Comm Center News
Mobile Situational Awareness Solutions – What First Responders Should Look For
Providers with FirstNet and other leading certifications, along with Enterprise Mobility Management (EMM) partnerships have a distinct advantage in neutralizing customer concerns in this area.
Frost.com
December 31, 2019
The mobile situational awareness solutions market is in an early stage, with a limited number of small vendors jockeying for attention and market share.
What is a mobile situational awareness solution? These applications put near real-time information about critical field situations at the disposal of emergency first response teams via their mobile devices. This information typically includes a mapping of the area and its surroundings, location and status of personnel and other markers, alerts, relevant photos and videos, and up-to-the-minute guidance from central command.
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Behind the Tape: Emergency Communications (FL)
In the newest episode of Behind the Tape, Lee County Sheriff Carmine Marceno gives you a look at the hardworking men and women in our communications division. Watch Video Now...
Westminster Couple Meets Dispatcher Who Helped Them Deliver Baby (CO)
A Westminster family is thanking a police dispatcher who helped them welcome a new baby right in their living room. Liz and Scott Riddle delivered a little girl named Claire on Dec. 12. Scott called 911 and was connected with Westminster Communications Specialist...
Working on a Holiday: Interview with a Dispatcher (OH)
ZANESVILLE, Ohio — “We’re just here to take care of business.” Rick Creeks is a Dispatcher at the Muskingum County Sheriff’s Office and works some holidays. “As far as family knows, you know they know they have to work around our schedules. They kind of do their thing...
Can’t talk? You can now text police from a big chunk of land near the Utah-Arizona border (UT)
The Mohave County Sheriff’s Office has announced it has expanded its 911 service to include text message capabilities. Mohave County, Arizona, which has a huge chunk of land along the Utah-Arizona border, said in a statement that emergency texting capabilities will...
Santa Rosa County 911 dispatcher helps deliver a baby over the phone (FL)
Mary Esther couple Justyce and Heather James are not first-time parents, so when they felt the contractions of their daughter Aria they packed their bags and headed to Baptist Hospital. But on the drive to Pensacola, that's when things quickly changed, the baby was...
Fire Dispatch: Dispatcher Wellness: An Overlooked Concern
Firefighter fitness is a high priority. After all, firefighters might be called upon at any time to raise an unwieldy ladder, drag a heavy hose or rescue an injured citizen. These activities will occur while they wear 50 lbs. or more of gear and operate under...
Puppy brings comfort to North Carolina officers, dispatchers (NC)
FAYETTEVILLE — Fayetteville police officers and 911 dispatchers deal with stressful situations, and to help them get through those tough days is Mila. Mila, a 17-week-old schnauzer, will soon be a therapy dog. In January, she will start the first part of her training,...
New Huntsville-Madison County 911 facility expected to open in 2020 (AL)
HUNTSVILLE, Ala - After breaking ground roughly two years ago, the CEO of Huntsville-Madison County 9-1-1 said the 16 million dollar facility should be ready by March. The 30,000 sq ft building will expand the dispatcher/call-taker amount from 36 people to 52 people...
Call, Push, Shock. The motto that’s saving lives (MD)
GAITHERSBURG, Md. (WDVM) — Call, Push, Shock. It’s a phrase that’s easy to remember, and it saves lives. Call, Push, Shock is a new national collaborative movement with a simple mission, to motivate bystander CPR/AED action and increase sudden cardiac arrest survival....
911 call center wants people to know their alternate number (WA)
UNION GAP -- An outage at an emergency call center left people dialing 911 in need of help but, no one picked up and they want locals to know they can still be reached even during an outage. Suncomm Communications said the Cowiche, Tieton and Naches areas lost the 911...
After terrifying crash, woman met dispatchers whom she credits for saving her life (TN)
Vivian Gwinn hadn’t been driving her “silver bullet” very long when her “bullet” – her 2016 Kia Optima – was hit from behind on a drizzly January morning while she was on Alcoa Highway. Gwinn, 72, can’t be entirely sure what happened. She was headed to Blount County...
‘Tree of Life’ shows Rock Co. 911 dispatchers the difference they make (WI)
The communications center is now displaying those saves in a new way to show their call-takers that even on the tough days, they make a life-changing difference. One of those call-takers is Amanda Johnson. Johnson and her colleagues spend their entire shifts helping...
