Top Comm Center Headlines
News & Articles
State office to focus on first responder wellness (OH)
COLUMBUS – Governor Mike DeWine Monday announced the creation of a new state office that will focus on the well-being of first responders. The Office of First Responder Wellness, within the Department of Public Safety’s Office of Criminal Justice Services, will work...
Text-to-911 service now active in West Bloomfield Township (MI)
WEST BLOOMFIELD TOWNSHIP, Mich. (WXYZ) — The West Bloomfield Township Police Department is the latest Oakland County city to get the Text-to-911 service. The new system is part of the police department's vision to make emergency services more accessible. "Those who...
Lea eyeing consolidation of 911 center – Hobbs News Sun
LOVINGTON — A fully consolidated emergency 911 center for Lea County appears on the horizon, looking at Jan. 10, 2022 for implementation. All that’s left is for just about everybody else to approve it. The board of county commissioners on Thursday gave unanimous nods...
Seven Philly police dispatchers charged with fleecing pandemic unemployment program (PA)
Federal authorities have accused seven Philadelphia police dispatchers of filing fraudulent emergency pandemic unemployment claims that netted them a combined $73,000 in benefits before they were caught. The dispatchers, all employed at the time they filed for...
Norwegian Public Safety Network Infrastructure Damaged by Major Storms
Since last week Friday, the Norwegian public safety emergency communication network, Nødnett, was down in several places in the south of Norway. This was caused by a severe storm. Currently, the network availability of Nødnett has improved in several places in...
Lynchburg dispatcher-in-training saves a life by coaching caller to resuscitate patient (VA)
LYNCHBURG, Va. (WFXR) — A 20-year-old dispatcher-trainee in Lynchburg is being recognized for her role in a life-saving phone call. The dispatcher-in-training was able to coach someone on the other end of the line into resuscitating a patient before emergency crews...
St. Louis officials want to use $5.5 million to support first responders (MO)
St. Louis Mayor Tishaura Jones on Monday announced a plan to use $5.5 million that the city owes the State of Missouri as reimbursement for a 2018 wrongful conviction settlement to improve the city’s 911 system and support emergency responders. The city and the state...
How a TN 911 center hit by ransomware attack, amid the COVID pandemic, handled the threat
Lawrence County, Tennessee (WKRN) — In 2020, the Lawrence County 911 Center was hit by a malicious ransomware attack... What’s wrong? And how did the 911 team handle the cyber emergency? Andy Cordan returned to Lawrenceburg to talk to those who fought head-on with the...
Atlanta shifts 911 operations to Fulton County due to power outage (GA)
ATLANTA - A power outage at the Atlanta Police Department’s E911 Communications Center has forced officials to move from the building for the second time this month. Atlanta police said they were forced to move operations to Fulton County’s Center Monday....
Athens-Clarke commissioners seek an additional $1K pay bonus for public safety officers (GA)
Athens-Clarke County commissioners have voted to apply for a state grant to give public safety officers an additional $1,000 pay bonus. This latest round of bonuses approved by the commission follows a vote in early November to provide $1,000 bonuses for all employees...
Town Of Boone, Watauga, Alleghany And Burke Counties Receive 911 Grant Funds (NC)
The Town of Boone and Watauga County are among a number of recipients of grant funding from the North Carolina 911 board for equipment improvements. Watauga Online reports $8.45 million has been granted to 12 local public safety answering points and $6 million for...
Montgomery County recognizes 911 operator for helping woman deliver baby by phone (PA)
NORRISTOWN — Elyce Rivera, a 911 telecommunicator at the Montgomery County Department of Public Safety’s Emergency Communications Center in Eagleville, was getting close to the end of her overnight shift when the phone rang. It was 6:41 a.m. on Oct. 27. A woman named...
COVID pushes Michigan’s EMS staffing woes to the breaking point
Christopher Watts doesn't know how much longer the staffing crisis among Michigan's emergency medical service workers can continue before people call 911 and it'll take too long for help to arrive, if it ever does at all. It's a systemic problem rooted in decades of...
Ill. vaccination mandate spurs 3 volunteer fire districts to decline medical calls (IL)
EFFINGHAM, Ill. — The Dieterich, Watson and Edgewood volunteer fire protection districts are not responding to EMS first responder calls. Tina Daniels, 911 Systems Administrator and Effingham County Sheriff's Department Communications Supervisor, said in an interview...
5-year-old hungry boy calls 911 to order a Happy Meal and an officer helps deliver the ’emergency’ meal (AZ)
Officer Randolph ‘Scott’ Valdez (right) brought 5-year-old Charlie (left) a McDonald’s Happy Meal after he called 911 and asked for a Happy Meal A hungry young boy in Arizona decided to called 911 to order a Happy Meal and the Mesa Police Department came to the...
New cell site south of Faribault will support area first responders (MN)
First responders in southern Minnesota are getting a major boost in their wireless communications thanks to the FirstNet® network expansion — a new, purpose-built cell site located just south of Faribault — currently underway by AT&T. This FirstNet site will...
TMA’s Automated Secure Alarm Protocol welcomes its first PSAP/ECC in Washington
Nov. 18, 2021, McLean, VA – The Monitoring Association (TMA) went live on Nov. 9th with its 93rd municipality to join its expanding Automated Secure Alarm Protocol (ASAP) service network. The Kitsap County WA (CENCOM) is the first agency in the state of Washington to...
Getac and FirstNet: When Information and Communication are a Matter of Life or Death | T&D World
Winter Storm Uri, Western wildfires, an active Atlantic hurricane season and hundreds of tornadoes created extreme working challenges for utility fieldworkers that underscored the need for highly reliable communications between field crews and operations centers. Many...
Houston firefighters union complains about communications with private medics at Astroworld Concert
CNN has reached out to ParaDocs for comment. A total of 528 Houston police officers were inside the venue as well as 755 private security personnel and members of the ParaDocs medical team, CNN has reported. Patrick M. “Marty” Lancton, president of the Houston...
Dispatcher shortage continues in Meriden; leaders say new deal provides some relief (CT)
MERIDEN — The city’s shortage of full-time emergency communications dispatchers continues, but appears poised to improve. The spokesman for the union representing dispatchers described the city’s Emergency Communications Center as still “dramatically and...
Reauthorization SurveyMORE>
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.
PETITIONSMORE>
Congress should reauthorize the FirstNet Authority now.
Support the reauthorization of the FirstNet Authority to preserve public safety’s network
PSBTA UpdatesMORE>
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.
LISTEN TO PODCAST
Public Sector GrantsMORE>
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.
REGISTER
Subscribe to Comm Center News
Get the latest News, Articles, and Insights from AllThingsECC.com weekly in our newsletter.
Stay Up to Date With The Latest News & Updates
Share Your Story
Join our community to share your experience and connect and collaborate with colleagues.
Join Our Newsletter
Get the latest News, Articles, and Insights from AllThingsECC.com weekly in our newsletter.
Follow Us
Stay connected with the latestEmergency Communications News, Articles & Information.



