Comm Center News

Next Generation 9-1-1

Across Canada, the public safety 9-1-1 community is facing a critical, pivotal moment in its history. The existing 9-1-1 system was designed in an era of landline telephones and assumes the calls are coming from fixed, known addresses. Today, most emergency calls...

911 dispatcher keeps cool, delivers his baby

A Lorain County dispatcher found himself on the other end of a 911 call Monday after his wife delivered a baby on their bathroom floor. Sarah Davis suddenly went into labor at their house and quickly realized that there wouldn’t be enough time to get to the hospital,...

Support group helps 911 dispatchers cope with trauma

OTTAWA COUNTY — For those who work as 911 operators, it’s not a matter of if they’re going to hear something traumatic, but when. “Not everybody can do this job,” said Megan Ross, who works as a dispatcher for Ottawa County. “Some people can, some people can’t, and...

FCC Adopts 9-1-1 Rules for MLTS

The FCC adopted rules to help ensure that people who call 9-1-1 from multi-line telephone systems (MLTS) — which commonly serve hotels, office buildings, and campuses — can reach 9-1-1 and be quickly located by first responders. The new rules will also improve emergency response for people who call 9-1-1 from other calling platforms.

Google Implements New 9-1-1 Feature on Android Devices

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Google Implements New 9-1-1 Feature on Android Devices

Google is implementing a new 9-1-1 feature in the Phone app on Pixel and select Android devices.
Tapping on the “medical,” “fire” or “police” buttons during an emergency call will convey the type of emergency to the operator through an automated voice service. That service works on device, which means the information stays between the caller and emergency services, and the service functions whether or not there is a data connection. After a user activates the service, the caller can speak directly to the operator as well.
Google said its users’ location, which comes from a phone’s GPS, is often already shared with the operator when they make 9-1-1 calls. The new feature provides similar location information through the automated voice service, along with the caller’s plus code, which is another reliable way to help emergency services accurately locate calls.
“Like the rest of the content shared with the operator using this feature, your location stays between them and emergency services,” Google said.
This feature will become available in the U.S. during coming months, starting with Pixel phones.
Google said it has collected feedback from public-safety organizations, including the National Emergency Number Association (NENA), to make this feature as helpful as possible.
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81 percent of Idaho counties now have 9-1-1 emergency texting

IDAHO (CBS 2) — There are 44 counties in Idaho and 36 of them now having texting for 9-1-1 emergencies.

Ada County recently received emergency texting in May and the Bingham County Sheriff’s Office 9-1-1 Center just announced that it is now able to receive text messages into its system Thursday, August 1.

Long-time Ogle County dispatcher celebrates retirement

Courtesy: Ogle County Sheriff's Office (Facebook) OGLE COUNTY, Ill. (WIFR) -- A long-time dispatcher is retiring after 23 years with the Ogle County Sheriff's Office. Lisa Bloom received a memorial plaque to celebrate her retirement. The Ogle County Sheriff's...

9-1-1 outage affects AT&T landline phone users

The outage happened on Thursday in Rockford. ROCKFORD, Mich. — There is a 9-1-1 outage for AT&T landline phone customers in Rockford on Thursday.  You can call the Kent County Communications Center until this is resolved, the Kent County Sherrif's Office...

Big Bend counties welcome “Text-to-9-1-1” service

According to a release, once the initial text message is sent, the sender will receive an automated response asking for the address or location of the emergency. Officials say the service should only be used in emergency situations and ask that clear, simple language be used.

Texas 9-1-1 Agency Graduates 20 Telecommunicators Following Reclassification Bill

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Texas 9-1-1 Agency Graduates 20 Telecommunicators Following Reclassification Bill

NCT 9-1-1 hosts the only telecommunicator academy in the state. RTA Class #008 represents 12 different law-enforcement agencies and fire marshal offices in North Texas and Texarkana.
Texas is the first state to reclassify its telecommunicators and include them as first responders alongside officers, firefighters and emergency medical technicians. Before HB1090, they were classified as secretaries.
“From citizens requesting emergency services to field units needing manpower or equipment or deployment resources during disasters, 9-1-1 telecommunicators are true first responders,” said NCT 9-1-1 Operations Manager Sherry Decker. “HB1090 will finally give them that recognition.”
The graduating recruits will have completed a rigorous four-week program that teaches equipment use, state mandates and regulations, how to handle emergency communications situations and more.
“I’ve been in this industry for 22 years,” said NCT 9-1-1 Training Coordinator Lysa Baker. “And these recruits have blown me away. It’s my job to not only teach them legal standards and best practices but to give them the resilience they’ll need to thrive. The recruits entering this industry make me excited about the future of 9-1-1.”
Texas is also the only state that requires telecommunicators to be licensed, which holds them to the same standards as peace officers and jailers. The 20 graduating recruits represent 12 different law enforcement agencies and fire marshal offices in North Texas and Texarkana.
NCT 9-1-1 is responsible for more than 40 public-safety answering points (PSAPs) in the 13 counties surrounding the Dallas-Fort Worth area.
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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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