Ocean City wants to revisit its long-held quest to handle its own 911 calls. Expectations for any changes on this front should be low. For at least 25 years, Ocean City officials have tried to convince Worcester County to allow 911 calls originating on the island to...

GRAND ISLAND, Neb (NTV) - Ravaged by floods and tornadoes, Grand Island prepares for the future with its new Emergency Management and Communications Center. The dispatchers who work there are the first first-responder to many emergencies but if a disaster affected...

The cellphones that have revolutionized the way we communicate also pose real challenges for our 911 emergency response system. Three-fourths of the calls to Benton County's 911 system now come from cellphones, which take up to three times longer to manage than...

About midnight one evening in 2008, I began to enjoy a late-night snack — a granola bar. After several bites, my lips and mouth seemed itchy and began to swell. Realizing I was reacting to something in the granola, I immediately stopped eating it, but the...

In part one of our special report, “Lives on the Line” we highlighted the struggles 911 dispatchers face.While it’s a difficult job, in one dispatcher’s words, there are those calls that make it all worthwhile. One of those calls involved a young Morton girl whose...

Plano (WBAP/KLIF)  You can now text 9-1-1 if you have an emergency in the city of of Plano.  The city says the ability to text messages to 9-1-1 will help residents who are hearing impaired.  But, it can also be used in circumstances where it’s not safe...

TYLER, Texas — No one ever wants to have to call 9-1-1. However, those three numbers have saved countless lives since its first use in 1968. Each year, there are over 240 million calls into 9-1-1 dispatch services in the U.S., according to the National Emergency...

With the Kincade Fire in Sonoma County entering its second week, local public servants are stepping forward to help. The Santa Clara Police Department (SCPD) has sent a trio of dispatchers to Sonoma County. “[Sonoma County has] a lot of fire personnel in the...

MOREHEAD, Ky. (WTVQ) – Morehead State University Police Officer Harley Catron has spent her career and her life overcoming the odds.  That’s why she was chosen as an ABC 36 9-1-1 Hero. After a challenging upbringing in Montgomery County where some family members...

Lagging technology, increasing fees and little say in how funds are spent have north-valley law enforcement and emergency response leaders shopping for a dispatcher. Crested Butte Fire Protection District, Crested Butte Marshal’s Office and Mt. Crested Butte Police...

HARRISON, Ark. -- Smart 911 is not only helpful for dispatchers and first responders. The Boone County 911 director says it also could help save your life. Without saying a word, you can now tell emergency dispatchers a lot. "If it's a medical call, we can share that...

Three longtime female dispatchers for the East Bank Consolidated Fire Department in Jefferson Parish have filed a sexual discrimination lawsuit in federal court claiming a supervisor routinely passed over women for promotions and had inappropriate relationships with...

Present at the event...

The Putnam County 911 District has a new director. Penny Foister was named as the director at the October 911 board meeting through a unanimous vote. Foister began her career in 1992 as a paramedic. She later served as a 911 training officer and was named assistant...

JEROME, Idaho (KMVT/KSVT) A Magic Valley woman is getting recognized by the state for her work as a 911 dispatcher. Southern Idaho Regional Communications dispatcher Angel Hunsaker was named Communicator of the Year at the Idaho Public-Safety Access Point conference...

GREENSBURG, Pa. —Some 911 dispatchers are sounding the alarm about a system they say is putting lives in danger. It’s a dispatch program used in Westmoreland County. Programs like it will soon be required throughout Pennsylvania. The program, called ProQA, requires...

TEXT-TO-9-1-1 if you can’t What is TEXT-TO-9-1-1? TEXT-TO-9-1-1 is the ability to send a text message to 911 from your mobile phone or handheld device. Messages are routed to the appropriate Campbell County 911 center in a designated queue. TEXT-TO-9-1-1 is...

Thousands of Californians are struggling through blackouts and wildfires without a crucial safety connection: cell phone service. Without cell service, signing up for emergency wildfire evacuation notices or getting backup chargers to keep phones going during a power...

A federal bill has passed the House and is awaiting a vote in the Senate that would reclassify 911 dispatchers as first responders. Currently, dispatchers are considered a clerical, administrative role. But, for those who do the job, and those who rely on them,...