The 9-1-1 Association announced that Cassie Lowery, ENP of Rutherford County (TN) Emergency Communications has been elected by the organizations’ membership to serve on its Board of Directors and help lead the association’s mission to improve 9-1-1 through research,...

Sunstar Paramedics employees, emergency medical services dispatcher and paramedic Christopher Kannenberg and emergency medical technician Jason Melzer are among the recipients of the 2020 Pinellas County Emergency Medical Services Professionals of the Year. This award...

CHICAGO – As part of Mayor Lori E. Lightfoot’s all-hands-on-deck public safety strategy, the Office of Emergency Management and Communications (OEMC), the Chicago Police Department and other City departments and agencies today joined together to emphasize that safety...

Volunteer for the NG9-1-1 GIS Data Model v2 Working Group
Friday, May 22, 2020   (0 Comments)Posted by: Chris NussmanNENA seeks volunteers for a new working group to address specific items identified as future work in the NENA Standard for NG9-1-1 GIS Data Model. This document will be developed in compliance with ANSI Essential Requirements processes. The scope of this working group is limited to these items:
Canada extension
Inconsistencies related to layer names, domains, and street type field names
Potential data model structure or content modifications needed for atypical street naming and the representation of driveways and non-traversable roads. Recommendations for data model structural changes will be considered as provided from the GIS Stewardship for NG9-1-1: Road Centerlines WG.
Clarifying text for R/L domain concepts
Clarifying text for spatial references and horizontal accuracy
Volunteers for this work group should have a variety of expertise with GIS data management and need to have a solid understanding of the NENA Standard for NG9-1-1 GIS Data Model and the NENA Information Document for GIS Data Stewardship for Next Generation 9-1-1. Participants with the following experience and/or skills are especially needed:
Substantial experience in Canadian address data management
Experience managing GIS Road Centerlines databases (USA and/or Canada)
Experience implementing the NENA Standard for NG9-1-1 GIS Data Model
Geodesy or other similar experience with spatial reference and horizontal accuracy
When signing up for the WG, please document which of these skills you possess in the “Knowledge, Skills, Abilities You Offer” section of the form. WG members will be required to participate in at least one of the subgroups that will be formed to focus on a specific scope item. Skillsets will be taken into consideration when subgroups are formed and members may need to provide additional information regarding their related experience when they submit their request to join this working group. 90-minute calls will be held every Thursday at 2PM Eastern beginning Thursday, June18, 2020.
Click here to join the NG9-1-1 GIS Data Model v2 Working Group.

INDIANAPOLIS -- A team of recent graduates from the School of Informatics and Computing at IUPUI and the School of Science at IUPUI has been awarded $70,000 from the National Institutes of Standards and Technology, or NIST, for developing artificial intelligence...

ELIZABETHTOWN — There is new life in Bladen County today. And a member of the Bladen County Sheriff’s Office provided a valuable assist. Jasmine Collins, a telecommunicator, was on duty when a 911 call came from the Owen Hill area. A mother-to-be was not going to make...

Two Kitsap 911 employees were singled out for special recognition this year, winning Public Safety Communications Awards and Technology Leadership Awards from the Association of Public Safety Communications Officials International, which recently announced its winner...

An Orange County Sheriff's Department engineer received international recognition for his work leading the team responsible for ensuring Orange County's emergency services responders can effectively communicate. Nick Condaras, Senior Telecommunications Engineer...

Commissioners approved for Porter and County Attorney Josh Seabourn to begin negotiating with the City of Pampa about combining the Pampa Police/Pampa Emergency and Gray County Sheriff’s Office dispatch offices. “This a win-win for the City of Pampa and Gray County,”...

Using Empathy to Improve Your Communications SkillsWednesday, May 27 | 3PM Eastern (live) or On-DemandFREE for NENA Members | Not a member? Join today to receive access!Click here to register!
The ability to communicate effectively is an essential skill for successful careers and relationships ? even more so in 9-1-1. In this webinar, we?ll talk about how dispatcher communications impact the call and the response. We will discuss how each call impacts TCs physically and emotionally, as well as how you can make each call successful by learning to hear yourself and by being aware of what you actually say. You?ll learn how to:
Develop a true connection with callers and field responders;
Grow trust between you, your agency, and those you serve; and
Identify plans to improve peer-to-peer communications and effectiveness in your center.
Can’t attend on the 27th? Register now and you will receive an email after the live presentation with instructions for accessing the on-demand webinar archive.
Presenter: Daniel Edwards ? Critical Perceptions, LLC
CEUs: Attend this webinar and receive one-half ENP re-certification point towards the ten-point maximum for NENA courses in the Professional Development CEU/Course Credits section.
Webinar Access Info: Dial-in and web-access details provided automatically via email upon registration.
Questions? Contact Amanda Tegtmeyer with the NENA Education team.

