Operations
Zetron Unveils Breakthrough MAX Dispatch System
March 10, 2011Zetron unveils MAX Dispatch system at IWCE in Las Vegas, Nev., March 9-11. MAX Dispatch is a pure, end-to-end IP-based telecommunications console system that incorporates input from customers and resellers who previewed the system during its development.
Read full articleAccidental 9-1-1 Calls Cost Big Bucks & Run Police Ragged
March 10, 2011Ramsey County, Minn. — If you accidentally call 911, stay on the line and talk to the operator, or else a squad car will pull up at your home. They’re mostly embarrassing mistakes that only take a split second, but end up eating precious time and costing police departments thousands of dollars every year: The 911 hangup calls.
Read full articleCorrecting ‘Wrong Addresses’
March 10, 2011Chapel Hill, N.C. — An Orange County government project that was started in 1987, but stalled in 1991, is being brought back to life, and it’s likely there will be plenty of people who aren’t going to be too happy about it. Orange County is working on an ordinance that will require residents who have the “wrong addresses” to correct them.
Read full articleBleak Grant Outlook for 2011
March 3, 2011Politicians tell us that the recession has ended. If you asked a person standing in an unemployment line in New York, Philadelphia, Denver or Los Angeles if they agree with that assessment, they would probably say no. If you look at many state and local budgets, prosperity is hard to find. More and more, states are withholding funds that used to be passed on to municipalities to help with their projects.
Read full articleEllen Pittman
March 3, 2011There’s no doubt Ellen Pittman, an assistant supervisor for the Department of Public Safety Communications in Fairfax County, Va., is a go-getter. This military veteran has quickly moved up the department’s ranks to serve as a manager, as well as a training instructor, while maintaining a positive attitude.
Read full articleFinances Threaten Sequatchie 9-1-1 Office
March 2, 2011Chattanooga, Tenn. — The Sequatchie County 9-1-1 office could be put under Tennessee Emergency Communications Board supervision if a recent audit shows it in the red for a third consecutive year, officials say. Sequatchie County commissioners last week approved $40,000 for the county’s 9-1-1 District to keep the department running until the end of the fiscal year on June 30.
Read full articleEmergency Calls in Finland
February 24, 2011As follow-up to discussing the complicated system of eight emergency numbers in Austria, as well as providing an overview of the 112 emergency number used in Europe, I will focus on another European Union (EU) country: Finland. Finland is famous for being home to a company that started by producing rubber boots and car tires and is today a leader in cell phone production, and for its use of the Finnish sauna. Almost every business building in the country has a wooden sauna cabin adjacent to a meeting room(s), allowing executives to continue a business meeting at a dry heat temperature of approximately 90° C (190° F).
Read full articleFor the Love of the Job
February 16, 2011Donald Winsock was exposed to the public safety industry at a young age, spending a lot of time at Firehouse #5 in Hanover Township, Pa. His experiences serving as a firefighter and EMT, and, eventually, a 9-1-1 telecommunicator laid the foundation for a successful career. He’s currently emergency communications supervisor for Arlington County (Va.) Comm Center.
Read full articleGet Educated at EMS Today
February 3, 2011On the afternoon of March 3, the CDC’s Richard C. Hunt, MD, FACEP, and APCO Technical Service Manager Kathy McMahon will conduct a session at the EMS Today Conference & Exposition called Advanced Automatic Crash Notification (AACN): Using This Data to Enhance Emergency Response.
Read full articleNarrowbanding & You
February 1, 2011On the APCO Open Forum, we are starting to see more inquiries and discussions about narrowbanding. One thing we all have to keep in mind is the deadline: Jan. 1, 2013. This is the drop-dead date per the FCC order. What does this mean to us as first responders? Here’s where your homework assignment starts. Locate all your radio licenses. If you are currently licensed in the VHF spectrum (150–174 MHz) or the UHF spectrum (421–512 MHz) for almost any purpose, narrowbanding will affect you.
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