Comm Center News
County to hire 911 director for future consolidation (AR)
The Crawford County Quorum Court is looking for a 911 director for the upcoming consolidation. Currently, the county has a 911 advisory board, but the board has appointed a committee made up of the county's police chiefs, fire chiefs, EMS, and sheriff's department. ...
Lethbridge first responders donate bikes to kids in need (Canada)
LETHBRIDGE, ALTA. -- With travel restrictions and more people staying close to home as the COVID-19 pandemic lingers on, interest in cycling is exploding and bikes continue to be some of the hottest items available for purchase. The Public Safety Communications Centre...
Borough to hire for 2 dispatch positions (AK)
The Kenai Peninsula Borough will hire two borough employees to replace outgoing state employees at the Soldotna Public Safety Communication Center following a unanimous vote in support of the hire by the assembly during their April 20 meeting. The SPSCC, which is...
FirstNet | Looking Back at an Unprecedented Year
Following every major large-scale disaster – whether manmade or natural – public safety develops an after-action report. These are vital to helping ensure that we are even more prepared for the next major event. And if there was ever a year that deserved such...
Listen To We Speak Dispatch Podcast Online At PodParadise.com
We Speak Dispatch is a group of 911 professionals discussing topics from the headlines, topics that are fun and interesting, topics that you care about. Our engaging conversations are designed to inspire more conversations, so if you have a topic you’d like to see...
Lewis County to Pay $210000 Settlement to Former 911 Dispatcher in Domestic Violence Suit (WA)
Apr. 21—Lewis County has agreed to pay out $210,000 to former 911 dispatcher Jerrie O’Connor, who alleged that county officials gave her schedule to her domestic abuser, allowed her abuser’s friends into the facility and retaliated against her for seeking accommodations under the Domestic Violence Leave Act.The settlement was announced by O’Connor’s attorney this week, four years after O’Connor brought her suit in Thurston County Superior Court.”The settlement is a victory for survivors of domestic violence,” O’Connor said in a prepared statement. “It means that employers cannot get away with these kinds of demands for verification and retaliatory acts even when the abuser is a law enforcement officer.”In 2017, an investigation by the state Department of Labor and Industries (L&I) backed up many of O’Connor’s claims, and the agency slapped Lewis County with a $2,500 fine for violating the Domestic Violence Leave Act, which guarantees victims of domestic violence, sexual assault and stalking leave for medical or legal reasons or to relocate.In their report, L&I found that the county acted in a “reckless and negligent fashion,” according to previous reporting by The Chronicle. L&I also found that “Lewis County was not acting in good faith” when it released hundreds of pages of information to O’Connor’s alleged abuser, who had made verbal public records requests to the countyL&I’s report also said the county had denied O’Connor leave guaranteed under state law, retaliated against her for requesting time off and requested verification of her situation not required under state law.”Ms. O’Connor provided her supervisors at Lewis County all five of the forms of proof of domestic violence provided under (state law), yet the county demanded even more invasive forms of proof” reads the press release from O’Connor’s attorney, Lauren Berkowitz.”We are pleased to see Lewis County take accountability for its actions,” Berkowitz said in a prepared statement. “This was an egregious case of express violations of the law, which Ms. O’Connor pointed out to the county in writing and in real time. We hope the county and other employers faced with employees seeking domestic violence leave in complex legal circumstances will recognize that no employer is above the law.”
Dr. Jules Madrigal, Marble Falls police telecommunicators get their days (TX)
The Marble Falls City Council acknowledged the work of both Dr. Jules Madrigal and the Marble Falls Police Department Communication Division during its April 20 meeting. Mayor John Packer presented two proclamations: one designating April 20, 2021, as Dr. Jules...
Dispatch-fueled OCD : 911dispatchers
When I started my career as a dispatcher four years ago I was 24, fresh out of college and still living at ma & pa's crib. I worked 2nd shift, Wednesday/Thursday off (upgraded to Sunday/Monday now, woo!) . My social life took a hit, but the rents took care of most...
‘Every second could mean somebody’s life’: Non-emergency calls plague Guilford Metro 911 (NC)
GREENSBORO, N.C. — Dispatchers work around the clock answering the community’s calls for help, but some people are tying up the lines to 911 with calls that don’t qualify for emergencies. “It’s dangerous to play with 911,” said Paige Cummings, a senior supervisor for...
$9.6-million Lafayette Parish Emergency Communications Center: ‘one of the best in the south’ (LA)
Lafayette 911 has moved from the windowless basement at the courthouse to a $9.6-million facility designed for virtually any emergency. The Lafayette Parish Emergency Communications Center was built with 911 operators in mind. It was designed to allow for new...
California 9-1-1 dispatchers honor Salas as ‘Legislator of the Year’
SACRAMENTO — This week, the California Chapter of the National Emergency Number Association (CALNENA) and over 8,000 9-1-1 emergency dispatchers across the state of California, presented Assemblymember Rudy Salas (D-Bakersfield) with its first ever Legislator of the...
‘Not a want but a need’: Two new emergency services facilities to be built in Clinton (NC)
CLINTON — Two emergency services facilities being built in Sampson County will replace a building that often floods during storms, county officials said. The new $18.4 million facilities being constructed on 9.5 acres of land will be the home for all the county's...
Dispatchers share experiences, reflections on work behind the phone during 911 calls (CA)
Tuolumne County Sheriff’s Lead Dispatcher Amanda Hart said the first responsibility of a dispatcher responding to an emergency call was to be professional and compassionate, even when facing danger, trauma or uncertainty. "Obviously, calls are going to affect us in...
Integration Will Let Dispatchers Livestream Body Cam Video
Axon, the biggest provider of body-worn cameras in the U.S., is integrating with the emergency data startup RapidSOS, giving more information to first responders as well as to 911 dispatchers. “Many agencies already rely on both Axon and RapidSOS to manage emergency...
21st Century meets 911 versatility (WI)
Congress Members Express Support for NG 9-1-1 Act in Letter to House Leaders
The co-chairs of the Congressional Fire Services and Law Enforcement Caucuses sent a letter to House Speaker Nancy Pelosi and House Minority Leader Kevin McCarthy supporting the Next-Generation 9-1-1 Act of 2021. The act, which is part of the Leading Infrastructure...
Estes appreciates dispatchers (CO)
They are the unsung heroes of the front lines of first responders working 24 hours a day, seven days a week, 365 days a year, unseen and unthought of by most. That is until someone needs to call 9-1-1. They are the dispatchers that answer our emergency calls and send...
MOWW honors Gillespie Communications Center (TX)
The Hill Country Chapter of the Military Order of the World Wars (MOWW) recognized Public Safety Telecommunicators Week at its April meeting. The guest speaker was Les Metzler, director of the Gillespie County Communications Center. In his remarks, Metzler described...
Lexington County Emergency Services Launches Text to 911 (SC)
Lexington County Emergency Services is pleased to announce the successful launch of Text-to-911 service. The County’s Text-to-911 uses the latest state-of-the-art technology allowing hearing- and speech-impaired residents, as well as those in potentially dangerous...
Penobscot County dispatch center staff test positive for COVID-19 (ME)
The communications center that handles 911 calls and dispatches emergency services in Penobscot County is the site of a coronavirus outbreak, according to its director. Two employees of the Penobscot Regional Communication Center in Bangor have tested positive for the...
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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