Comm Center News
‘Dedication and professionalism’: Red Deer assistant deputy fire chief praises 911 dispatchers (Canada)
An assistant deputy chief with Red Deer Emergency Services is praising 911 dispatchers as the holiday season approaches. “It’s cold outside, we just got our first significant snowfall of the year. Our centre does get quite busy when we see increment weather like we...
North Bend transfers 911 dispatch service to Coos Bay (OR)
NORTH BEND, Ore. - A nationwide shortage of telecommunicators hits home as emergency officials look to solve dispatching issues in North Bend. “It does take a period of time to get a dispatcher trained and certified and up to the level that they can actually function...
Fort Sill implements new service allowing emergency texts to 911 (OK)
FORT SILL, Okla. (KSWO) - A new service at Fort Sill now lets you text 911 if you’re having an emergency. It’s extremely simple to use, you text 911 what your emergency is and your location and it will go right to a dispatcher, along with the latitude and longitude of...
Fayette public safety radio upgrades near completion (GA)
The SPLOST-funded overhaul includes repairs and improvements to seven current sites and the installation of additional towers and equipment shelters in Tyrone and in eastern Fayette along Hilo and Mud Bridge Roads. The “looped microwave” network will integrate fire...
Magen David Adom creates computer-aided dispatch system for Hatzalah South Florida
Magen David Adom’s groundbreaking technology, which powers the emergency dispatching systems in Israel for medical emergencies and the National Fire Rescue Service as well as for the EMS system in the Philippines, is now being used in the United States.The computer-aided dispatch (CAD) system developed by MDA—Israel’s national paramedic and Red Cross service—uses artificial intelligence (AI) to instantly locate and dispatch the nearest first responders and ambulances to a medical emergency.Hatzalah South Florida, an all-volunteer EMS organization serving Miami-Dade and Broward counties, announced that such technology is now powering its new dispatch system. It marks the first time MDA’s dispatch technology has been adopted by an EMS organization in the United States.
In a ceremony on Dec. 14 attended by several hundred people in Aventura, Fla., the two organizations signed an agreement to continue sharing knowledge and training, making years of cooperation official.Hatzalah South Florida is one of more than 50 independent hatzalah (Hebrew for “rescue”) volunteer ambulance services that serve Jewish communities in the United States, Israel and around the world.While Hatzalah South Florida will use technology already developed by MDA, the system was customized to meet specific needs. It was designed to be cloud-based, as opposed to the mainframe system MDA uses in its own National Operations Center, so Hatzalah South Florida can move its dispatching operations from location to location when necessary, an important consideration for the rapidly growing organization.
Baruch Sandhaus, Hatzalah South Florida executive director and an EMT, and Ido Rosenblat, Magen David Adom chief information officer and a Medevac paramedic, made the years of cooperation between their organizations official by signing an agreement to continue to share knowledge and training at a ceremony on Dec. 14, 2021. Credit: Courtesy.With Hatzalah South Florida’s new system, the organization’s dispatchers will be able to:Capitalize on AI technologies to dispatch multiple resources, including first responders and the nearest Hatzalah ambulance, instantly and simultaneously, without having to await action on the dispatcher’s part, ensuring the fastest possible response. Only those EMTs responding to the call are privy to information, maintaining the highest level of patient confidentiality.Instantly determine the first responders closest to the scene of a medical emergency before dispatching them. Because the system integrates real-time traffic data, the most relevant first responders are determined not just by geographic proximity, but by who can arrive fastest based on real-time traffic conditions.Pinpoint the exact location of cell-phone callers since 80 percent of emergency calls are made from mobile phones, and callers aren’t always certain where they are, especially in a car accident. People calling Hatzalah South Florida will be automatically geolocated by clicking on a text link that will provide their exact GPS coordinates to the CAD system.Respond to text messages. At times, people needing emergency help are unable to speak because of an injury or because they’re in a dangerous situation where it’s prudent to remain inaudible to avoid detection. Hatzalah’s system enables the organization to respond and converse via text, automatically in multiple languages.See live visual feeds of the scene. EMTs and paramedics using Hatzalah South Florida’s proprietary smartphone app can show dispatchers live visual streams from the scene of a medical emergency, enabling them to make crucial medical decisions and allocate resources, depending on the severity of the injury or illness.“While we brought our technology to South Florida first, we’re amenable to sharing it with any American EMS organization or PSAP [public-safety answering point],” said Ido Rosenblat, MDA’s chief information officer. “We’re in the life-saving business, so if there’s any way we can help anyone else achieve that goal—whether it’s through sharing our experience or our technology—we’re onboard.”The post Magen David Adom creates computer-aided dispatch system for Hatzalah South Florida appeared first on JNS.org.
Help is on the way: Efforts aim to improve response times, draw more into Erie County’s EMS (PA)
When a person calls 911 with a medical emergency in Erie County, they are likely unaware that it can sometimes be a challenge to find an ambulance that is staffed to respond. While there are dozens of paid and volunteer EMS services in Erie County, there are times...
Four Wireless Carriers Settle FCC 911 ‘Sunny Day Outage’ Investigations – Tech Giants
On Friday, the Federal Communications Commission’s (FCC) Enforcement Bureau issued a press release announcing that it resolved allegations against AT&T Corp. and AT&T Mobility LLC, Lumen Technologies Inc. (formerly CenturyLink), Intrado Safety Communication...
