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Santa Barbara Police Department Mourns Loss of Officer and Dispatch Supervisor Gina Battaglia (CA)
Officer Gina Battaglia It is with a heavy heart we mourn the loss of one of Santa Barbara Police’s finest, Police Officer and Dispatch Supervisor Gina Battaglia, who passed away suddenly from a work-related illness in August 2021. Gina joined the Santa Barbara Police...
Former 911 dispatcher gets deferred sentence for impersonating sheriff (MT)
A deferred sentence means that the charge can be removed from a person’s record if they comply with all conditions of the sentence. For Ward, those conditions include not being in possession of guns or other dangerous weapons, not listening to or monitoring law...
N.Y. EMS partnership aims to reduce response times (NY)
GREENFIELD, N.Y. — Residents in Greenfield are benefiting from the town's investment in Greenfield Ambulance, a partnership with Corinth EMS that has resulted in quicker response times by the ambulance company, town officials said Tuesday. Greenfield Ambulance,...
Canmore, Banff welcome third-party review of Alberta’s EMS dispatch system (Canada)
BOW VALLEY – The mayors of Banff and Canmore welcome the launch of an advisory committee in the wake of unprecedented strain on Alberta’s ambulance service. The provincial emergency medical services advisory committee, announced on Jan. 24, is tasked with providing...
277 on speed dial will connect drivers with Arkansas State Police for non-emergency matters
A team involving two state government agencies and three national wireless communications companies has placed a new tool in the hands of drivers traveling across Arkansas’ 16,000 miles of U.S. and state highways. Using a four-digit speed dial feature, *ASP (*277) is...
Brown named Cetronia’s communication center manager (PA)
Cetronia Ambulance Corps has announced the recent hiring of Benjamin A. Brown as communications center manager. Brown, 47, formerly served with the organization as an EMT and dispatcher from 2011-15. More recently, he served as the director of operations for Eastern...
Public Safety Advocate: Two FirstNet Anniversaries, Not Your Father’s IoT Device, Ride-Along
Well, I missed an Advocate last week. When we returned from our mini-cation, Murphy was here to welcome us home. If you don’t know about Murphy, you can find out about him here. In any event, we are back and this week is a run-up to two 10-year anniversaries: the...
Fire Chief Belair given all clear for new Motorola radio system (Canada)
Belleville’s fire department is retiring its antiquated radio system — last updated in 2006 — to better equip city firefighters serving on the front lines with critical modern communications. Belleville Fire and Emergency Services (BEFS) was earmarked in the 2022 city...
Lincoln Emergency Communications Center Receives APCO Agency Training Program Certification (NE)
Alexandria, VA – Lincoln Emergency Communications Center, NE, has received Agency Training Program Certification, a Project 33® Initiative, from the Association of Public-Safety Communications Officials (APCO) International. Public safety agencies use the APCO...
Updating C-K’s 911 system a pricy task (Canada)
hange is on the way for the delivery of emergency 9-1-1 services in Chatham-Kent. Mandated by the Canadian Radio and Television Commission with a 2025 deadline, the switch will see a new ‘Next Generation 911’ (NG 911) digital system replacing the out-dated analog...
FCC Announces Final Group of COVID-19 Telehealth Program Awards
WASHINGTON, January 26, 2022—The Federal Communications Commission today approved an additional 100 applications for funding commitments totaling $47.89 million for its COVID-19 Telehealth Program. This is the FCC’s sixth and final funding announcement of approved...
Miami-Dade Police Department Public Safety Telecommunicator Selected As The Florida Sheriffs Association 2022 Dispatcher Of The Year
Police Dispatcher Sanchez’s quick response, calming demeanor, attention to detail, and teamwork during a stressful and constantly evolving incident is what makes her an exemplary professional and her efforts are to be commended. She embodies Miami-Dade Police...
Brunswick police’s first communications officer retires after 35 years (ME)
Sonia Moeller Photo courtesy of the Brunswick Police Department Sonia Moeller, the Brunswick Police Department’s first communications officer, retired Tuesday after 35 years serving the community as a 911 dispatcher. For more than three decades, Moeller’s voice is...
Quicker response times, less headache for dispatchers, with opening of Greenfield Ambulance (NY)
GREENFIELD — Residents in Greenfield are benefitting from the town’s investment in Greenfield Ambulance, a partnership with Corinth EMS that has resulted in quicker response times by the ambulance company, town officials said Tuesday. Greenfield Ambulance,...
Senior Police Telecommunicator uses her passion to encourage, uplift Houston area officers (TX)
HOUSTON – It’s been a tough week for our men and women in blue in Houston and Harris County. A senior police telecommunicator at the Houston Emergency Center is helping make a difference in officers’ daily routines and encouraging them in a special way. “Good morning...
Idaho County sees increase in 911 calls
GRANGEVILLE — Emergency calls to the Idaho County Sheriff’s Office have skyrocketed over the past three years because of the continued growing population, a communications officer reported Tuesday. Mandee Mignerey, communications supervisor for the sheriff’s office,...
OREGON CITIES WEIGH CONSOLIDATING 9-1-1 DISPATCH CENTERS
(TNS) — After more than 20 years of on-and-off discussions about consolidation, Astoria and Seaside are evaluating whether to combine emergency dispatch centers. Sheriff Matt Phillips said the Clatsop County Sheriff’s Office has strongly supported the concept for...
