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Promoting Collaboration: Telecommunicators and Field Responders
Collaboration is the key to any good partnership. As a public safety telecommunicator or a responder, the radio can become just a voice on the other end of the line, and not a real person. As our small, law enforcement-run agency expanded in rural South Dakota, we...
State of Michigan Selects GeoComm for Statewide Next Generation 9-1-1 GIS Project
GeoComm is excited to announce their selection by the State of Michigan to provide GIS data assessment and improvement services to counties across the state to support their Next Generation 9-1-1 (NG9-1-1) migration. As the State of Michigan prepares for its...
OREGON 9-1-1 IMPROVED BY TECHNOLOGY
n May of 2021, Oregon became the first state in the nation to partner with an emergency response data platform, RapidSOS, to utilize more accurate location information for the purposes of responding to calls. Since then, these location services have...
Lincoln County Dispatchers Receive Stork Awards (ME)
Communications Director Tara Doe presents the Maine EMS for Children Stork Award to Lincoln County Dispatcher Jennifer Gosselin during the Lincoln County Board of Commissioners meeting on Tuesday, July 20. (Charlotte Boynton photo) Lincoln County Communications...
Jackson County Commission approves new upgrade for communication tower (AL)
JACKSON COUNTY, Ala. (WAFF) - The Jackson County Commission recently approved upgrades for the communications tower at the courthouse. Emergency Management Director Paul Smith said commissioners will pay for the upgrades, which will replace outdated equipment and help...
Inteliquent Introduces Next Generation 911 Location Agent
Inteliquent, Inc., the largest independent voice communications provider in the United States, continues to improve the next generation 911 landscape with the launch of their NG911 Location Agent. With this new fully i3 compliant solution for Originating Service...
911 dispatchers say work takes a toll on mental health (FL)
SEMINOLE COUNTY, Fla. — Last week’s release of the 911 calls from Surfside illustrated the horror in South Florida when the condominium collapsed, killing dozens of people. For many people, 911 dispatchers are the first people they turn to for help. Local 911...
Emergency call about flaming vehicle leads to poor dispatching service, says Lacombe woman (Canada)
A Lacombe woman called 911 about a flaming vehicle on Hwy 2 and was twice put on hold by emergency dispatchers who seemed unfamiliar with the locations of Ponoka and Wetaskiwin.
Krysta Fornataro said the provincial government’s new centralized ambulance dispatch system “an absolute fail” after she spent three or four minutes on the 911 line without getting through to police, fire or ambulance.
After the “horrible experience,” she now worries about what could happen if an emergency ever befell her family.
Fornataro recounted driving her husband to Edmonton airport on Monday at about 6 p.m. when she spotted flames and thick black smoke billowing out of a truck parked on the shoulder of Hwy 2.
“It was fully engulfed,” she recalled, with no sign that any people had gotten out of the vehicle.
Fornataro immediately called 911. She said she heard three or four rings and then a “click” so that she had to check her phone screen to ensure she wasn’t disconnected.
After a pause, a dispatcher came on the line to ask, “What town or city are you from?” She repeated this same question in French.
After Fornataro explained about the burning vehicle beside the highway, the dispatcher said “just a minute” and put her on brief hold.
When the dispatcher came back on line, she again asked Fornataro “which town or city?” in English and French.
“I said, ‘It’s not a city or a town. I’m on the highway between Ponoka and Wetaskiwin,’” said Fornataro.
From the dispatcher’s confused response, she felt the dispatcher was completely unfamiliar with these communities: “She asked me again, ‘Is that a city or a town?’ …It didn’t even sound like she was from Alberta…”
Fornataro was then put on hold for a “solid minute” before hearing another ‘click’.” She again wondered if she was disconnected before another woman came on, identifying herself as a Telus operator.
“I was again asked, ‘What city or town are you calling from?’”
Just as Fornataro began her spiel about how she was calling from a highway, she saw an emergency vehicle heading up Hwy 2 towards the smoking car — and was relieved that someone else had apparently called for help.
Ponoka Freeway patrol confirmed that no one was hurt in this incident.
But Fornataro is left with many questions and concerns about how her 911 call was handled. She believes it did not go as smoothly or efficiently as if the 911 dispatcher was working out of central Alberta and familiar with the area.
Fornataro wonders why the dispatcher repeated several questions to her in French when it was clear after their first exchange that she was an English speaker. She also questions why a Telus operator was involved in an emergency call?
A person might easily have hung up after the “clicks,” believing the call had been disconnected, said Fornataro.
Alberta Health, which is responsible for the 911-system, could not immediately be reached for comment late on Wednesday afternoon.
In January, central Alberta’s 911 calls were switched over to a centralized dispatch system that is handled outside of this region to save money. Before that, all local 911 calls had been answered by dispatchers in Red Deer.
