Comm Center News
Council voices support for county 911 funding levy (MT)
Whitefish is showing its support for a potential levy that would support the Flathead County 911 Emergency Communications Center. City Council last week passed a resolution showing its support for a ballot initiative that would create a mill levy to assist in funding...
Police Save Woman 1300 Kilometres Away (Canada)
The efforts of two Saint John police officers helped save the life of a woman 1,300 kilometres away in Ontario. It all started Tuesday afternoon when the Saint John Public Safety Communications Centre received a call from Kids Help Phone. They said a suicidal woman...
Bricken looks to save county $750K in 911 billing (TN)
State Rep. Rush Bricken briefed the Coffee County Commission on his proposed bill on Capitol Hill concerning funding of 911 facilities during their recent meeting. The proposed bill (HB 2520) will change the way Coffee County 911 District (Coffee County Communications...
Department of Public Safety subverts legislature, moves 911 dispatch center to Palmer (AK)
The Department of Public Safety (DPS) recently made a deal with the City of Palmer to build a new 911 dispatch center in Palmer. It was announced at a May 12 meeting of the Palmer City Council. But the origins and background of this deal reveal there is much more to...
Updated dispatch deployed in Bella Vista (AR)
BELLA VISTA -- Emergency dispatchers are working with an updated system providing more detailed maps and allowing for more rapid deployment. Administrative Lt. Ryan Harmon said the new system, Intrado Viper, is the standard system for all of Benton County's public...
Volunteer for the Canadian Civic Location Data eXchange Format Working Group
Volunteer for the Canadian Civic Location Data eXchange Format Working Group
Friday, May 22, 2020 (0 Comments)Posted by: Chris NussmanAs Canada moves to a NENA i3 based NG9-1-1 infrastructure nationally, there is a need to create a Canadian profile for the PIDF-LO to convey civic locations in a common standardized form across the country, interoperable with neighboring countries also moving to NG9-1-1. The focus of this new Working Group is to provide a deliverable standard that represents the Canadian profile of PIDF-LO to its addressing standards, with consideration to the depiction of non-addressed locations (e.g. cross streets, natural formations, etc.), as appropriate. The CLDXF-CA Working Group also considers possible impacts to the NENA NG9-1-1 GIS Data Model for potential inclusion in version 2 of the NENA Standard for NG9-1-1 GIS Data Model.
Addressing expertise and practitioners from Canada are sought to join the Working Group, as well as experts from the United States, particularly those who were involved in developing the US CLDXF. This Working Group meets Mondays at 2PM Eastern starting Monday, 15 June, 2020.
Click here to join!
FirstNet Helps Tennessee Public Safety Respond to Tornado Damage (TN)
By Billy Freeman, FirstNet Authority Senior Public Safety Advisor, and Gerald Risner, FirstNet Authority Senior Public Safety Advisor
Throughout the night on March 2-3, 2020, a supercell thunderstorm traveled through the middle of Tennessee, producing several violent tornadoes that wrecked multiple buildings and took several lives. Shortly after midnight on March 3, an EF-3 tornado with winds up to 165 miles per hour carved a path over 50 miles long through Nashville, severely damaging the local airport. As the supercell moved east, an EF-4 tornado touched down near Putnam County, producing winds up to 175 miles per hour – the strongest tornado the nation has seen in nearly three years.
The EF-4 tornado destroyed over 100 structures, including part of a local public safety radio tower. With this critical component damaged, responders turned to FirstNet to communicate and carry out damage assessment. READ MORE
Preckwinkle Issues Veto Of Resolution To Share Addresses Of COVID-Positive Individuals With First Responders (IL)
On May 21, 2020, the Cook County Board of Commissioners narrowly passed Item No. 20-2378, that calls for Cook County Department of Public Health to temporarily share addresses of COVID-19 positive patients to municipal first responders through Public Safety Answering...
Commissioners reject radio comms proposals (TX)
Proposals to upgrade the county’s radio communications made it to the chopping block after being placed on the Cooke County Commissioners’ Court meeting agenda for the third time in recent weeks. On Monday, May 18, members of the court unanimously agreed to reject all...
Law enforcement access to COVID-19 patient details sparks controversy (TN)
A national investigation by The Associated Press found that there has been widespread information sharing between emergency dispatchers and public health officials across the U.S. concerning individuals testing positive for COVID-19. Per the AP, local...
Tensions high as commissioner and mayor discuss failing emergency communications equipment (TN)
Tensions were high at the Hawkins County commission’s May 18 meeting, as Commissioner Mike Herrell and County Mayor Jim Lee clashed over the county’s plan to replace the failing emergency communications equipment. This equipment has been the ‘talk of the town’ for...
Cook County Board Votes To Release COVID-19 Patient Addresses To First Responders (IL)
CHICAGO (CBS) — Cook County commissioners voted Thursday to release the addresses of confirmed COVID-19 patients to first responders. Commissioners voted 9-7 with one abstention for the resolution to share the addresses as a safety measure for healthcare...
Rutherford 911 District assistant director appointed as regional director for National Emergency Number Association (TN)
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,...
Two Sunstar Paramedics First Responders Receive EMS Awards
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...
CITY LAUNCHES ALL-HANDS-ON-DECK STRATEGY TO ENSURE SAFE AND HEALTHY CELEBRATIONS FOR MEMORIAL DAY WEEKEND (IL)
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 (Canada
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.
IUPUI team awarded $112500 to advance work on voice AI for law enforcement (IN)
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...
Baby girl born today in Bladen County, with assist from the voice at 911 (NC)
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 win Public Safety Communications Awards (WA)
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...
OCSD Engineer Internationally Recognized For Communications Contributions (CA)
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...
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.
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