Comm Center News
2nd communications center being established at fire station | Local – (KY)
If something should happen to the community’s primary Emergency Communications Center, a backup facility at the new Fire Station 5 will provide a second fully functioning call center.
AG Jackley honors graduates of 9-1-1 telecommunicator certification course (SD)
SIOUX FALLS, S.D. (Dakota News Now) – South Dakota Attorney General Marty Jackley is extending his well-wishes to 23 students graduating from the South Dakota Basic Telecommunicator Certification Course. “We can never take telecommunicators for granted,” said Attorney General Jackley. “They are the first voice people hear when they call for assistance.”
Centre awarded $1M for 911 emergency communications radio upgrades – LockHaven.Com (PA)
Centre County has secured $1 million in federal funds to begin modernizing the emergency radios that connect first responders in the field with the county’s 911 dispatch system.
The county says the broader replacement effort will cost about $4.5 million and is appealing to its municipalities and state legislators to help close the remaining $3.5 million gap.
Why FirstNet is the Preferred Network for First Responders
“This is why more than 30,000 U.S. first responder agencies are on FirstNet today,” said Michael A. Barnbeck, Deputy Executive Director of the Public Safety Broadband Technology Association and Chair of the PSBTA Technology & Innovation Committee. “They use FirstNet because it provides life-saving features that are unmatched.”
RELEASE: Gottheimer Announces $1 Million Federal Investment to Upgrade Local 911 (NJ)
“When seconds count, communication saves lives,” said Congressman Josh Gottheimer (NJ-5), the Co-Chair for the Law Enforcement Caucus and member of the Congressional Fire Services Caucus. “By clawing back more than $1 million of Bergenfield families’ own federal tax dollars, we’re making sure our first responders have reliable, modern communications equipment to protect our community — while also delivering real tax relief for our community.”
Jackson County Implements New Mass Notification System Through CivicPlus | (IL)
MURPHYSBORO, Ill. (WSIL) — Jackson County has partnered with CivicPlus® to implement a new mass notification software designed to improve how the county communicates urgent and routine information to residents.The CivicPlus Mass Notification System will allow Jackson County officials to distribute emergency alerts, warnings, instructions, and general communications through multiple channels, including email, text messages, and voicemail. The system is intended to provide residents with timely, actionable information during emergencies, delivered through their preferred method of communication.
FirstNet reauthorization effort hits Congress – Route Fifty
Lawmakers in Congress have taken their first tentative steps towards reauthorizing authority for the nation’s dedicated public safety communications network ahead of its sunset in 2027.Advocates had already started gathering momentum towards reauthorizing the First Responder Network Authority, the dedicated communications network known as FirstNet. The effort has already received support from public safety officials via a joint letter and prior congressional testimony, while the National Association of State Chief Information Officers included it as a federal advocacy priority for 2026 .And elected officials are now taking a look themselves ahead of the February 2027 reauthorization deadline, initially with a Senate subcommittee hearing held this week. A House subcommittee hearing is slated to follow next week to discuss a just-introduced discussion draft of reauthorization legislation.
NTIA, FirstNet Governance, and the Risk to Public Safety Independence
The National Telecommunications and Information Administration (NTIA), an agency within the Department of Commerce, appears to be pursuing a coup to take control over the FirstNet Authority. I have been informed that draft legislative language has been circulating that would materially alter FirstNet’s governance structure. Notably, credible reporters have contacted individuals for comment on legislation that those individuals had not seen—suggesting that information has been selectively shared outside stakeholder channels.
Upshur County Emergency Communications welcomes ‘K9s For Warriors’ station dog (WV)
he Upshur County Emergency Communications Center worked with ‘K9s For Warriors’ to recruit a station dog. Chelsea, a two-year-old German Shepard Mix, will be a therapy dog for Telecommunicators and First Responders, said officials. K9s For Warriors is the nation’s...
House bill aimed at checking compliance with 911 dialing law | Safety+Health
Washington — A bipartisan bill that would mandate a federal compliance report on an existing law that requires new multiline phone systems to allow direct 911 calls is advancing in the House. The House Energy and Commerce Committee’s Communications and Technology...
Keeping 9-1-1 Connected as Networks Evolve: How T9-1-1 Bridges the Gap for PSAPs
If you dial 9-1-1, you expect someone to answer—no matter what. That’s a promise public safety teams make to every community, and it’s a promise that technology must keep too. But as we upgrade our nation’s communication networks from legacy infrastructure to modern...
911 communications center expansion begins (NC)
A nearly $5 million project to expand the Perquimans-Gates 911 Communications Center has begun. “The 911 Center floor space will be moving from approximately 500 square feet to approximately 2,000 square feet,” said Jonathan Nixon, director of Perquimans County...
Questions linger as LakeComm officials say ‘hardware malfunction’ caused hour-long 911 … (IL)
LakeComm officials say a “hardware malfunction” is to blame for an hour-long 911 phone outage Thursday afternoon at Lake County’s newest and largest dispatch center that also likely caused Waukegan’s 911 Center to have an outage. The Lake Consolidated Emergency...
Why dispatchers in half of Kansas counties can’t give CPR instructions
TOPEKA, Kan. — If you call 911 in Kansas and need help administering CPR there’s roughly a 50-50 chance you’ll get any instructions. That’s because dispatchers in roughly half of Kansas counties are not trained. READ FULL ARETICLE
Statewide initiative brings mental health training to New Hampshire’s 911 dispatchers
OSSIPEE — Between September and November 2025, more than 70 emergency dispatchers from across New Hampshire participated in a new statewide initiative to strengthen mental health response skills for 911 personnel. The full-day, in-person trainings were offered...
Akron police add AI technology to answer non-emergency calls – (OH)
Callers to Akron Police Department's non-emergency line might already have interacted with the department's newest piece of technology — an AI-powered virtual assistant named Ava. Ava's job is to route callers to the right division — the traffic unit or the detective...
Nashville DEC director on leave after investigation reveals ‘culture of fear and mistrust’ (TN)
NASHVILLE, Tenn. (WZTV) — An outside investigation has identified significant problems with the human resources operations at the Metropolitan Department of Emergency Communications (DEC), and Mayor Freddie O’Connell has placed its director, Steve Martini, on...
Spokane appoints Stephen Williams to lead new 911 network (WA)
SPOKANE, Wash. – Mayor Lisa Brown has appointed Stephen Williams as the new Director of Emergency Communications to lead the development of Spokane's new emergency communications center, the Spokane United 911 Network (SUN).
Transforming Public Safety with Mission-Critical Broadband
Reliable mission critical communications (MCC) is the gold standard for any public safety agency. In plain language, reliable MCC translates into voice, video, and data communications that must get through no matter how chaotic the incident scene is. In fact, the more...
Inside the Times Square phone store that powers New Year’s Eve emergency communications
To better manage emergency communications and to coordinate responses during the legendary New Year’s Eve celebrations in New York City’s Times Square this year, the New York City Police Department and AT&T turned the company’s retail phone store in the metro hub...
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
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