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Sheriff’s Office supervisor accused of falsifying workers’ comp claim (FL)
FORT LAUDERDALE — A 911 supervisor at the Broward Sheriff’s Office has been accused of lying about a fall and then collecting workers’ compensation for it. Jennifer R. Blum, 45, a communications duty officer since 2000, is facing felony charges related to the workers’...
Commissioners to consider T-CPR agreement (MN)
NEW ULM — Brown County commissioners will consider an agreement between Allina Health Emergency Medical Service and the Brown County Sheriff’s Office for Telephonic Cardiopulmonary Resuscitation Program (T-CPR) on Tuesday, April 20. Minnesota Gov. Tim Walz signed into...
Grayson County Sheriff’s Office holds telecommunications award banquet (TX)
SHERMAN, Texas (KXII) -The Grayson County Sheriff’s Office held their 9-1-1 telecommunications awards banquet tonight to celebrate the people on the other line during calls for emergencies. “You just have to try and not think about anything other than the call you’re...
911 Emergency Dispatchers Honored For Service (OR)
Last year, 911 dispatchers took 2 million emergency calls in Oregon-- responding to pandemic, floods, fires and a destructive winter storm. Governor Kate Brown honored 911 operators by declaring this Public Safety Telecommunications Week. (April 11-17, 2021). State...
Commissioners recognize Upshur E-911 Telecommunicators (WV)
BUCKHANNON — On March 25, 2020, Governor Jim Justice approved House Bill 4123 that was passed by the West Virginia Legislature, clarifying that 911 telecommunication workers are included in the definition of those individuals who perform “emergency services” during a...
WPD telecommunicator honored as professional of the year (TX)
Weatherford Police Department Telecommunications Officer Dylan Swackhammer was selected as a 911 Professional of the Year for the North Central Texas area. Swackhammer was one of nine to receive the honor from the North Central Texas Emergency Communications District...
Valley dispatchers honored for lifesaving efforts (CA)
FRESNO, Calif. (KFSN) -- Dispatchers answer the calls no one wants to make. Life-changing trauma is often on the other end of the line. "A lot of the times they call in and we are their last resort, they don't know who to call," says Elaura Castro. Day in and day out,...
MAYOR: ‘Now I understand’ after touring emergency dispatch center (KS)
Hays Police Lt. Jeff Ridgway, Chief Don Scheibler, Lt. Brandon Wright, and Deputy Chief Brian Dawson look on as dispatch employees post for pictures with city commissioners Thursday as part of National Public Safety Telecommunications Week. Hays police officers gave...
Senior Public Safety Dispatchers of the Year (CA)
Without a doubt, 2020 was filled with challenge and controversy throughout. From civil unrest, political divide and a global pandemic, it was an unprecedented and turbulent year. The City of Santa Clara's Communications Center also faced the departure of the...
Allegany County 911 dispatchers recognized for public service (MD)
CUMBERLAND — The Allegany County Department of Emergency Services is recognizing the work of 24 dispatchers at its 911 Joint Communications Center in conjunction with National Telecommunications Week. In 2020, county dispatchers received 140,458 calls, many of which...
Special delivery: 911 dispatcher helps American Fork parents deliver their baby (CA)
SACRAMENTO, Calif. — A baby will come into the world at its own pace. Sometimes the baby is born after the due date. Sometimes they come early. For one woman, the baby came before she could get inside a hospital, but luckily a nurse was within earshot of the woman and...
Dispatchers Recognized for Hard Work during Telecommunicators Week (IN)
Dispatchers around the area are being recognized this week for their hard work in providing immediate assistance to those who call police for help. A 911 Dispatcher, or Telecommunicator, is the first person you talk to when you call 911 to report an emergency day or...
It’s National Public Safety Telecommunications Week! (GA)
AUGUSTA (WFXG) - The week of April 11-17 is dedicated to the people who help us through our emergencies. It's National Public Safety Telecommunications Week. It's a career that keeps the dispatchers at Gold Cross EMS busy. In fact, in just two minutes, the center is...
Thanking 911 Dispatchers: The First Step of First Responders (NY)
Each year, the second week of April is celebrated at National Public Safety Telecommunicators Week, honoring those who dedicate their lives to serving the public. Telecommunication personnel work as 911 operators evaluating incoming emergency calls and sending...
Public safety communicators honored with National Public Safety Telecommunications Week (OK)
In observance of National Public Safety Telecommunications Week, April 11-17, The Ada News spoke to 911 dispatchers located in the Ada City Hall Annex. Central Dispatch is the nexus of public safety communications in Pontotoc County. Dispacters sit in a darkened room,...
