The Ogle County Sheriff’s Office congratulated Telecommunicator Lori Jasper on her retirement last week. Jasper had been with the Sheriff’s Office since 2004, holding positions as civilian corrections clerk and the 911 communications center. Sheriff Brian VanVickle...

When you’re planning to dig a hole, whether with a shovel or other excavating equipment, there’s a number as important to call as 9-1-1. Today is National 8-1-1 Day, which reminds anyone who plans to dig to “call before you dig” so buried public utilities can be...

QUAPAW, OK – Multiple agencies are coming together to build a new emergency operations center for the Ottawa County area. The more than a million dollar facility on East 64 Road in Miami, is being funded by grants. At 4,000 square feet, it will hold emergency...

WAHOO – Many refer to dispatchers as the “first” first responders, Saunders County Assistant Dispatch Supervisor Halcyon Frank said. While they are the first to know of an emergency before passing it along to law enforcement, fire and rescue departments or other first...

MURFREESBORO, TN (WSMV) – News4 is finding out how an app helped first responders find two teenage girls lost in a Midstate park. The app is called what3words. It gives every 10-foot square in the world a three word address. "Three words and it'll take you straight to...

The process of reconfiguring the old Baltimore Sun building on North Calvert Street is getting pricey. Just 16 months ago, the city said that making improvements to the space, in order to relocate the Baltimore Police Department’s Central District staff, would cost...

Being prepared and ready to help in emergency situations is key to a successful E911 response effort—and local dispatchers have had opportunities to put new training to the test. The Tennessee legislature passed a law last year requiring all staff at centers that...

While three newly elected Sumter County commissioners were fighting to push through a tax increase on new business, the county was already collecting millions of dollars more than expected in that area. [Additionally], [t]he commission approved beginning the process...

Law enforcement surrounded a residence north of Charlotte Jan. 15. An armed man had shot a Clinton County sheriff’s deputy and injured a woman in the house. Four separate law enforcement agencies manned one side of the property. All had radios; however, they could not...

DAPHNE – Police dispatchers play a major role in emergency services and should be recognized as first responders, the same as patrol officers and firefighters, Daphne city officials said Monday, Aug. 2. The Daphne City Council voted to approve a resolution recognizing...

By ALEC ETHEREDGE | Managing Editor In the middle of receiving a plaque to commemorate his 23 years of service as a Shelby County 9-1-1 dispatcher, Philip Morris got the worst call of his career on Monday, Aug. 9. After years of handling distressing calls and helping...

MACOMB COUNTY — A simulation of a 911 call, with one person acting as a 911 caller and another as a dispatcher, was one capability demonstrated at a July 22 Macomb County announcement of a new dispatch training center for the county. The center is located at the...

Residents or visitors to Lowndes County can now send a text message to 9-1-1 for help in an emergency. While Lowndes County 911 emphasizes calls are still the best and fastest way to contact 9-1-1, text messages are an option when a call may not be possible. “Lowndes...

Cobb County will receive Text to 911 calls from unincorporated Cobb County and the cities within Cobb. Information will be relayed to the appropriate city if necessary. Smyrna 911 has deployed its own Text to 911. The county will work with Smyrna to provide seamless...

In July, the Wilkin County Board approved three new full-time dispatcher positions, totaling four this year. The new positions bring the total number of full-time dispatcher positions to eight, an amount that’s needed to sustain the 24/7 workload, according to Wilkin...

FAIRFIELD — Several first responders were recently honored for their quick actions that officials say saved a resident’s life this summer. Lt. Patrick Barry, officer Felix Gonzalez, firefighter Justin Crawford, telecommunicator Lynn Erazmus telecommunicator Jennifer...

Almost 1,000 people accidentally called 911 in July, according to the Kenai Peninsula Borough Office of Emergency Management. That’s up 55% from last year. In a post shared to Facebook last week, OEM’s emergency alert system — KPB Alerts — provided information on how...

The ability to multitask is a requirement in several careers, but for 911 dispatchers multitasking is taken to level beyond what most people can comprehend. At the Tustin Police Department, dispatchers are simultaneously answering calls and dispatching officers , with...

A radio connection upgrade has eliminated between six and eight dead areas in Westbrook where portable public safety radios didn’t work. “We had a lot of dead spots in the city. It made it very difficult for officers, as their transmissions were often garbled in these...