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HPD’s Liliana McFarland named Dispatcher of the Year (CA)

ANFORD — After 11 years with the Hanford Police Department, Liliana McFarland earned her biggest commendation to date. McFarland, a communications dispatcher for the HPD, was named the Dispatcher of the Year for her agency. “I’m thankful that they do see the work that...

How to use mass notification technology for COVID-19

As the coronavirus continues to spread across the United States, daily life has shifted; more people are working from home, and formerly bustling cities are shut down while government takes measures to slow the spread. Amid these changes, public health and safety...

COVID-19 Surveillance with Terry Peterson (WA)

[PODCAST] Terry Peterson, Deputy Director of Snohomish County 911, discusses his center’s implementation of Protocol 36: Pandemic/Epidemic/Outbreak (Surveillance or Triage), how things have changed for emergency dispatchers, and how they’re planning for the...

Four New Members Elected to Serve on NENA Board of Directors

Laurie Anderson, ENP elected 2nd Vice President; Cassie Lowery, ENP elected Southeastern Director; Bruce Romero, ENP elected Western Director; Karin Marquez, ENP elected Private Sector Director.
Today, NENA: The 9-1-1 Association announced that Laurie Anderson, ENP of the Charlotte County (FL) Sheriff’s Office, Cassie Lowery, ENP of Rutherford County (TN) Emergency Communications, Bruce Romero, ENP of the Arapahoe County (CO) E911 Emergency Communications Service Authority, and Karin Marquez, ENP of RapidSOS have 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, standards development, training, education, outreach, and advocacy.
Anderson, who will ascend to 1st Vice President in 2021 and then association President in 2022, has been a public-safety professional for nearly three decades. Active on both the local and national levels, she is a past president of the Florida NENA chapter and currently serves on the state?s E911 Board as an At-Large Representative. She sits on NENA?s Education Advisory Board and is a founding Co-Chair of the association?s Wellness Committee.
Lowery, who will represent NENA members from the Southeastern Region on the board, has worked in the 9-1-1 industry for twenty-five years and has volunteered at both the county and state level on multiple boards and committees. She served as Secretary for the Tennessee NENA board for six years and currently serves as Chair of the Financial Study Committee for the Tennessee Emergency Communications Board.
Romero, who will represent NENA members from the Western Region on the board, has worked in 9-1-1 since 1988. In 2015, he was elected 2nd Vice President of Colorado NENA/APCO and completed his term as Immediate Past President in 2019. He has served as the NENA Bylaws Committee Chair since 2018. He is the Vice Chair of the Colorado PUC ESInet Users? Group and Treasurer of the Colorado 9-1-1 Training Standards Institute.
Marquez, a two-decade-plus veteran of 9-1-1, will represent NENA?s private-sector members on the board. Beginning her tenure in public-safety as a dispatcher and having spent the majority of her career working in the PSAP before joining RapidSOS, she brings a wealth of operations- and technical-knowledge to her board position.
Anderson, Lowery, Romero, Marquez, and six other Board of Directors members will be sworn in this June: President Gary Bell, ENP; 1st Vice President, Jennifer White, ENP; Immediate Past President, Monica Million, ENP; Northeastern Director, Erin Malloy, ENP; North Central Director, Daryl Ostendorf, ENP; and Canadian Director, Holly Barkwell, ENP.

NG9-1-1 Interoperability Commission Welcomes Flaherty, Furth to Advisory Slots

The NG9-1-1 Interoperability Oversight Commission (NIOC) is pleased to announce that Laurie Flaherty, Coordinator for the National 911 Program at the U.S. Department of Transportation, and David Furth, Deputy Chief of the Federal Communications Commission?s Public Safety and Homeland Security Bureau, have been confirmed by the NENA Board to fill two non-voting seats on the NIOC. In this role, they will serve as liaisons between NIOC and the federal government?s 9-1-1 policy coordination and telecommunications regulatory functions, respectively.
?David Furth and Laurie Flaherty will deliver even more expertise and vision to the outstanding team already assembled on the commission,? says NIOC Chair Rick Blackwell, ENP, E9-1-1 Director for Greenville County, South Carolina. ?I join with the rest of the NIOC commissioners in welcoming the incredible strengths that David and Laurie will contribute to our collective effort.?
Though NIOC bylaws allow the non-voting members to introduce new business, per federal guidelines they will not participate in voting or other decision-making activities.

Pandemic response surfaces security gaps

The changes to government security practices wrought by the COVID-19 pandemic are unlikely to dissipate when the virus does, current and former government officials said during a recent webinar. Because public-safety data is usually highly sensitive, officials have...

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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