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City of New Haven seeking to spend $850000 of American Rescue Plan funds on police data centers (CT)
The City of New Haven, Connecticut, is considering spending more than $800,000 of Federal Emergency funding on data center projects for the local Police Department. The American Rescue Plan (ARP) promises to distribute more than $360 billion in emergency funding for...
BCES communications officer Savage retires after 18 years of service (GA)
Friday, Sept. 24, was the last day on shift for Barrow County E-911 communications officer Johnny Savage. After more than 27 years of service in the public safety field, he has decided it is time to retire. Savage began his public safety career in 1994, when he...
STAMNES, WASHINGTON CO. E-911 RECEIVING NATIONAL RECOGNITION (TX)
Kristi Stamnes (courtesy photo) Washington County’s E-911 department and E-911 Director Kristi Stamnes are attaining recognition on a nationwide level. Stamnes recently served as a committee member to help organize this year’s Association of Public Safety...
Aldermen, unions push for more details on plan to merge city 911 systems (MO)
ST. LOUIS — Union officials and some St. Louis aldermen complained Tuesday about their lack of input into the city's plan to combine the city police, fire and EMS 911 call centers this fall. Mayor Tishaura O. Jones in late August announced plans to combine three...
DOJ awards nearly $187M for community safety
The U.S. Department of Justice (DOJ) announced Friday that its Bureau of Justice Assistance (BJA), part of the department’s Office of Justice Programs (OJP), had awarded nearly $187 million to support public safety and community justice activities. The Edward Byrne...
Loved Ones Honor Life, Legacy Of Longtime Broken Arrow Dispatcher (OK)
Friends, family, and coworkers are honoring the life and legacy of Broken Arrow dispatcher David Weisberg. A memorial with flowers, pictures, and candles is set up to honor him after he died from COVID-19 complications last week. A burning memorial candle, Oklahoma...
Answering the call for help: Vermont 911 call centers short-staffed – WCAX
MONTPELIER, Vt. (WCAX) - State leaders are concerned about staffing shortages at Vermont’s 911 call centers and making sure help is there when you need it. In Vermont when you dial 911, your call is intercepted at one of six public safety answering points called...
Brian Kemp announces pay supplement for public safety workers (GA)
Here is who is eligible for the money. ATLANTA — Georgia Governor Brian Kemp announced a $1,000 pay supplement for all eligible law enforcement officials and first responders across the state of Georgia on Monday. "Our law enforcement officials and first responders,...
QA Emergency Services’ year-long charge updating infrastructure (ID)
CENTREVILLE – Twenty years after the department’s facility on Communications Drive was established, the reshaping of Queen Anne’s County’s Department of Emergency Services (QACDES) began, simply, with faulty air conditioning and a failing roof. Now, it includes...
FirstNet posts resource guide for emergency managers
FirstNet posts resource guide for emergency managers To help emergency responders get the most benefit from the nation’s dedicated nationwide wireless broadband network, FirstNet authorities have issued a guide detailing the network’s major features and how...
Greene County dispatch received 77 calls in eight minutes after sonic boom, nearly 100 total (MO)
GREENE COUNTY, Mo. (KY3) - You may have heard or felt a starling boom on Monday morning, but it was not an explosion or an earthquake. It was a fighter jet breaking the sound barrier. The Greene County Emergency Management Office confirmed a sonic boom happened around...
NDAA to include 9-1-1 dispatcher reclassification
Legislation reclassifying 9-1-1 dispatchers from Office and Administrative Support to Protective Service Occupations was approved last week by the U.S. House of Representatives as an amendment in the Fiscal Year 2022 National Defense Authorization Act (NDAA),...
Local EMS head named KY 911 Director of the year
Hardin County E-911 Director Mike Leo has been named the Kentucky 911 Director of the Year. Leo was presented the award in Louisville during this year’s KEMA/KENA-APCO Banquet. Leo was nominated for the award by Hardin County 911 employee Anthony Coffey. In his...
EMERGENCY SERVICES NEEDLESSLY TIED UP ON PRANK 911 CALL (MA)
On Friday at 05:15 officers from District B-2 responded to Ceylon Street for reports of a person stabbed in the eye. Boston Police and Boston EMS arrived to find a party dispersing and nobody stabbed in the eye. Officers spoke with the young man that owned the phone,...
Astoria dispatch temporarily moving to Seaside (OR)
Sep. 27—Short on staff for nearly two years, Astoria's emergency dispatch center will temporarily move operations to Seaside in October. The dispatch center has been running with only a handful of dispatchers since early 2020, a situation that has required staff to...
Douglas County Sheriff planning to add a new 911 operating system in October (MO)
DOUGLAS COUNTY, Mo. (KY3) - Douglas County Sheriff will add a new 911 operating system in late October. The Douglas County Sheriff’s Office is also adding new 911 dispatchers to the team with openings rght now. Douglas County Sheriff, Chris Degase, said this operating...
Accidental 9-1-1 calls becoming an issue in Oklahoma
ARDMORE, Okla. (KXII) - > Thanks to the invention of cell phones a 9-1-1 call can be placed practically anywhere. But as that technology has advanced and made contact emergency services easier, it has created an unexpected technical issue. According to Oklahoma...
Texarkana and Bowie County law enforcement investing in communications system that will finally let them ‘talk to each other’ (AR)
TEXARKANA — The purchase of a new dispatch, records and jail management computer systems for the Bi-State Justice Building should streamline information for law enforcement. Both Texarkanas and Bowie County are buying the system jointly. The goal is to integrate...
Portsmouth announces enhanced emergency medical dispatching (VA)
PORTSMOUTH, Va. (WAVY) — On Saturday, Portsmouth announced that the Emergency Communications Center is set to launch the Emergency Medical Dispatching (EMD) program on September 30. EMD is a nationally recognized protocol for emergency dispatchers that is meant...
Austin police weigh dispatching civilians, not officers to some non-emergency calls (TX)
Austin Police Department officials are finalizing plans to dispatch civilians instead of police officers to certain types of calls that do not involve emergencies as a way to maximize patrol staffing and respond to reformers' demands for change. Interim Police Chief...
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
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