Top Comm Center Headlines
ALERT: Interim Guidance for Emergency Medical Services (EMS) Systems and 911 Public Safety Answering Points (PSAPs) for COVID-19 in the United States
This guidance applies to all first responders, including law enforcement, fire services, emergency medical services, and emergency management officials, who anticipate close contact with persons with confirmed or possible COVID-19 in the course of their work. Summary...
Newsroom: Arlington Ramping Up Vaccine Distribution, Applauds Governor’s Announcement (VA)
Arlington County applauds the decision by Gov. Ralph Northam to make the COVID-19 vaccine available to more Virginians, and County health and government officials are moving quickly to ramp up access for eligible Arlingtonians. "We are thankful that the state is...
Hancock County to begin vaccinating in Phase 1B, dispatchers & First Responders (IL)
The Hancock County Health Department announced they will receive 200 doses of the Moderna COVID-19 vaccine on Tuesday, Jan. 19, and will start vaccinating those individuals in Phase 1B. This comes after almost all individuals who fall under Phase 1A have been...
WSU to restructure police into Dept. of Public Safety (OH)
AIRBORN — Wright State University will reorganize its police department and complementary services into its Department of Public Safety as part of the university’s overall restructuring plan. The plan is designed to sustainably support university operations at an...
Pennington County 911 receives hundreds of calls a day with many of them accidental (SD)
RAPID CITY, S.D. (KOTA) - Hearing a noise from your pocket realizing you’ve accidentally called a friend is no big deal many people have done it, but what if instead it’s an emergency dispatcher on the other side? “First thing if you accidentally call 911, don’t hang...
Some Carbon County Residents and Businesses May Have to Change Their Address in 2021 (UT)
In order to prepare for the Real ID Driver License or Non-Driver Identification Card Program as well as Next Generation 911, some county residents and businesses will have to change their physical address. The Carbon County Geographic Information Systems (GIS)...
Indiana county public safety agencies seek new dispatch system to speed emergency responses
CHESTERTON, Ind. — The Chesterton Fire Department is seeking a Federal Emergency Management Agency grant for a station alerting system, which will quicken response times to local emergencies. The department is pursuing a 90/10 match-grant that will...
Holbrook Regional Emergency Communications Center celebrates completion of new facility (MA)
The Holbrook Regional Emergency Communications Center (HRECC) formally moved into the new facility Jan. 7, according to Director Steve Hooke. Construction of the new 5,967 square-foot building began in September 2019 and was officially completed late last year. Since...
Concord officials support regional dispatch plan with Acton (MA)
The towns of Acton and Concord have been working on a feasibility study for the creation of a regional emergency communications center (RECC) that would be housed in the Acton Police Department. During the virtual meeting of the Concord Select Board Jan. 11, Town...
Sheboygan dispatcher takes 911 call she will not soon forget (WI)
SHEBOYGAN, Wis. - If there’s an emergency in Sheboygan County, dispatcher Chris Damkot might take the call. "It’s very unexpected from the day-to-day. When you walk in, you never know what’s going to happen. I like helping people," said Chris Damkot, 911...
Still No Resolution For North Chicago Police Pensioners Told To Work As Dispatchers Or Lose Their Benefits (IL)
CHICAGO (CBS) — Some North Chicago police officers on disability and receiving pensions who are being threatened to either go back to work or lose their pensions have been waiting since 2019 to resolve the issue. The city’s police chief asked them to come back as...
I-TEAM: Uncovering another death after another 911 mix-up (OH)
WARRENSVILLE HEIGHTS (WJW) — The FOX 8 I-Team has uncovered yet another mix-up on a local 911 call, and another person died. This, after we’ve exposed two other people dying after problems with 911 calls. The third case comes to light in a lawsuit filed in Cuyahoga...
Verbal battle erupts at Board of Supervisors meeting over public safety radio system
WINCHESTER — Members of the Frederick County Board of Supervisors clashed Wednesday night over whether to enter into a contract with Texas-based EF Johnson to replace the county’s public safety radio system — a move that is expected to cost roughly $21 million....
911 calls skyrocket during 2020 and response to pandemic (IN)
COLUMBUS, Ind. — The first annual report from a public agency detailing the impact of COVID-19 in the Columbus area in 2020 shows emergency responses were up significantly due to medical emergencies from the virus. The number of calls received by the Bartholomew...
A note of “Thanks” to dedicated Washington County Sheriff’s Communications Center | By Sheriff Martin R. Schulteis (WI)
The second week is of April is annually recognized as National Telecommunications Officer Week. It is a time to honor the hard working and committed individuals that have chosen emergency communications as their profession. My appreciation for their work is not...
