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Public Safety A Top Priority In Dallas’ $4.35 Billion Proposed City Budget (TX)
Dallas City Manager T.C. Broadnax released a proposed $4.35 billion city budget Saturday, which outlines funding for the 2021-2022 fiscal year. "In many ways, I do believe that this is one of the most impactful budgets that I've recommended to the Dallas City...
Fort Scott/Bourbon County’s Dispatch Moved For Security, Space Issues (KS)
The Fort Scott/Bourbon County Dispatch office is now located in the old jail facility on 207 S. Judson. Submitted photos. Those who answer emergency calls for the Bourbon County community have been moved to a more secure and bigger space from the Hawkins Public Safety...
Augmented Reality Interface for Public Safety Operations | NIST
In April 2021, BadVR was awarded $1.1M for the Public Safety Innovation Accelerator Program: Augmented Reality (AR) cooperative agreement. As data grows dramatically in scale and complexity, existing analysis tools struggle to keep up. Within the public safety...
Durant communications, Bryan County 911 dispatch CAD system upgrade goes live (TX)
Durant Communications and Bryan County 9-1-1 Dispatchers will begin using an upgraded Computer Aided Dispatch (CAD) system during calls this month. 911 Dispatchers completed training last month and say the new system makes getting help to residents faster and more...
Emergency Dispatch Union Contract Approved (CT)
The Board of Selectman at a July 19 meeting unanimously approved the dispatch union contract, representing Newtown employees and Nutmeg Independent Public Safety employees. According to First Selectman Dan Rosenthal, the negotiations with the union were “amicable” and...
Utah 911 calls make big jump during wildfire smoke invasion
SALT LAKE CITY — Utah emergency dispatch centers were inundated with phone calls to 911 when a massive wave of wildfire smoke crept into the northern part of the state Friday. As the smoke moved in with shocking speed, along with the unmistakable smell of fire, a...
Grapevine Police offering bonus to aid in 911 dispatcher shortage (TX)
The Grapevine Police Department is dealing with a major shortage of 911 dispatchers and is hoping a signing bonus will help. Grapevine Police are offering a $1,200 bonus for newly-hired dispatchers -- $600 upon hire, $300 upon completion of the probationary period,...
Fort Collins dispatcher guides police to suspect (CO)
FORT COLLINS, Colo. (KDVR) — A Fort Collins police dispatcher who has been taking emergency calls for 20 years was on the other end of the line on Monday. Dispatcher Tricia Leslie was at the end of her shift at 7 p.m. On the way home, she spotted a person who fit the...
Philadelphia facing 911 dispatcher shortage (PA)
"What’s the least you need in terms of staffing for, especially 911," FOX 29's Dave Kinchen asked. "You know I wouldn’t be able to give you that answer off the top of my head, but again when you look at the demographic or the employees that work in there there’s a...
City takes ideas for ARP money use (IA)
OTTUMWA — It wasn't exactly Christmas in August, but Ottumwa's city leadership wanted ideas just the same. With the city receiving approximately $1.8 million in American Rescue Plan funding each of the next two years, city administrator Philip Rath and mayor Tom Lazio...
Kern Behavioral Health Specialist to join 9-1-1 call center (CA)
BAKERSFIELD, Calif. (KBAK/KBFX) — There will now be a Kern Behavioral Health clinician at the 9-1-1 center in Bakersfield, to handle mental health calls, as opposed to a police officer or dispatcher. It's a pilot program all to help people in Kern County struggling...
COVID-19 outbreak hits Pierce County emergency call center (WA)
South Sound 911 says only 44% of its essential employees were vaccinated before this outbreak, but since then, several employees have chosen to get the vaccine. TACOMA, Wash. — South Sound 911 in Pierce County was rocked by COVID-19. The emergency call center stated...
Dispatchers aid public when emergencies occur (NM)
Shift Supervisor Raelynn Villarreal enters information at Pecos Valley Regional Communications Center. If you need help in an emergency in Roswell or anywhere else in Chaves County, chances are you will be talking to one of the dispatchers at the Pecos Valley Regional...
Operator shortage means 911 calls await answers in Savannah (GA)
SAVANNAH, Ga. (AP) — Some Savannah-area residents are experiencing delays when they call 911. Chatham County Manager Lee Smith tells The Savannah Morning News that the emergency call center has about 20 vacancies for operators. A full staff is about 100 operators....
9-1-1 dispatchers from Pickering to Oshawa have “very busy” long weekend (Canada)
Durham Police Service’s 9-1-1 call-takers and dispatchers had a very busy long weekend answering more than 6,000 calls from the public. The majority of the calls were non-emergency reports, general inquiries and “hang-ups” that had to be called back.From Thursday,...
‘Sticker shock’: Communications center among topics of discussion at budget meeting (NE)
MADISON, Neb. -- The Madison County Commissioners discussed an outline of what the budget of the 2021-22 fiscal year will look like for the county on Tuesday. While the budget has not been finalized, the meeting gave an opportunity for the commissioners to review...
911 Dispatch Centers hiring across the region (WI)
FOX VALLEY, Wis. (WFRV) – 911 dispatchers are the heart of public safety operations and many are hiring across Northeast Wisconsin. Staff Sergeant Erik Nielson of the Outagamie County Sheriff’s Office said, “We are hiring for the telecommunicator position for...
Accenture Helps Fire Department of New York City Launch New Dispatch System
Accenture (NYSE:ACN) and the Fire Department of the City of New York (FDNY) have developed a new computer-aided dispatch (CAD) system – FireCAD – replacing the now-retired STARFIRE system, and marking the most significant operational upgrade to the FDNY’s dispatch...
Aragon will Improve the Coordination of its Emergency Services with a Critical Communications Network (Spain)
Tetra | 2021-08-05 The government of this Spanish autonomous community has awarded a contract worth 10.6 million euros to the Teltronic-Telefónica temporary consortium for the deployment of a Digital Mobile Communications Network. The Government of Aragon has awarded...
Senate budget includes money earmarked for Alamance County emergency management building (NC)
Alamance County could get a new emergency management facility. The state Senate budget includes money earmarked for the new emergency management center. If passed as is, the county will receive $7.5 million each year for the next two years for the facility,...
SURVEY
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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