National public safety telecommunications week (NY)
BINGHAMTON, NY – This week we are celebrating the workers that do their part in keeping the first responders safe. This week is National Public Safety Telecommunications week and it’s a time to honor the 9-1-1 dispatchers and all their hard work. On a day to day...
Ridgefield Police Salute Unseen Heroes of Public Safety (CT)
This week, the Ridgefield Police Department is celebrating the men and women of our Emergency Communications System. When you’re faced with an emergency such as crime, a crash, a fire, or a medical episode, these are frequently the very first people you speak to. They...
‘Heroes Behind the Headsets’: KSP dispatchers often first voice heard on person’s worst day (KY)
HICKORY — They are often the first voices a person will hear in the event of an emergency. They are an unseen lifeline in a time of distress. They are called “heroes behind the headsets” for good reason. Telecommunicators, or dispatchers, with Kentucky State Police...
Our First Responder Award this month honors 911 operator Trish Matthews (TN)
CHATTANOOGA (WDEF) – It’s National Public Safety telecommunications Week–a time to recognize the valuable contributions made by the thousands of 9-1-1 employees across the country. The Hamilton county 9-1-1 center has almost 200 people who fit that category...
Public Safety Technology Alliance (PSTA) to shut down
After three years of existence, the non-profit Public Safety Technology Alliance (PSTA) will cease operations within 45 days as officials say they believe that the organization achieved its primary goal to promote public safety’s use of open-standard technologies.
“PSTA achieved its mission,” PSTA board member Jeff Johnson said during an interview with IWCE’s Urgent Communications. “In a time where we were transitioning to an LTE entrant into the public-safety community through FirstNet, it was important that we did what we could to maintain open standards and that we caused the conversation [to be conducted within public safety]. I’m extremely satisfied with what we achieved and what standards we were able to get vetted in a broad group of stakeholders.
“That was a great group of people and a lot of good contributors—the bottom line is that it was good for public safety. But all things have their time, and we’ve moved into an era where the tech community has embraced public safety and our need for open standards. Our work here is done, as they say.”
Victoria Lee, who led the management of PSTA operations, echoed this sentiment, noting that multiple public-safety-focused organizations—for example, TCCA, FirstNet, the Public Safety Technology Broadband Association (PSTBA), the National Alliance of Public Safety GIS and the R2 Network—are advocating that public safety leverage open-standards solutions and APIs.
“Basically, everybody out there is really kind of pushing it,” Lee said during an interview with IWCE’s Urgent Communications. “They get it, and that was really the ultimate goal of PSTA.
“We see it as a good-news story, because it did exactly what it was meant to do for the time it was meant to do it.”
PSTA will close operations “in the next 30 to 45 days,” Lee said. Members began discussing the possibility of closing the organization at the end of last year, as PSTA’s technical subcommittees completed their reports about the following issues:
Cybersecurity
Identity/Single Sign On (SSO)
Mission-Critical PTX (talk/video/data)
Mapping
Situational Awareness
LMR/LTE Interoperability
While these technical reports were completed, Lee said activity within the PSTA has been “fairly dormant” during the past year, in large part because public-safety members’ time was consumed with responsibilities associated with COVID-19 response effort, in addition their normal job duties.
In fact, TJ Kennedy—the former FirstNet Authority president who led the founding of the PSTA in 2018—officially is still listed as CEO of the PSTA. Even if the PSTA had continued, “that was going to have to change,” given Kennedy’s current job as CEO and president of Qumu, which provides virtual collaboration platform services to enterprises.
Lee is managing director of The Public Safety Network, a for-profit company that was founded in 2017 by Kennedy and former FirstNet Authority Chief Counsel Jason Karp. Although many key players for The Public Safety Network did work for the PSTA, Lee emphasized that The Public Safety Network is continuing its work.
UPCOMING EVENTREGISTER>
The Inaugural Howard C. Liebengood Foundation Symposium: The Evolving Law Enforcement Landscape & the First Responder Mental Health Crisis
Wednesday, September 30 to Thursday, October 1, 2026
Law enforcement is operating in one of the most demanding environments in modern history. Shifting public expectations, critical incidents, and ongoing organizational pressures have reshaped the profession, and the impact on officer health and agency stability has never been greater. This inaugural symposium convenes law enforcement leaders, mental health and health care experts, researchers, and bipartisan policymakers to explore practical, evidence-informed solutions. Grounded in research and lived experience, this symposium focuses on translating knowledge into action.
Over two days, participants will examine the evolving policing landscape, confront the profession’s mental health crisis—including elevated rates of suicide, PTSD, depression, and anxiety—and identify strategies to strengthen resilience, crisis response, and organizational leadership.
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.
PETITIONS
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.
LISTEN TO PODCAST
GRANTS
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.
REGISTER
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