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New text 911 system implemented in Wythe County (VA)
WYTHE COUNTY, Va. (WFXR) – Residents of Wythe County have a new way to get help in the event of an emergency. Wythe County’s Emergency 911 Dispatch Center has been fitted with a new program that allows residents to text information to dispatchers. They say that anyone...
Indiana State Police hiring for radio dispatcher
State Police hiring for radio dispatcher The Indiana State Police is accepting applications for a Regional Dispatcher position at the Fort Wayne Post’s Regional Dispatch Center (RDC) that operates at 5811 Ellison Road. This center covers the11 counties that comprise...
People are slamming AT&T over ‘significant outages during Hurricane Ida (LA)
Traffic diverts around downed power lines on August 30, 2021 in Louisiana after Hurricane Ida. Social-media users blamed mobile provider AT&T for widespread cell service issues during Hurricane Ida, saying they were unable to contact friends and family impacted by...
15 months into STAR program, no calls directed to civilian-led teams have led to arrests (CO)
A little more than a year into Denver's program designed to redirect emergency calls more suited for social services than police, none of those redirected calls have resulted in arrests . The civilian-centered Support Team Assisted Response program sends pairs of...
Tech to the rescue for officers in the field (CA)
Huntington Beach Police Sgt. Shawn White was appalled at the wasted time, energy, and resources experienced by officers as they serve the community. Instead of throwing up his hands in frustration, White determined to find a solution. Thus was born a unique and...
911 calls after Ida went unanswered in New Orleans due to ‘antiquated’ technology (LA)
In the years since Hurricane Katrina ravaged New Orleans, the 911 system had undergone a major overhaul. The aging telephone system was replaced. Separate centers for medical, police and fire calls were consolidated under one roof. And new call-routing technology to...
New Maple Ridge deputy fire chief wants to inspire future leaders (Canada)
He has trained firefighters in Afghanistan and battled blazes in minus 50 C in Nunavut. He also survived a firetruck rollover in the Interior. And he is always seeking a new challenge. Now Geoffrey Spriggs is the new deputy fire chief for the City of Maple Ridge and...
EXPLAINER: How wildfire camps keep crews ready for battle
BOISE, Idaho (AP) — Empty cow pastures on one day can be bustling with hundreds of firefighters the next as fire camps with colorful tent cities spring up. More than 20,000 wildland firefighters are battling some 100 large wildfires in the U.S. West, and truckloads of...
911 system not working in New Orleans, St. Charles; Jefferson Parish system is working (LA)
The 911 system is not working in New Orleans and St. Charles Parish in the aftermath of Hurricane Ida, officials said Monday morning. Jefferson Parish's system was down earlier Monday, but service had been restored as of 9 a.m. In Orleans, if you have an...
Dispatching Service Backs Out Of Taking Space In Rosemont’s New Public Safety Building (IL)
Artist’s rendering of view looking northeast at new Rosemont Public Safety headquarters. The scheduled Monday, Aug. 30 groundbreaking ceremony for Rosemont’s new 101,000 sq. ft. public safety headquarters has been canceled because one of the key tenants of the...
City Manager: ‘Emergency dispatch backup plan worked, but it’s not optimal’ (KS)
Emergency management employees for the city of Hays and Ellis County are reviewing the possibility of installing a permanent 911 emergency dispatch backup system in the basement of the county's fire/EMS building. Accidental flooding from a fire sprinker head Aug. 2...
Mutualink launches LNK360 interoperability platform – Urgent Communications
Mutualink recently announced the launch of LNK360, a revamp of its interoperability software platform that includes new features and an architecture that is designed to improve both resiliency and flexibility, according to Mutualink Chairman and CEO Mark Hatten....
911 board approves salary increase in budget (AL)
The Chilton County E-911 Board approved the budget for the 2022 fiscal year during a Aug. 26 voting session. 911 Director Terra Scott included salary increases “for employees who have passed their evaluations.” She said the employees in the department have been...
Multi-purpose-built: new public safety building nears completion (VA)
Orange County officials have a solid track record of repurposing old buildings for county office space. The county’s primary administration office—the Gordon Building on Main Street—once was the Leggett department store. The nearby building services office was the...
Sheriff plans new 9-1-1 center for $9.2M at Clarksville station (NY)
NEW SCOTLAND — A year ago, citing coronavirus concerns and major savings to taxpayers, Albany County Sheriff Craig Apple requested and received permission to move the county’s Emergency 9-1-1 Communications Center from its planned location at the Shaker Place Nursing...
Heroic act at dispatch center (OH)
HOWLAND — When there is an emergency, usually 911 is called, but what happens when 911 needs to call 911? Thanks to the heroic effort of Trumbull County dispatcher Katelyn Bower, a choking Shana Murphy didn’t need to find out that answer Thursday night. “I knew I was...
‘Winnebago 151 signing’: Local 911 Dispatcher hangs up the phone after 43 years of service (WI)
WINNEBAGO COUNTY, Wis. (WFRV) – After 43 years of service, a local Winnebago County 911 Dispatcher picked up the phone and asked ‘9-1-1, what’s your emergency?” for the very last time. For the last four decades Communications Center 911 Dispatcher, Dennis Kallin has...
Authorities disable electronic signal-jamming device in Morgan Hill (CA)
MORGAN HILL, Calif. - Authorities have located and disabled an electronic signal-jamming device in Morgan Hill. The Santa Clara County Emergency Communications Department on Thursday reported that the signal was "disrupting, impeding, and interfering with public...
Pettis County Joint Communications now operational (MO)
The Pettis County Commission announced that as of Wednesday, Pettis County Joint Communications (PCJC) is now the primary operational emergency Public Safety Answering Point for Pettis County, consolidating the efforts between the Sedalia Police Department and Pettis...
Lewiston, Auburn police move to encrypted radio system, silencing civilian scanners (ME)
Yes, it’s true. Police scanners no longer pick up transmissions from some local police departments. Lewiston and Auburn police departments have gone to a new encrypted radio system that cannot be picked up by the regular police scanners owned by many civilians. ...
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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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Congress should reauthorize the FirstNet Authority now.
Support the reauthorization of the FirstNet Authority to preserve public safety’s network
PSBTA UPDATES
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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