLE, Va. (WVIR) - Picture this: someone lost on a trail, or a driver trapped after a crash. A call goes out and in real time, a GPS locator drops a pin on the dispatcher’s screen. “What this enhanced GPS does is it will really provide a precise location of...

Leaders say this is one of a handful of 911 centers in North Carolina to feature next-generation features. CORNELIUS, N.C. — The Cornelius 911 Emergency Communications Center has completed a major technology upgrade that town leaders say places it among only a handful...

911 and public-safety networks have entered a pivotal phase. A convergence of technological breakthroughs and regulatory momentum is redefining how emergency-communications networks will be designed, deployed, and operated. These developments aren’t merely...

For years, Brown County has struggled to hire people to answer 911 calls and coordinate responses to emergencies. Its emergency dispatch center was among many that grappled with worsened staffing shortages after the COVID-19 pandemic.  But as the crisis eases...

CANFIELD — Cheri Smith sits at the dispatch desk at the Canfield Post of the Ohio State Highway Patrol with a box of Cheerios nearby and 1980s music on the radio at a low volume. It’s Thursday — the day before her official retirement date — but she will work for...

Billie Shepperd was planning her daughter Sheila’s 60th birthday party in June 2020 when the phone rang. She had been imagining family members traveling from Washington, DC, to celebrate at the beach with crab legs and potato salad, when she picked up to hear Maria...

WAMPSVILLE, NY — For the first time, Madison County leaders are linking potential 911 connectivity issues with proposed wind farms, saying the wind turbines will interfere with 911 communications. Madison County says the proposed Liberty Renewals’ Hoffman Falls Wind...

WENATCHEE — RiverCom 911 has received a key approval from the state’s Project Review Committee, clearing the way for the agency to move forward with planning a new emergency communications facility. The committee gave unanimous support for RiverCom to use a General Contractor/Construction Manager (GC/CM) delivery method—an approach that brings contractors into the planning process before design is finalized.RiverCom officials say this early collaboration is critical for a 911 center, where the system must function seamlessly from day one. By identifying potential issues early, GC/CM helps avoid delays, cut down on costly changes, and ensure taxpayer money is used efficiently.

Yesterday (Tuesday) marked a major milestone in the future of Fairfax County’s emergency response: one of the agency’s first uses of artificial intelligence.
For a brief period of time that day, the county’s Department of Public Safety Communications (DPSC) tested an AI system to triage select calls for service to the non-emergency line, officials announced.

This facility received the Renovations Notable award in the 2024 Firehouse Station Design Awards. Find the full list of winners here. This project for the San Ramon Valley Fire Protection District and the city of San Ramon remodels approximately 70,000 sq. ft. of existing city-owned buildings and includes the addition of a new 9,000-sq.-ft. emergency operations center (EOC) and 9-1-1 communications center.

The plan calls for consolidating 911 dispatch operations within the Austin Police Department, Austin Fire Department and Austin-Travis County EMS.

SPOKANE, Wash. — Spokane is moving forward with plans to create its own Emergency Communications Center to serve as the city’s primary 911 dispatch hub. According to the City of Spokane’s draft agenda, the City Council is considering an ordinance that would establish...

In emergency response, the heroes are often pictured on the front lines: the police officer arriving at a chaotic scene or the firefighter rushing into a burning building. Yet, historically, the very first “first responder” has been the calm voice on the other end of...