Worst-case scenario of new BC 911 system means ‘someone may die alone, listening to a recording’ (Canada)
Vancouver – Addressing concerns about lengthy wait times faced by callers needing emergency assistance, B.C.’s provider of 911 services says it’s implementing a new process, but the operators themselves are against the idea. Several times this year, E-Comm itself has...
Eleven calls to 911 prompts woman’s arrest (FL)
BRADENTON, Fla. (WWSB) - A woman warned about calling 911 unnecessarily was arrested recently after an 11th call within seven hours proved to be too much for Bradenton police. According to a probable cause affidavit, on Nov. 30, Cheryl Kay Hamon, 65, called the...
Hamilton County 911 Emergency Communications District Donates $6,000 To Forgotten Child Fund (TN)
Hamilton County 911 Emergency Communications District on Friday will be donating a check of $6,000 to the Forgotten Child Fund during their last big Toy and Money Drive of the year. The funds were raised by the Telecommunicators and Staff at Hamilton County...
Albany County announces state funding to expand pilot program that improves emergency dispatch and response related to mental health (NY)
ALBANY – The Albany County Crisis Officials Responding and Diverting (ACCORD) program, designed to improve outcomes for nonviolent emergency calls, will be expanding in 2022 due to a significant financial commitment from New York State. On Thursday, Albany County...
AG: CenturyLink responsible for widespread Washington 911 outage in 2018
OLYMPIA, Wash. - Washington Attorney General Bob Ferguson testified that CenturyLink is responsible for "many of the technological failures that caused the widespread 911 outage in December 2018." According to Ferguson's office, more than 10,700 calls were blocked...
Veteran 911 dispatcher publishes book about on-the-job experiences (TX)
Having been around the occupation for more than two decades, Terra Culley has come to know that 911 dispatchers are far more than just people who answer phones. Culley began working as a 911 dispatcher in Texas County about 23 years ago, and has been assistant...
Improvements Made To Kosciusko County 911 Dispatch Center (IN)
WARSAW — The Kosciusko County 911 Dispatch Center recently got a much-needed facelift. The Kosciusko Communications Center handles all radio communications for police, fire and emergency medical services in Kosciusko County. In August 2000 it combined with Warsaw...
AT&T invests nearly $40 million over three-year period to connect customers in McHenry County (IL)
AT&T is proud to connect customers across the country by continuing to grow America's most reliable 5G network. From 2018-2020, we expanded coverage and improved connectivity in more communities by investing nearly $40 million in our wireless and wireline networks...
Ontario woman shocked after she got $552 bill for calling 911 (Canada)
When you're in an emergency and need help you should call 911, but if you're not from the city you call in, you could get a surprise bill. "I think this is absolutely ridiculous. 911 is the number you call for an emergency. It's not my fault I had an accident outside...
Laclede County will soon get an upgrade to its 911 dispatching system (MO)
LACLEDE COUNTY, Mo. (KY3) - Laclede County will soon get an upgrade to the ratio portion of the 911 system. “What we’re replacing are the radio consoles that are within 911, the actual dispatch button you hit to get out on the radio if you will. So we are going to...
Public Safety Advocate: Storms, Future Communications, FirstNet Gains
The only way to start this week’s Advocate is to thank all first responders, volunteers, and the many others who struggled to save lives in mid-America in the aftermath of tornados. In the evening of December 10, the longest track tornado on record traveled at least...
FirstNet Connects First Responders After Tornado Outbreak
By Jason Porter, President, Public Sector and FirstNet, AT&T This past weekend, severe storms and deadly tornadoes devastated the Midwest, destroying homes and demolishing city centers. And while every disaster is different, there is one constant: the brave women...
Dispatchers, new software saving lives (IA)
LEE COUNTY – LeeComm dispatcher Tony Keefe has less than a year of certification with Lee County’s new Total Response software, but the time training came in handy on Nov. 20. Keefe was manning a LeeComm E911 line on that day when a call came in from a man whose wife...
Upcoming Webinar
4.9 GHz Band: Review of the FCC Order
On October 22, 2024, the Federal Communications Commission (Commission) released its Eighth Report and Order (Eighth R&O) regarding utilization of the 4940-4990 MHz (4.9 GHz) band that protects incumbent users as requested by us, the Public Safety Spectrum Alliance (PSSA). This Eighth R&O addresses a number of issues related to the use of this band by public safety. Please join us for a briefing on this order and how it impacts public safety.
This presentation will be led by Chief Jeff Johnson (ret) and Attorney Jason Karp, one of the nation’s leading experts in public safety spectrum regulations.
REGISTER
Subscribe to Comm Center News
Get the latest News, Articles, and Insights from AllThingsECC.com weekly in our newsletter.
Stay Up to Date With The Latest News & Updates
Share Your Story
Join our community to share your experience and connect and collaborate with colleagues.
Join Our Newsletter
Get the latest News, Articles, and Insights from AllThingsECC.com weekly in our newsletter.
Follow Us
Stay connected with the latestEmergency Communications News, Articles & Information.