The Department of Public Safety (DPS) recently made a deal with the City of Palmer to build a new 911 dispatch center in Palmer. It was announced at a May 12 meeting of the Palmer City Council. But the origins and background of this deal reveal there is much more to...

BELLA VISTA -- Emergency dispatchers are working with an updated system providing more detailed maps and allowing for more rapid deployment. Administrative Lt. Ryan Harmon said the new system, Intrado Viper, is the standard system for all of Benton County's public...

Volunteer for the Canadian Civic Location Data eXchange Format Working Group
Friday, May 22, 2020   (0 Comments)Posted by: Chris NussmanAs Canada moves to a NENA i3 based NG9-1-1 infrastructure nationally, there is a need to create a Canadian profile for the PIDF-LO to convey civic locations in a common standardized form across the country, interoperable with neighboring countries also moving to NG9-1-1. The focus of this new Working Group is to provide a deliverable standard  that represents the Canadian profile of PIDF-LO to its addressing standards, with consideration to the depiction of non-addressed locations (e.g. cross streets, natural formations, etc.), as appropriate. The CLDXF-CA Working Group also considers possible impacts to the NENA NG9-1-1 GIS Data Model for potential inclusion in version 2 of the NENA Standard for NG9-1-1 GIS Data Model.
Addressing expertise and practitioners from Canada are sought to join the Working Group, as well as experts from the United States, particularly those who were involved in developing the US CLDXF. This Working Group meets Mondays at 2PM Eastern starting Monday, 15 June, 2020.
Click here to join!

On May 21, 2020, the Cook County Board of Commissioners narrowly passed Item No. 20-2378, that calls for Cook County Department of Public Health to temporarily share addresses of COVID-19 positive patients to municipal first responders through Public Safety Answering...

Proposals to upgrade the county’s radio communications made it to the chopping block after being placed on the Cooke County Commissioners’ Court meeting agenda for the third time in recent weeks. On Monday, May 18, members of the court unanimously agreed to reject all...

A national investigation by The Associated Press found that there has been widespread information sharing between emergency dispatchers and public health officials across the U.S. concerning individuals testing positive for COVID-19. Per the AP, local...

Tensions were high at the Hawkins County commission’s May 18 meeting, as Commissioner Mike Herrell and County Mayor Jim Lee clashed over the county’s plan to replace the failing emergency communications equipment. This equipment has been the ‘talk of the town’ for...

CHICAGO (CBS) — Cook County commissioners voted Thursday to release the addresses of confirmed COVID-19 patients to first responders.  Commissioners voted 9-7 with one abstention for the resolution to share the addresses as a safety measure for healthcare...

The 9-1-1 Association announced that Cassie Lowery, ENP of Rutherford County (TN) Emergency Communications has been elected by the organizations’ membership to serve on its Board of Directors and help lead the association’s mission to improve 9-1-1 through research,...

Sunstar Paramedics employees, emergency medical services dispatcher and paramedic Christopher Kannenberg and emergency medical technician Jason Melzer are among the recipients of the 2020 Pinellas County Emergency Medical Services Professionals of the Year. This award...

CHICAGO – As part of Mayor Lori E. Lightfoot’s all-hands-on-deck public safety strategy, the Office of Emergency Management and Communications (OEMC), the Chicago Police Department and other City departments and agencies today joined together to emphasize that safety...

Volunteer for the NG9-1-1 GIS Data Model v2 Working Group
Friday, May 22, 2020   (0 Comments)Posted by: Chris NussmanNENA seeks volunteers for a new working group to address specific items identified as future work in the NENA Standard for NG9-1-1 GIS Data Model. This document will be developed in compliance with ANSI Essential Requirements processes. The scope of this working group is limited to these items:
Canada extension
Inconsistencies related to layer names, domains, and street type field names
Potential data model structure or content modifications needed for atypical street naming and the representation of driveways and non-traversable roads. Recommendations for data model structural changes will be considered as provided from the GIS Stewardship for NG9-1-1: Road Centerlines WG.
Clarifying text for R/L domain concepts
Clarifying text for spatial references and horizontal accuracy
Volunteers for this work group should have a variety of expertise with GIS data management and need to have a solid understanding of the NENA Standard for NG9-1-1 GIS Data Model and the NENA Information Document for GIS Data Stewardship for Next Generation 9-1-1. Participants with the following experience and/or skills are especially needed:
Substantial experience in Canadian address data management
Experience managing GIS Road Centerlines databases (USA and/or Canada)
Experience implementing the NENA Standard for NG9-1-1 GIS Data Model
Geodesy or other similar experience with spatial reference and horizontal accuracy
When signing up for the WG, please document which of these skills you possess in the “Knowledge, Skills, Abilities You Offer” section of the form. WG members will be required to participate in at least one of the subgroups that will be formed to focus on a specific scope item. Skillsets will be taken into consideration when subgroups are formed and members may need to provide additional information regarding their related experience when they submit their request to join this working group. 90-minute calls will be held every Thursday at 2PM Eastern beginning Thursday, June18, 2020.
Click here to join the NG9-1-1 GIS Data Model v2 Working Group.

INDIANAPOLIS -- A team of recent graduates from the School of Informatics and Computing at IUPUI and the School of Science at IUPUI has been awarded $70,000 from the National Institutes of Standards and Technology, or NIST, for developing artificial intelligence...

ELIZABETHTOWN — There is new life in Bladen County today. And a member of the Bladen County Sheriff’s Office provided a valuable assist. Jasmine Collins, a telecommunicator, was on duty when a 911 call came from the Owen Hill area. A mother-to-be was not going to make...

Two Kitsap 911 employees were singled out for special recognition this year, winning Public Safety Communications Awards and Technology Leadership Awards from the Association of Public Safety Communications Officials International, which recently announced its winner...

An Orange County Sheriff's Department engineer received international recognition for his work leading the team responsible for ensuring Orange County's emergency services responders can effectively communicate. Nick Condaras, Senior Telecommunications Engineer...

Commissioners approved for Porter and County Attorney Josh Seabourn to begin negotiating with the City of Pampa about combining the Pampa Police/Pampa Emergency and Gray County Sheriff’s Office dispatch offices. “This a win-win for the City of Pampa and Gray County,”...

Using Empathy to Improve Your Communications SkillsWednesday, May 27 | 3PM Eastern (live) or On-DemandFREE for NENA Members | Not a member? Join today to receive access!Click here to register!
The ability to communicate effectively is an essential skill for successful careers and relationships ? even more so in 9-1-1. In this webinar, we?ll talk about how dispatcher communications impact the call and the response. We will discuss how each call impacts TCs physically and emotionally, as well as how you can make each call successful by learning to hear yourself and by being aware of what you actually say. You?ll learn how to:
Develop a true connection with callers and field responders;
Grow trust between you, your agency, and those you serve; and
Identify plans to improve peer-to-peer communications and effectiveness in your center.
Can’t attend on the 27th? Register now and you will receive an email after the live presentation with instructions for accessing the on-demand webinar archive.
Presenter: Daniel Edwards ? Critical Perceptions, LLC
CEUs: Attend this webinar and receive one-half ENP re-certification point towards the ten-point maximum for NENA courses in the Professional Development CEU/Course Credits section.
Webinar Access Info: Dial-in and web-access details provided automatically via email upon registration.
Questions? Contact Amanda Tegtmeyer with the NENA Education team.

Escambia County has named Jason Rogers as the new director of Public Safety. His responsibilities to include oversight of daily operations and planning for long- term improvements for Escambia County EMS, Emergency Management, county dispatch and 911 center, the...