Posts From External News Source
Internal Woes at Kane County Sheriff’s Office
December 18, 2010Kane County, Ill. — Both injury and technology may be hindering the effectiveness of police operations for Kane County sheriff’s officers. Public safety deputies filed a formal grievance claiming there are major flaws with the radio system.
Read full articlePoor Cell Phone Service Worries First Maine Responders
December 17, 2010East Millinocket, Maine — On Dec. 1, a pregnant woman was involved in a car accident in a snowstorm so bad that Fire Chief Les Brown told other emergency responders to turn back. The woman appeared to be OK, but Brown wanted to double-check her condition with a doctor and to ensure patient the privacy, Brown used his cell phone to call the doctor, but couldn’t get a signal.
Read full articleJasper County 9-1-1 Board & Family Thank Local 9-1-1 Dispatcher
December 16, 2010Carthage, Mo. — Brandi Rush was prepared for a big morning on Oct. 29. She was nine-months pregnant and she was slated to go to the hospital at 5 a.m. that day so her doctor could induce her labor, but baby Baylor had other ideas.
Read full articleLas Cruces Suffers 3-hour Internet & Phone Outage
December 15, 2010Las Cruces, N.M. — Though it could have been dangerous, calm prevailed over calamity as Las Cruces was affected Tuesday by a major communications failure. Two Qwest Communications fiber-optic cables were severed at a construction site 19 miles south of Socorro, N.M., about 3:30 p.m. Tuesday, and at another construction site near Tijeras, just north of Albuquerque. The cuts shut down telephone, Internet and most other communications services for thousands of New Mexicans for more than three hours Tuesday.
Read full articleScrambled Signals on Emergency System
December 14, 2010San Francisco — In the years following the Sept. 11 terrorist attacks, the National Telecommunications and Information Administration began providing funds to upgrade local emergency communications systems around the country. But agencies in the Bay Area are not on the same wavelength when it comes to signing up for this program.
Read full articleVirtual ID Links Patients, Rescuers
December 13, 2010Gold Cross, the the 9-1-1 emergency responder for Salt Lake City and Uintah County, is introducing a virtual medical identification card that allows individuals and families to provide information through a secure online web service in case of an emergency.
Read full articleDispatchers Want 9-1-1 Calls Exempt from Open Records Law
December 10, 2010Nashville, Tenn. — The state’s emergency dispatchers said Tuesday they want to exempt 9-1-1 audiotapes from Tennessee’s open records law to save distraught crime victims and their families from hearing their calls played in the media.
Read full articleRochester/Monroe County 9-1-1 Center Reaccredited
December 9, 2010Rochester, N.Y. — The Rochester/Monroe County (N.Y.) 9-1-1 Center has received its fourth accreditation from the Commission for Accreditation of Law Enforcement. The accreditation, received Nov. 20 at the CALEA Conference in California, followed a process to assure the center is meeting public safety standards.
Read full articleEmergency Access Advisory Committee Announcement of Members and Co-Chairpersons
December 9, 2010On Dec. 7, 2010, FCC Chairman Julius Genachowski announced the establishment, and appointment of members and Co-Chairpersons of the Emergency Access Advisory Committee (EAAC), an advisory committee required by the Twenty-first Century Communications and Video Accessibility Act of 2010 (the Accessibility Act).
Read full articleFired Florida Dispatcher Will Get Job Back
December 8, 2010North Port, Fla. — Arbitrator says city is inconsistent in discipline of 9-1-1 calltakers. The police dispatcher fired for failing to send help to a crash victim who was found dead hours later is getting her job back, along with a year’s back pay.
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