E-Comm releases worst reasons to call 9-1-1 in 2019 (Canada)
E-Comm dispatchers, responsible for 99 per cent of the province’s 9-1-1 call volume for 25 regional districts in BC, deal with more than a few calls from the public that don’t belong in the emergency category. In 2019, E-Comm continued to receive calls in 2019 that...
Small parking stall, bad hairstyle top E-Comm 2019 list of reasons not to call 9-1-1 (Canada)
VANCOUVER (NEWS 1130) – A hotel parking stall being too small and a hairstylist giving a bad cut may seem like emergencies to some, but they are no reason to dial 9-1-1, according to B.C.’s largest emergency communications centre, as it releases its top 10 list...
911 dispatcher arrested for child porn (PA)
Middle Smithfield Township (WNEP) — Richard Feely is behind bars on child porn charges. According to court paperwork he was busted by his own family. His adult stepson was visiting his parents for Christmas at their home near Marshalls Creek. He needed to print a...
Palm Beach County dispatchers reunite for the first time since kidney transplant (FL)
PALM BEACH COUNTY, Fla. (CBS12) — One co-worker's Christmas gift gives another a new chance at life walking into the New Year; a healthy kidney. The Palm Beach County Sheriff's Office posted a video to social media, telling the story of how one dispatcher donated...
Make 2020 Your Year to Learn and Grow
[Originally published in the January/February 2020 PSC magazine.]
It’s popular to start the new year with resolutions, but it’s also common to break those resolutions after a few weeks or months. One of the latest alternatives is to try something new every month, which, aside from avoiding that new year’s resolution pressure, offers the opportunity to meet new people, learn about yourself and expose yourself to new ideas. Trying new things regularly can help you grow as a person, boost your confidence level and expand your perspective on life in general.
If you want to give it a try this year, we have some suggestions for you.
January – Attend an APCO webinar. They are free for members and usually offer one CEU whether you log on to the live webinar or listen to the recording. There’s one on APCO Standards on January 22. Check out the full schedule at apcointl.org/webinars.
February – Apply for an APCO scholarship that provides members with funds for professional development and career advancement. The deadline to apply is March 31. Learn more at apcointl.org/scholarships.
March – Nominate someone you work with for APCO’s PSAP or Technology Leadership Awards before the deadline of April 1. Award recipients get a fully paid trip to APCO 2020, APCO’s Annual Conference & Expo, including registration, travel expenses and hotel accommodations. Learn more at apcointl.org/awards.
April – Celebrate National Public Safety Telecommunicators Week (NPSTW) in a new way. Organize an open house or contact your city’s government to declare April 12-18 NSPTW in your town. Check out other ideas at npstw.org.
May – Join us for Nexus (May 21-22), an interactive, immersive experience of diverse scenarios handled the way they will be in the ECC of the future. Learn more and register at apconexus.org.
June – Check out what’s new on APCO’s website, apcointl.org. Hint: it might be a lot.
July – Take a “vacation” from trying new things and use the time to appreciate your family, friends and colleagues.
August – Volunteer at APCO 2020 taking place August 2-5 in Orlando and get one day pass for every four hours worked. To get the day pass, you must sign up to volunteer before registering for the conference. More information will be on apco2020.org in the spring.
September – Start the “school year” by signing up to volunteer on a workgroup developing new APCO standards or revising existing ones. Learn more at apcointl.org/standards.
October – Renew your membership early so you won’t have to worry about missing out on all the benefits of membership. Renew online at myapcointl.org/invoices.
November – Organize a team of friends or co-workers to give thanks by giving back to your community.
December – Pat yourself on the back for undertaking a year of new experiences that improved you, your job, your comm center and your community.
‘The holiday season has a different meaning now,’: California police dispatcher helps deliver baby over 911 phone call (CA)
VALLEJO, Calif. -- A Vallejo Police Department 911 dispatcher was credited for helping a California woman deliver a baby over the phone on Thursday evening. In a cheerful Facebook post, Vallejo PD shared the story of how they received a phone call on Dec. 21 around 8...
North Caldwell Police Hiring Dispatcher: Here’s What It Takes (NJ)
NORTH CALDWELL, NJ — The North Caldwell Police Department is looking to hire a full-time dispatcher, officials announced last week. The NCPD issued an advisory about the job opening on Dec. 27. According to police, applicants must meet the following criteria: Must be...
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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