Industry
Organization Cites Three Beach 9-1-1 Dispatchers for State Award
November 21, 2011An international public safety group has chosen three city 911 dispatchers to receive Heroes Awards for helping children in crisis. The nonprofit, 9-1-1 for Kids, provides training to reduce nonemergency 911 calls and recognizes local dispatchers who act heroically in the course of their work.
Read full articlePolice Departments Want to Tune Public Out of Radio
November 21, 2011Police departments around the country are working to shield their radio communications from the public as cheap, user-friendly technology has made it easy for anyone to use hand-held devices to keep tabs on officers responding to crimes.
Read full articleGovernor’s EMS Award for Outstanding Contribution to EMS Telecommunications Awarded to Nicola Tidey
November 18, 2011This past Saturday evening at the 32nd Annual Virginia EMS Symposium the Governor’s EMS Award for Outstanding Contribution to EMS…
Read full articleLautenberg Announces Nearly $200 Million for Cops Program in Final Appropriations Bill
November 18, 2011U.S. Senator Frank R. Lautenberg (D-NJ) today announced that President Barack Obama will sign $198 million into law for the Community Oriented Policing Services (COPS) Program. $166 million of that funding will be used for grants to hire and retain police officers in communities around the country. The funding comes from the joint House and Senate minibus conference report, which includes the final version of the Fiscal Year 2012 Commerce, Justice and Science (CJS) appropriations bill that was approved in Congress yesterday.
Read full articleAnna G. Eshoo: Police and Firefighters Need a Better Way to Communicate During Emergencies
November 18, 2011By Anna G. Eshoo, Special to the San Jose Mercury News (California): Each one of us will never forget the ill-fated day of Sept. 11, 2001. Faced with the unimaginable, firefighters, Emergency Medical Services and police officers arrived on the scene, only to contend with an outdated radio communications system that prevented seamless communications among emergency personnel.
Read full articleEmergency Dispatching: Not for the Faint of Heart
November 18, 2011The hallway to Roanoke County’s emergency call center is lined with photos of recruits from recent years. The other day, Aleta Coleman, a longtime supervisor, was listing the places some now work. From 2003’s class, one left for Carilion Clinic. From 2004, one left for the Internal Revenue Service. From 2006, one left for the Virginia State Police. From 2007, one left for a local restaurant. From last year, one left for Franklin County’s call center.
Read full articlePublic Safety Representatives Meet with Members of Congress to Urge D Block Allocation to Public Safety
November 17, 2011On Tuesday, Nov. 15, Senator Kirsten Gillibrand (D-NY), along with Senators Charles Schumer (D-NY), Frank Lautenberg (D-NJ), Joseph Lieberman (I-CT), Congressman Peter King (R-NY) and Congresswoman Anna Eshoo (D-CA) were joined by more than 40 uniformed public safety officials and dozens more supporters to urge members of the Joint Select Committee on Deficit Reduction, or Super Committee, to include S.911 language to allocate the D block spectrum within the 700 MHz band to public safety and to provide for $11 billion for construction of the Public Safety Broadband Network.
Read full articleIn An Emergency, Law Enforcement May Be Out of Touch
November 17, 2011As more consumers ditch land lines for the convenience and lower costs of cellphones, they risk being left out of the loop for emergency notifications.
Read full articleHamilton County 9-1-1 Suing AT&T Over Unpaid Fees and False Reports
November 17, 2011Lawyers for Hamilton County 911 filed a federal lawsuit Monday alleging that AT&T submitted false reports, neglected to pay fees for nearly a decade and used the savings as an unfair advantage against competing phone companies.
“AT&T has violated state law by filing false reports and failing to remit 911 charges necessary to pay for life-saving services,” said a statement from attorneys for the Hamilton County 911 District.
Read full articleCarper Seeks Answers on State’s 9-1-1 Funds
November 17, 2011Kanawha County Commission President Kent Carper wants to know why the state diverted nearly $4 million in 911 fees last year from counties to state programs and agencies. West Virginia is one of seven states that divert money from 911 fees on wireless phones away from 911 call centers, according to a recent Federal Communications Commission report.
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