Escambia County has named Jason Rogers as the new director of Public Safety. His responsibilities to include oversight of daily operations and planning for long- term improvements for Escambia County EMS, Emergency Management, county dispatch and 911 center, the...

COVID-19 has delayed many things, including showing appreciation for dispatchers, some of those who deserve it most. National Public Safety Week is celebrated the second week of April, however, COVID-19 made it difficult to show appreciation during that time. “We’ve...

2 hours ago   (0 Comments)Posted by: Chris NussmanWith many people still facing travel restrictions due to the COVID-19 pandemic, NENA: The 9-1-1 Association is proud to launch a slate of instructor-led online (ILO) courses that enable 9-1-1 professionals to receive NENA’s industry-best education and training content in a virtual classroom.
Starting Thursday, May 28, NENA will offer 13 of its most popular in-person courses in the ILO environment, featuring live instruction, two-way interaction, and group activities. The courses will be held every Thursday into the summer from 10AM until 4PM.
“This new initiative allows NENA to continue to deliver high-quality training to our members during the pandemic. Further, it provides educational opportunities to those who may not have been able to travel to attend NENA courses previously,” said Ty Wooten, NENA’s Education Director.
The ILO course catalogue was developed with the whole 9-1-1 center in mind and with a focus on student engagement and interaction. “We wanted to ensure we could maintain the the peer-to-peer learning component that is so popular with our in-person students; we’re doing that by utilizing a video-based learning platform and by building group activities into each course’s syllabus,” Wooten added. “Our ILO students will enjoy the same level of engagement and interaction that NENA’s in-person courses are known for.”
Each ILO course is six hours long and priced at $139 for NENA members and $199 for non-members. Once registered, students will be sent a pre-course questionnaire that allows NENA to further tailor content to meet students’ needs. Upcoming ILO classes include:
May 28 – Enhanced Caller ManagementJune 4 – Advanced Police DispatchingJune 11 – Recruit, Hire, Retain, and Promote for SuccessJune 18 – Tactical Dispatch for the telecommunicatorJune 25 – Addressing for NG9-1-1July 2 – Leadership in the 9-1-1 Center
Registration and additional details are available now at nena.org/educationcalendar.
Additional available ILO courses include: Advanced Fire & EMS Dispatching, Change Management in 9-1-1, Disaster Planning for the PSAP, Liability Issues in the 9-1-1 Center. Preventing Telecommunicator Tunnel Vision, Quality Assurance: Achieving QA/QI in the PSAP, and SOP Development: Refining & Enhancing Your 9-1-1 Center. More courses will be added as needed to meet the expected demand.
For further information or to schedule a class, contact Amanda Tegtmeyer with the NENA Education team.

Starting June 1, citizens in Blount County will be able to text 911 for emergencies instead of having to call. Blount County E-911 Communications Center Public Information Officer Richee Kidd said that while the “Text-to-911” program will begin next month, dialing 911...

Arlington’s Emergency Communications Center (ECC), which handles 911 calls and the dispatching of emergency personnel, was evacuated late Friday afternoon, ARLnow has learned. The evacuation happened around 4 p.m. Police officers were told during that time to restrict...

Penobscot County will ask voters on July 14 to approve a $6 million bond to upgrade equipment on towers that relay signals to emergency responders and in the Penobscot County Communications Center. The current equipment on the towers is more than 20 years old and...

The board first made a public recognition of first responders, health de­part­ment staff and volunteers for their hard work during the COVID-19 health crisis. The Regional Emergen­cy Communications Cen­ter on Whipple Road next to the DPW is complete, with just a few...

The Blount County E-911 Communications Center has entered into a statewide agreement giving dispatchers access to names and addresses of individuals who have tested positive for COVID-19. Blount County dispatchers are only providing that information to first...

The Hamilton County Health Department has ended its agreement with the 911 Communications Center to share COVID-19 patient data, a move that came as Gov. Bill Lee's administration has drawn criticism for directing the state department of health to share similar...