Red Deer Fire Chief Ken McMullen has raised concerns about potentially serious glitches — including one where Red Deer ambulance workers were mobilized to a call in the city’s downtown when the emergency was actually in Sundre.
Red Deer Mayor Mayor Tara Veer has joined with the mayors of Calgary, Lethbridge and the Rural Municipality of Wood Buffalo to try to lobby the government to reverse the change, calling it a life or death matter.
Fornataro believes someone could have died in the three to four minutes that she spent repeatedly answering questions or being put on hold during her recent 911 call.
Noting that several other Albertans have posted their 911 concerns on Facebook, Fornataro believes this is not a one-of problem.
Fornataro said she intends to write to her MLA Ron Orr to complain about the new centralized dispatching system, and she encourages other area residents to also press the government for a return to local dispatching.
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Phone issues affect greater-Charlottesville area emergency lines (VA)
ALBEMARLE COUNTY, Va. (WVIR) - 5 p.m. UPDATE: The city of Charlottesville reports that telephone carriers have restored services that were affecting calls in the Charlottesville-Albemarle area. The Emergency Communications Center’s 9-1-1 call volumes have returned to...
PSSC Struggling To Meet Staffing Requirements (Canada)
Finding staff continues to be a challenge for the Public Safety Communications Centre in Saint John. The centre provides dispatching services for the Saint John Police Force and twenty-seven fire departments between Sussex and St. Stephen. Covering sick time and...
Manchester mulls regional dispatch (MA)
MANCHESTER — The long-running debate on whether the town should regionalize its dispatch services will continue when selectmen meet this Thursday. A virtual public forum on the topic is scheduled for 7:30 p.m. — the meeting itself begins at 6:30 p.m....
Public Safety Advocate: PTT Corrections, CHP Joins FirstNet, Smarter Smartphones, Rural Broadband Feeding Frenzy
First and foremost, Tango Tango Push-To-Talk (PTT) is FirstNet-certified for both the Android operating system and iOS (Apple), not Android-only as stated in the list of vendors that have met FirstNet’s rigorous evaluation. I also neglected to note that Tango Tango,...
Deputy, telecommunicator honored in Mound City ceremony (IL)
MOUND CITY, Ill. (WSIL) -- Two employees at the Pulaski County Sheriff's office received commendations for their work on Tuesday. Deputy Alek Jimenez received the county's Rookie of the Year award for his efforts in his first year in uniform. Jimenez recorded more...
Groundbreaking “9-1-1” technology released, 1st time 9-1-1 will receive current address from cell phone
In 2012 Joan Lantz called 9-1-1 on her cell phone. She died in her apartment in Rock Hill, South Carolina because 9-1-1 operators could not locate her. In 2020 Sheila Sheppard died in her Washington DC residence because the address of her emergency did not appear on...
Heights-Hillcrest emergency communications center considers merger with Chagrin Valley Dispatch (OH)
SHAKER HEIGHTS, Ohio -- City officials have introduced a proposed merger of the current Heights-Hillcrest Communications Center (HHCC) with the much larger Chagrin Valley Dispatch for all police, fire and emergency medical dispatching services. To do that, the five...
Fort Worth Fire Department, MedStar Assisting Police with 911 Call Center Shortage (TX)
FORT WORTH (WBAP/KLIF)- The Fort Worth Fire Department and MedStar are working with the Fort Worth Police Department to improve emergency response times. Much like other agencies across the country, the Police Communications Division has been experiencing staffing...
Chesapeake Dispatch Center in need of employees
CHESAPEAKE, Va. (WAVY) – The speediness of their response can be the difference between life and death. Dispatchers and call takers who answer your 9-1-1 calls at Chesapeake’s Emergency Communications Center make it their goal to help you as fast as possible, but in...
Richard Sherman 911 call under investigation after dispatcher is scrutinized (WA)
The phone call Richard Sherman’s wife placed to 911 as the NFL star was allegedly getting aggressive and physical with her is under investigation in Washington state. Ashley Sherman placed the 911 call to the dispatcher, saying that her husband was...
New technology will help 911 pinpoint callers (KY)
Owensboro-Daviess County 911 dispatchers will soon be utilizing a new technology that allows first responders to pinpoint an individual’s location within a 10-foot by 10-foot square. Paul Nave, city-county 911 dispatch director, said the new technology is available...
Dubois Co. Sheriff’s Office warning about accidental 911 calls (IN)
DUBOIS CO., Ind. (WFIE) - The Dubois County Sheriff’s Office is warning the public about accidental 911 calls. County dispatch officials estimate more than 30% of calls to the 911 center were accidental in 2020. Officials tell us dispatchers in the county field more...
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.
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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 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.
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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.
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