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Holes in 9-1-1 system could be cause for concern depending on location (TN)
911 calls can sometimes be rerouted if a person is using a cellphone and if they live in a jurisdiction that overlaps with another. Ralph Miller, a retired Hamilton County school teacher, and administrator, has continued to advocate for safety. Miller lives in...
Mountain Valley Emergency Communications Center Honors Its Team Members (NJ)
NEW PROVIDENCE, NJ - The Mountain Valley Emergency Communications Center (MVECC), as it does annually, presented several awards to its team members during 'National Public Safety Telecommunicators Week', which occurs during the second week of April each year...
NPD recognizes dispatchers during National Public Safety Telecommunicators Week (AZ)
WINDOW ROCK, Ariz. — In honor of National Public Safety Telecommunicators Week April 11-17, the Navajo Police Department districts celebrated and recognized their Public Safety Telecommunications Operators (PSTO) and critical support staff who answer, process, and...
Flathead 911 center struggles with hiring, retention (MT)
Flathead County's 911 dispatch center struggled to hire and retain employees during the first quarter of 2021 as call volumes continued to surge, but the center's director said the number of vacant positions is shrinking and the turnover has not disrupted emergency...
911 call center INDigital conversion nearly complete (IL)
MACOMB — During Tuesday’s brief meeting, 911 director Eric Lenardt told the McDonough County-Schuyler County Emergency Telephone Service Board the dispatch center’s conversion to INDigital is nearly complete. Lenardt said he’d had the 911 digital service tested to see...
FCC Proposes 911 Outage Reporting Rules
At its Open Meeting on April 22, the FCC adopted a Third Notice of Proposed Rulemaking seeking comment on proposed rules changes to 911 outage reporting. The proposed rules aim to help 911 call centers maintain emergency services and inform the public when to use...
Maryland Ally connects telehealth alternatives right into 911 calls
Every day in the United States, hundreds of thousands of people will dial 911 to seek help. Some of those calls are serious and require immediate emergency attention, but the reality is that most 911 calls are of a far simpler variety: concerns about a prescription,...
Secaucus 911 Dispatch First In NJ To Be Accredited
SECAUCUS, NJ — The Secaucus Police Department is now the first in the state to be an accredited 911 dispatch center. The Secaucus Police Dept. has been an accredited agency since 2014, but this new program for dispatch started in 2020, and SPD was the first to achieve...
Team effort: First responders recognized for their rules in saving (NC)
The acts of heroism by members of the Monticello and West Iredell fire departments and the Emergency Communications Center won’t be forgotten by the young man whose life they saved last September. They won’t be forgotten in the public record either, as Insurance...
BC’s 9-1-1 system one step closer to modernization (Canada)
VANCOUVER, British Columbia, April 28, 2021 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- E-Comm, in close collaboration with its technology partners at TELUS, Avaya, Komutel and NICE, has successfully received and transferred a voice call in a Next Generation 9-1-1 (NG9-1-1) test environment....
Aiken County EMS employees receive state recognition for their efforts (SC)
Two employees of Aiken County’s Emergency Medical Services Department are among the Palmetto State’s finest. Shona Rich was honored as the South Carolina Emergency Medical Technician of the Year last month during the 2021 South Carolina Emergency Care Symposium at...
Clinton County to implement text-to-911 (NY)
PLATTSBURGH — Later this year, those who need emergency assistance in Clinton County will be able to text 911 for help. Though the preference remains for people to call if they are able, County Office of Emergency Services Director Eric Day sees this as a way for his...
Putnam 911 Looking To Add Two Dispatchers For Call Volume Increase (TN)
Putnam County 911 will look to increase its department by adding two full-time dispatchers. Director Penny Foister said if the employees are included in the county budget this would bring the dispatch staff to 14. Foister said that calls are increasing across the...
Director Schlottach – GASCONADE COUNTY E-911 (MO)
A word from Director Schlottach Gasconade County E-911 has come a long way since it’s beginning in 1995. Having the capability to locate a 911 call on a digital map from a cellular telephone wasn’t even thought of. In it’s early stages, Gasconade County’s 911...
Council seeking independent study on dispatch services (WI)
OCONOMOWOC — The Common Council is reviewing requests for proposal for an independent study on dispatch services in the city to see what the facts are for keeping local dispatch or switching to Waukesha County Communications. This is the third time the hot topic issue...
A look at Lafayette Parish’s new $9.6 million Emergency Communications Center (LA)
Scott, LA - Lafayette 911 was started by Bill Vincent in 1983 in the windowless basement of the parish courthouse for over three decades. Now they’re in a new multi-million dollar facility. The new $9.6 million emergency communications center that opened in...
HCSO: Man under influence calls, harasses 911 dispatchers 26 times in 8 hours (CA)
On April 24, 2021, at about 11:44 a.m., Humboldt County Sheriff’s deputies were dispatched to a motel on the 300 block of State Highway 96 to contact an individual harassing medical and emergency communications dispatchers via 9-1-1. Robert Melvin Hurd, age 63,...
How to help dispatchers help you when dialing 911 (TN)
The Memphis dispatch center took more than 600,000 911 calls last year. Here's one dispatcher's take away on calls. MEMPHIS, Tenn. — April is 911 Education Month. When people call 911, every second matters. That's why dispatcher want you to help them in helping you by...
911 centers seeing thousands of accidental calls and volume continues to increase (NC)
CHARLOTTE, N.C. (FOX 46 CHARLOTTE) – 911 centers are receiving thousands of calls each year for non-emergencies and dispatchers say you can easily help put an end to the problem. Within the past five years, dispatchers say they’ve seen a noticeable increase in...
Can 911 dispatchers find you? A St. Joseph County mom learned the hard way. (IN)
What if you called 911 and dispatchers couldn't figure out where you lived? It happened to a local mom because her house was so new it wasn't yet on a map. Dispatchers were eventually able to find Katie Bell’s house and get emergency crews there in just over 10...
UPCOMING WEBINARREGISTER>
FirstNet Independence: A governance case study
Thursday, February 19, 2026
1:30 PM PT | 2:30 PM MT | 3:30 PM CT | 4:30 PM ET
As we are near the time Congress must reauthorize FirstNet, there needs to be a discussion on the review of FirstNet Governance. Join former FirstNet Board Chairs Sue Swenson, Chief Richard Carrizzo, and former Vice-Chair Chief Jeff Johnson, as they discuss the value of an independent FirstNet Authority, program oversight, and the need to protect and advance the nation’s public safety network.
The creation of the FirstNet Authority marked a deliberate and historic policy decision by Congress to establish an independent, nationwide public-safety broadband authority insulated from traditional departmental control. Born out of the lessons of 9/11 and codified in the Middle Class Tax Relief and Job Creation Act, FirstNet was designed to operate with a singular mission: to ensure reliable, interoperable communications for the nation’s first responders. The discussion will examine the governance structure, rationale for its statutory independence, and oversight model.
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.
PETITIONSMORE>
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.
LISTEN TO PODCAST
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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