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As I See It: A 911 dispatcher says thanks (OR)
As a public employee, I knew it would not be appropriate to write a letter to the editor before the election, but if I could have, this is what I would have said: It’s hard to describe the life of a 911 dispatcher on paper. We work 24 hours a day, 365 days a year,...
911 Dispatch Centers Can Take Multiple Steps To Combat Cyberattacks
There are more than 6,000 dispatch points throughout the United States, and this vital emergency service is now under constant threat, because hackers are infiltrating dispatch centers and rerouting calls away from dispatchers. Malware and spear-phishing attacks...
Police dispatcher hopes to find forever home for cat waiting at shelter for 100 days (IN)
BLOOMINGTON, Ind. (WJW) — A photo of a police dispatcher cuddling with a cat at the shelter is quickly going viral. According to the Bloomington Police Department in Indiana, Matt Smith stopped by the shelter this week to take some photos for the “Furever Friends”...
New 911 dispatch center breaks ground in Hillsboro
HILLSBORO, OR (KPTV) – A new 911 dispatch center in now under construction in Washington County. Police, firefighters, and emergency responders were all there to celebrate the groundbreaking in Hillsboro Thursday afternoon. The center will feature technology to boost...
A dispatcher shared a heartwarming moment with a shelter cat – now he wants to find her a home (IN)
5-year-old Nevada has [been] at the shelter for 97 days BLOOMINGTON - When dispatcher Matt Smith went to the animal shelter to take some photos for the Bloomington Police Department, he had no idea he would find a new mission. "Five-year-old Nevada had been waiting on...
New emergency alert system gains approval by Lyon County Commission Thursday (KS)
Lyon County Commissioners approved payment for a new emergency alert system for Lyon County first responders during their weekly action session Thursday. Lyon County Emergency Communications Center Director Roxanne Van Gundy made the request of payment for the...
UCSO dispatcher completes basic class (OR)
SALEM — Dispatcher Rachael Haller of the Umatilla County Sheriff’s Office recently completed a course with the Oregon Department of Public Safety Standards and Training. Haller and her classmates graduated from Basic Telecommunications...
Thurston County Tax Increase to Improve 911 System Passes With Broad Support (WA)
Sales Tax: Measure Increases Sales Tax by One Tenth of 1 Percent A sales tax increase that would help fund replacements and upgrades for Thurston County’s primary emergency communication system, owned and operated by Thurston 911 Communications (TCOMM 911), was...
The New First Responder Crisis: Not Enough Dispatchers (CA)
In recent years there’s been a great deal written—some of it by us—about local governments failing to recruit enough employees to fill some of the most vital public sector jobs, including police, firefighters, emergency medical technicians and so on. People...
911 calls for help as dispatcher staff shrinks (WY)
Teton County’s communications center has half the dispatchers it needs to adequately answer emergency calls, and that means trouble. “We are one person away from not being able to answer 911 calls 24/7,” Sheriff Matt Carr told county commissioners Tuesday morning....
Dispatcher gives notice at Branch County 911 (MI)
Branch County Central Dispatch is back in crisis mode after a dispatcher gave her two-week notice Tuesday to leave for a higher paying job. Director Kurt Spalding told his board Wednesday an employee hired in July was released from her job October 31 during the...
C800 group seeks new location for tower in Lake Oswego (OR)
A wrench was thrown into the Clackamas 800 Radio Group's plans to build a public emergency communications facility at Cooks Butte Park after the three Emery sons, whose parents sold Cooks Butte Park to the City in 1975, withdrew their consent for the tower. "I have...
Miami looks to form central dispatch center (OK)
MIAMI, Ok. — The city of Miami is takings steps toward forming a central dispatch center. Since the Ottawa County Jail closed last month, dispatchers from the Sheriff’s Department have been working several hours at the Miami Police Department. Through this initiative,...
$1 million grant given to fund project (PA)
MIFFLINTOWN — A pivotal project in Juniata County will now be completed thanks to a recently awarded grant in the amount of $1 million. During Tuesday’s business meeting of the Juniata County Commissioners, Heather Kelly-Weisen, project coordinator for the...
Loveland/Symmes Fire Department Introduces “Smart911” to the Community (OH)
Loveland, Ohio – The speed and the accuracy when receiving a 911 call are top priorities to any 911 dispatcher. Although these 911 dispatchers do their best to focus on speed and accuracy one fact that many people may not know is that 80 percent of 911 calls are made...
911 telephone system working again in Clay County (AR)
PIGGOTT, Ark. (KAIT) - The 911 emergency system in Clay County is working again, after being out for almost 9 hours. According to Clay County Sheriff Terry Miller, the outage may have been caused by a fiber line being cut. The system came back up overnight... READ...
County picks vendors for 911 center systems; tech costs top $700K (WV)
Morgan County Commissioners on Friday selected two companies to provide three main technology components for an upgraded Morgan County 911 Center. Officials say the center will be built in the former Sheriff’s Office space in the rear annex of the county courthouse....
AMBER Alert issued for 3 children in Cascade County (MT)
The alert states: “Children believed to be in life threatening danger.” The Montana Department of Justice has issued an AMBER Alert for three children in Cascade County. The alert states that the three children were taken during the night, possibly by non-custodial...
Who is answering 911? (MO)
Emergency dispatchers must complete rigorous training When a person needs to call 911, more often than not, it is due to a serious life changing event happening at that very moment. When a call to the 911 center comes through, dispatchers are trained to answer the...
Communication with Chula Vista Police Department gets a boost (CA)
The Chula Vista Police Department recently expanded its Emergency Communications Center from eight dispatcher consoles to 11, with a new phone system that allows dispatchers to pinpoint the location of cell phone calls within three meters, a significant improvement...
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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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Support the reauthorization of the FirstNet Authority to preserve public safety’s network
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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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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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