Posts From Keri Losavio
First Responders Launch Campaign for Nationwide Communications Network
June 7, 2010The Public Safety Alliance, a partnership among the nation’s leading public safety associations, announced a national advertising and grassroots campaign, calling on Congress to modify the FCC’s proposed auction of the D Block included in its national broadband plan. The group is comprised of major national organizations representing police, fire and emergency medical services (EMS) agencies — all concerned by the lack of a nationwide interoperable communications network they desperately need to keep America safe and respond to crime, fire, emergencies, acts of terrorism and natural disasters.
Read full articleMotorola Outlines Next Gen Plan for Public Safety
May 28, 2010Motorola is committed to public safety and ensuring that public safety agencies can build on current solutions to position themselves for NG9-1-1, according to Greg Brown, co-CEO, Motorola; and CEO, Motorola Solutions, and Gene Delaney, president, Enterprise Mobility Solutions, Motorola.
Read full articleTechnology vs. Dispatch Experience
May 28, 2010On May 2, the city of DeKalb, Ill., 9-1-1 system dodged a bullet. That morning, a tech savvy freshman from Northern Illinois University programmed his iPhone to call 9-1-1 repeatedly, tying up the city’s two 9-1-1 lines. It took only six minutes for Carol Halsey, a DeKalb Comm Center dispatcher with 20 years of experience, to stop the loop.
Read full articleTrained Right
May 7, 2010An interview with Kathryn Wheeler of the Willamette Valley Comm Center in Salem, Ore. Wheeler successfully processed an emergency childbirth call, as well as an emergency call about her father on April 20, only six months into her public safety communications career.
Read full articleChicago’s Intelligent Video System
April 30, 2010A case study and review of how Chicago’s Office of Emergency Management and other agencies, including the police and fire departments and the Navy Pier, came to select and install IBM’s Smart Surveillance Solution, and the success of the system.
Read full articleLucky No. 4
April 30, 2010Over the span of several years, Theodore “Ted” Cook, a dispatcher for the Mooresville (Ind.), has answered four emergency calls from his wife, Susan.
Read full articleHook ‘Em While They’re Young
April 26, 2010An interview with program coordinator Frank DeRusso about the creation, development and implementation of Fort Lauderdale High School’s Public Safety Telecommunicator Course. The course uses APCO materials and certifications for police and fire dispatch, as well as training simulators.
Read full articleCelebrate the First First Responders
April 16, 2010This is National Public Safety Telecommunications Week, and politicians and the public made it a point to honor telecommunicators for their part in saving lives. Read about the kickoff and other events held this week.
Read full article9-1-1? There’s an App for That
April 15, 2010There’s a new iPhone app called Silent Bodyguard. When activated, the application silently sends an emergency alert and your GPS location to a pre-set list of phone numbers and e-mail addresses at 60-second intervals without alerting onlookers or potential attackers. Public safety telecommunicators need to know how to manage those calls and have a procedure in place for how to best use the GPS information being delivered to you.
Read full articleNational Broadband Plan Released
March 24, 2010APCO and the public safety community have been anticipating the release of the FCC’s National Broadband Plan for some time now. In March, the FCC finally released the plan.
Read full article