Newsroom: Arlington Emergency Communications Center Leads Nation In Remote Call-Taking, Dispatching & Supervision (VA)
On Wednesday, Jan. 13, the Arlington County Emergency Communications Center (ECC) became one of the first centers in the nation to implement capabilities that allow fire and emergency medical services (EMS) dispatchers and supervisors to deliver critical emergency...
FirstNet keeps students safe on school buses (MD)
By Lori Stone, FirstNet Authority Senior Public Safety Advisor Buses taking students to and from schools in Carroll County, Maryland are now equipped with FirstNet….
The post FirstNet keeps students safe on school buses first appeared on All Things FirstNet.
Connecting Green Bay Law Enforcement On and Off the Field (WI)
By Timothy Pierce, Senior Public Safety Advisor, First Responder Network Authority The Green Bay Police Department (GBPD) is the main law enforcement agency for the…
The post Connecting Green Bay Law Enforcement On and Off the Field first appeared on All Things FirstNet.
Township of Millburn: Mountain Valley Emergency Communications Center To Accept Incident Related Imagery From 9-1-1 Caller (NJ)
Mountain Valley Emergency Communications Center (MVECC) becomes first public safety answering point in New Jersey and Northeast to accept Incident Related Imagery (IRI) from 9-1-1 callers through Motorola Solutions CommandCentral Citizen Input integration Mountain...
County emergency teams revising radio plans (IL)
EDWARDSVILLE — Local first responders have formed a committee to look at radio operability issues, according to Madison County Emergency Management Director Tony Falconio. At the Madison County Board’s Public Safety Committee meeting on Monday, Falconio noted issues...
Sheboygan County dispatcher helps deliver baby over the phone (WI)
SHEBOYGAN COUNTY, Wis. - A Sheboygan County dispatcher on Thursday, Jan. 14 took a "not so routine" 911 call, helping to deliver a baby over the phone. In a Facebook post, the Sheboygan County Emergency Communications Center said the dispatcher -- identified only as...
UPCOMING WEBINARS
Thursday, January 21, 2021
PSSA Panel Discussion: 4.9 GHz Petitions
9:00 a.m. PT/10:00 a.m. MT/11:00 a.m. CT/12:00 p.m. ET
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Reliable mobile broadband brings greater situational awareness to #fire personnel. Check out http://FirstNet.gov/fire to see how fire agencies in Michigan, Washington, Virginia, and beyond use @FirstNet as they respond to everyday incidents and natural disasters.
Callers with 909 area codes: Beginning today, you will need to dial 1 before your area code for all calls. Calls that do not utilize this dialing convention will not connect.
Learn more about these @californiapuc changes below:
If you live in the 909, here’s what you need to know about the new area code
A new area code will be rolled out Feb. 23. But beginning Jan. 23, anyone with a 909 area code will need to make one change.
www.dailybulletin.com
#FirstNetintheNews: In response to the challenges of COVID-19, @ArlingtonVA’s Emergency Comms Center deployed remote call-taking, dispatching, and supervision capabilities. See how @FirstNet is powering this innovative tech (via @RadioResourceMG): https://www.rrmediagroup.com/News/NewsDetails/NewsID/20383
Opinions
Emergency Call: ABC’s awkward attempt at spotlighting 911 operators
Luke Wilson hosts ABC’s new documentary-ish reality show Emergency Call from what I can only imagine is an escape room. There’s no other explanation for the hodgepodge of props that surround him, like the series of six clocks on the wall—the kind that show the current...
Opinion/Editorial: ECC reversal is something to celebrate (CA)
When we last considered the Emergency Communications Center in this space, some 18 months ago, we were lamenting the horde of problems afflicting one of the most important service agencies in the community. Problems were so bad that the new executive director had quit...
Put Aside Caller’s Anger
Eric Harne
Dealing with irritated, angry people is periodically part of the emergency dispatcher’s job description. This can be particularly troublesome when dealing with life-or-death situations and the person on the other end of the phone is belligerent and angry. Since it’s an issue that won’t go away, it becomes a matter of defusing the anger and resolving the caller’s problem without resorting to anger and creating a more significant problem.
‘9-1-1. Please Leave a Message’ (OR)
The residents of Portland are getting a look at the future of police services, and response time in Portland. It’s not going to be pretty, judging from this Oregonian headline:“Intruder with knife, boy being held: No Portland police response for 1 hour, 36...
Voice of the People, Sept. 7, 2020
When faced with an emergency, we’re taught to recognize another group of essential unsung heroes: 9-1-1 dispatchers. Every day in over 6,000 public safety call centers in the U.S., 9-1-1 dispatchers are picking up the phone to help people in crisis, some facing their...
Introducing Eric Harne
Editor’s Note: Eric Harne’s column describing Communications Mapping (posted on the Journal website) drew such a large readership that we decided to ask him a few questions about his system. He graciously accepted. His Angry Customer Protocol (ACP) (July/August 2020 Journal) is available in the July/August 2020 issue of the Journal.
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