Industry
Police Track Down Tot Who Called 9-1-1 about 150 Times in Three Days
September 29, 2011Officers for the West Valley City Police Department found themselves walking door-to-door recently, trying to track down a disconnected cellphone that a young child used to make about 150 calls to 911 over a course of about three days, said Lt. Michael Coleman.
Read full articleLESA CERT Works Tacoma Mall Active Shooter Exercise
September 28, 2011On August 12th, members of LESA Communication’s Emergency Response Team (CERT) manned the radios for a full scale active shooter exercise held by TPD at the Tacoma Mall. This exercise allowed officers, SWAT, hostage negotiations, bomb techs and rescue units the opportunity to test their skills and equipment. Three tactically trained dispatchers reported to the Mobile Command Unit (MCU) in the mall’s parking lot and ran exercise communications.
Read full articleLancaster to Join Regional Dispatch Center
September 28, 2011A proposed regional police dispatch center now has the support it needs to move forward after the third of five towns initially asked to join has signed on to the project. The dispatch center will include Harvard, Devens, Lunenburg, Lancaster and Shirley and will mean a savings of more than $100,000 for each community after the first year.
Read full articleFeds: Poor Communication Before Firefighter Deaths
September 27, 2011A federal agency has found that poor communications and too few radios contributed to the deaths of two Chicago firefighters killed last year when an abandoned building collapsed. … In Chicago radios are provided to one member of each team of two or three firefighters, Langford said. Each firefighter will be provided a radio next year, when, according to the Office of Emergency Management and Communication, a new digital radio system will be put in place.
Read full articleNot Admitting a 9-1-1 Hang-Up to Vallejo Police Could Cost You
September 27, 2011Vallejo, Calif., police plan to teach residents to admit their mistakes, or pay if they don’t. Starting Oct. 1, trying to pretend an accidental 9-1-1 call never happened could result in a $200 bill. The department receives about 4,500 hang-up calls on its 9-1-1 line annually.
Read full articleFCC Staff White Paper Outlines Vision for ‘Deployable Aerial Communications Architecture’ to Improve the Ability to Communicate in Times of Emergency
September 27, 2011The FCC’s Public Safety and Homeland Security Bureau released a comprehensive white paper outlining a vision for how “deployable aerial communications architecture” (DACA) can be used to provide communications following a catastrophic event when the terrestrial communications infrastructure is severely damaged or unavailable. The white paper includes recommendations to the Commission for next steps on how to incorporate this technology into the nation’s communications infrastructure.
Read full articleAdams County Enters Radio Talks
September 27, 2011The Adams County, Pa., commissioners recently approved entering talks with three companies, each of which would provide a different portion of a new, multi-million dollar digital radio system to replace the antiquated analog radios used by the county’s emergency responders.
Read full articleGot an emergency?; Txt 911
September 27, 2011In August, the Durham Emergency Communications Center became the second 9-1-1 center to use the text-to-9-1-1 program. Only Verizon Wireless customers in Durham can send messages during the six-month trial.
Read full articleLos Gatos and Campbell Consider Consolidation of Their 9-1-1 Dispatch Centers
September 27, 2011“The dispatchers are the first contact a victim has with the police department,” Campbell Police Chief Greg Finch said, “so we’d have to see what we’d gain from consolidation.” He called the possibility of consolidation a new reality given the economic times.
Read full articleNYC Council Holds Hearing on Resolution to Pass S.911
September 27, 2011Three major New York City Committees are holding a hearing today to consider a resolution encouraging Congress and the President to sign into law S.911; The Public Safety Spectrum and Wireless Innovation Act of 2011. The Committee on Fire and Criminal Justice Services, jointly with the Committee on Public Safety and the Committee on Technology will convene at 10:00 a.m. in the 16th Floor Committee Room at 250 Broadway in New York City.
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