Rocky Hill Police first in state to launch public safety app (CT)
ROCKY HILL, Conn. (WTNH) – The Rocky Hill Police Department launched a new mobile app to improve communications with residents. It’s the first department in Connecticut to use the public safety app called Atlas 1. If there is a crime in Rocky Hill, there’s now an app...
EMS Advisory Committee Launched to Address Pressure on System (Canada)
The province says they’re taking steps to address pressure on emergency medical services.
In response to the increase in EMS service across Alberta, the province is launching an emergency medical services advisory committee to provide immediate and long-term recommendations to form a new provincial EMS plan.
According to the province, EMS has seen a 30 per cent increase in 911 calls over the last few months. In addition to the rise in calls, the EMS system has faced staff fatigue and illness, hospital offload delays, more requests for patient transfers, delays in receiving new ambulances, and specialized vehicle parts caused by global supply issues.
Highwood MLA RJ Sigurdson has been named a co-chair of the Advisory Committee along with Tracy Allard, MLA for Grande Prairie.
“I’ve heard Albertans in my constituency express their concern for how busy our health care providers have been, both residents and frontline staff have shared many stories about the strain currently on EMS and paramedics resulting in wait times and delays, they are worried,” said Sigurdson.
“I want to remind them and everyone that you should never hesitate to dial 911 when you or a loved one or someone else is experiencing a medical crisis.”
The committee will comprise contracted ambulance operators, unions representing paramedics, municipal representatives and Indigenous community representatives who will identify concerns and provide and inform the new plan.
“Through this committee, we’re committed to working together to develop innovative solutions to fix the delivery of EMS, address challenges facing our paramedics and ensure a world-class EMS system for all Albertans, now and into the future,” said Dusty Myshrall, president of the Alberta Paramedics Association.
Alberta Health Services says they have a 10-point-plan to address the current strain on EMS services and ensure the most critical patients receive immediate care while maximizing existing system capacity.
Five of the 10 actions are already underway, including:
-Hiring more paramedics.
-Launching pilot projects to manage non-emergency inter-facility transfers.
-Initiating an ‘hours of work’ project to help ease staff fatigue.
-Transferring low-priority calls to other agencies in consultation with EMS physicians.
-Stopping the automatic dispatch of ambulances to motor vehicle collisions that don’t have injuries.
Five additional actions are to come, which include:
-Creating a new integrated operations centre in Calgary, bringing paramedic leads and hospital staff together to improve integration, movement of resources and flow of patients.
-Evaluation by an emergency communications officer to determine if an ambulance from out of the area, though it may be closest to a 911 call, is most appropriate to respond. “If an ambulance from Okotoks is in Calgary and has dropped off a patient, it may technically be the closest ambulance to a Calgary call, but it actually may be more appropriate to route that ambulance back to its home community of Okotoks and send the next closest Calgary ambulance to that 911 call,” said Sandbeck.
-Implementing a pilot project in Red Deer that will manage most patient transfers between facilities with dedicated transfer units, freeing up ambulances to handle emergency calls.
-Allowing ambulances to be pre-empted from assignments instead of being automatically dispatched when a 911 call is received ensures more ambulances are available for critical patients.
-Developing a strategic provincial service plan for EMS delivery in the province.
In addition, the province will look into conducting a third-party review of Alberta’s EMS dispatch system in February.
Questions, comments or story ideas? e-mail [email protected]
KANSAS CITY MOM’S DEATH HIGHLIGHTS 9-1-1 LOCATION TECHNOLOGY LIMITS (MO)
KANSAS CITY, Mo. — Questions remain about a 911 call placed nearly 12 hours before a Kansas City woman was found dead and her daughter severely beaten and hospitalized in critical condition with head trauma. Neither police nor prosecutors can confirm to FOX4, but...
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PSBTA Releases Survey on First Responder Support for FirstNet Reauthorization
New Survey: First Responders Overwhelmingly Support Reauthorization of FirstNet
A new bipartisan national survey commissioned by the Public Safety Broadband Technology Association finds near- unanimous support among first responders for reauthorizing the First Responder Network Authority (FirstNet Authority)– the agency overseeing America’s dedicated public safety broadband network.
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Support the reauthorization of the FirstNet Authority to preserve public safety’s network
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Podcast
FirstNet and the 4.9 GHz Spectrum
This episode dives into the critical evolution of public safety communications, focusing on the recent FCC decision to establish a nationwide Band Manager framework for the 4.9 GHz spectrum, and discuss the evolution and deployment of the FirstNet System. Host Chris Tubbs interviews Chief Jeff Johnson, a leader in public safety technology and the development of FirstNet. Together, they explore the history, governance, and transformative potential of FirstNet and the 4.9 GHz spectrum in enhancing public safety operations with emerging technologies like AI, 5G, and augmented reality. The discussion emphasizes the importance of protecting and optimizing public safety spectrum, the lessons learned from past advocacy efforts, and a call to action for public safety leaders to remain engaged in ensuring the spectrum’s effective use and governance.
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Webinar
Accessing Federal Resources When an Emergency or Major Disaster Strikes
In light of the major disasters that our nation has recently experienced, PS Grants is offering this FREE webinar to review Disaster Assistance Programs and how to access them. Learn what federal funds and resources are available through Disaster Assistance, understand the process of requesting assistance, know what to expect before, during, and after, and find out who to contact for help.
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