Comm Center News
Invisible 911 Dispatchers in New Jersey Face Uncertainty During Pandemic (NJ)
SPARTA, NJ - On a fall day in 2019, a young boy riding his bicycle rolled onto the main road near his Sussex County home. The reverberations from an oncoming dump truck would signal danger to any adult. For this boy they foretold death. Someone...
GCHS grad joins KSP Post 4 as dispatcher (KY)
12 Kentucky State Police telecommunicators, one of whom is from Grayson County, were recognized at graduation ceremonies for the 16th class of the agency’s in-house Telecommunications Academy. KSP Commissioner Rodney Brewer told the graduates that the role of a...
SERESA dispatcher named Michigan Telecommunicator of the Year (MI)
ROSEVILLE — A South East Regional Emergency Services Authority dispatcher recently received an award for 2020 Telecommunicator of the Year. Kathryn Schmelzer has worked for SERESA for two years and was nominated for the award by her supervisors. She was chosen over...
First responders hold trunk or treat for kids (TN)
GIBSON COUNTY, Tenn. — The Gibson County Emergency Dispatch held a social distancing trunk-or-treat. Cars drove by with kids inside in the Gibson County E-911 parking lot. First responders passed out candy in order to bring a since of normalcy during COVID-19. Because...
Butler County fire chiefs lose out on $2M grant to replace obsolete radios (OH)
A group of 14 Butler County fire departments was hoping to receive $2 million to replace obsolete radios, but the Federal Emergency Management Agency rejected the application this week. “We are disappointed that we were not awarded the grant but understood going in...
Despite virus scare at local 911 center, the calls don’t stop (WA)
EVERETT — It could have been a disaster for the Snohomish County 911 dispatch center in September. After working 1½ shifts in a room with other radio dispatchers, in the glass-walled building that’s like a nerve center for all first-responders in Snohomish County, a...
Driving in-building public safety communications to scale
In an emergency situation, first responders need to have access to robust, reliable in-building communications systems–you won’t find any disagreement among public safety leaders and authorities having jurisdiction (AHJs) as well as building owners, systems...
NENA 2021 Call for Papers Now Open
From now through December 4, NENA is accepting session proposals for the NENA 2021 Conference & Expo taking place at the Greater Columbus Convention Center in Columbus, OH from June 26 – July 1.
Presenting a session at NENA 2021 is an excellent opportunity to share your knowledge and experience with an audience of 9-1-1 professionals eager to gain and share information. It is also your chance to give back to the profession and help inspire, inform, and educate attendees on a variety of important issues. To ensure your submission receives due consideration, please ensure that:
Your proposal is issue-focused, not product-focused;
Your 65-word presentation description contains a precise objective;
You are able to identify three clear audience takeaways;
You fully complete all areas of the submission form and provide accurate contact information, including phone number(s), email address(es), and mailing address(es);
You use proper grammar, capitalization, and punctuation; and
You provide the names of any co-presenters with your submission (or prior to the close of the submission window).
Your session should address one of the following topic areas:
Analytics & Data
Cybersecurity
Facility Planning
Frontline Skills
GIS & Databases
Innovation
International
Leadership
Management
Network Technology
Next Generation 9-1-1
Preparedness
PSAP Technology
Pub Ed & Outreach
Public Policy
Standards & Best Practices
Train the Trainer
Wellness
Click here to submit your great idea today! All proposals are due by Friday, December 4.
Session submitters will receive acceptance or rejection notifications by mid-January. Submitters selected for the conference will receive multiple communications from NENA and will be invited to at least one session facilitation webinar. Finally, new for 2021, breakout presenters will be required to submit a handout of key session takeaways to be provided to conference attendees via the event app (due to NENA by June 1).Benefits for those selected to present at NENA 2021 include:The lowest possible rate for full-conference registration or a free one-day pass if you will only be attending on the day you present;Access to the speaker lounge for the duration of the conference;A special speaker thank-you gift; andBio and profile listed in the NENA 2021 conference app.
If you do not receive either an acceptance or rejection email from NENA by January 15, then please contact Lisa Fulton.
Task Force to Address Workplace Issues at AZ 9-1-1 Center
The results of a workplace assessment recently completed for Tucson's Public Safety Communications Department has caused concern among city leaders who are working to address "fundamental problems in the operation of the department." The department is...
HARRISON: FirstNet keeps Pennington County connected (SD)
When seconds matter and lives hang in the balance, communications among first responders is critical. It’s something most people don’t even think about but as a leader in law enforcement, this is the sort of thing that keeps me up at night. I want our officers to have...
Watson boy knew what to do; earns 911 Achievement Award (IL)
Tuesday was a special day for a Watson boy who received a special achievement award by the Effingham County 911 Board. Lucas Grupe pulled up to the Effingham County Office Building inside a fire engine manned by members of the Effingham Fire Department. Grupe was...
Virginia got just one bidder for a $100M+ radio project. A key legislator wasn’t happy about it.
Motorola was the only company interested in bidding on an expensive project to update Virginia’s statewide public safety radio system, an outcome that led a competitor to complain the process was one-sided and drew scrutiny from a top lawmaker. The Statewide Agencies...
EPD dispatch recognized as top center in state (KY)
Dispatchers often are the under recognized members of an emergency response team, working behind the scenes, gathering essential information from often frantic callers and relaying that critical information to first responders. According to 911dispatcheredu.org,...
FirstNet bolsters first responder communications with new cell sites network enhancements across Florida
FirstNet announced a major expansion to its high-speed broadband communications platform for first responders this week, with additional cell sites and more than 2,000 other network enhancements tacked onto its Florida operations. These additions will include cell...
Wood County adds texting option for 9-1-1 (OH)
(WTVG) - The Wood County Sheriff’s Office is now able to handle 9-1-1 interactions through text message, allowing those who feel they would be endangered by placing a call. Sheriff Mark Wasylyshyn says: “Dialing 9-1-1 in an emergency is still the preferred way to...
‘CAREN’ Act: San Francisco Supervisors Unanimously Vote To Ban Racially Motivated 9-1-1 Calls (CA)
San Francisco supervisors on Tuesday voted unanimously to pass the Caution Against Racially and Exploitative Non-Emergencies (CAREN) Act, which, if passed into law, would make it illegal for white people to call 9-1-1 just because a Black person dares to exist in ways...
Thorn Twp. firefighters upset with 9-1-1 office (OH)
THORNVILLE — In an election year with the board of Perry County commissioners placing a levy on the ballot to fund the county’s 911 service, they probably don’t welcome dissension in the ranks of the county’s firefighters. But they’re getting it from the Thorn...
State police honors 4 for exemplary service (IL)
linois State Police has recognized the contributions of four people for their professionalism and exemplary service. “The extraordinary dedication and commitment to service displayed every day by these individuals is a true representation of the motto of the ISP —...
Henrico Emergency Communications Center back to normal (VA)
HENRICO COUNTY, Va. (WRIC) — UPDATE (5:45) Henrico County announced that its Emergency communication Center has returned to its normal operating procedures. They added the cause of today’s outage is currently under review. Earlier today, an outage at the...
Chevron donates $100000-plus for emergency communications
Prompted in part by this year’s Pine Gulch Fire, Chevron is donating a total of more than $100,000 to entities including Mesa County to help with emergency management communication needs. The company is donating $38,000 to Mesa County Emergency Services, $30,000 to...
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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