"Public Safety Communications"
Managing Blood Sugar
December 28, 2010Every 20 seconds, someone in the U.S. is diagnosed with diabetes. Managing your total amount of carbohydrate intake in a meal is essential to controlling blood sugar, and knowing how fast a carbohydrate enters the bloodstream can help.
Read full articleEven Reindeer Need GPS
December 20, 2010To get Santa to the right chimney on time, Rudolph’s red nose has been supplemented by a whole bunch of navigation and communications electronics over the years. His electronics far surpass even today’s police, fire and EMS vehicles. (And, sadly, Rudolph’s red nose is caused by the non-ionizing radiation from all of the sleigh’s transmitters.)
Read full articlePolishing the Protégé
December 20, 2010The importance of creating a culture of support within an organization, including public safety communications agencies, cannot be overstated. As leaders we have an obligation to our people to be mentors and help them achieve their greatest potential. Mentoring benefits the mentor, the protégé and the organization.
Read full articleThe Lost Art of Delegation
December 15, 2010You’ve been the operations coordinator for about a year, and you feel like you can never seem to get through your weekly to-do list. One day during a gripe session with the director, you tell her this. She says, “Why don’t you delegate the scheduling to Joe.” Seeing an uncomfortable look come across your face, she asks, “You aren’t afraid to delegate, are you?”
Read full articleA Master Plan
December 1, 2010Business experts have long considered strategic planning a necessary tool for success, but we suspect that few comm centers develop and implement meaningful strategic plans. Strategic planning is rooted in future-oriented, proactive thinking that anticipates change and adopts long-term strategies to meet the demands of that change. In other words, it is a “master plan” for your comm center.
Read full articleNG9-1-1: Technology Implementation
November 10, 2010Next Generation 9-1-1 (NG9-1-1) systems will allow stakeholders to incorporate new technologies and information sharing methods into their architecture, but it’s important to understand that not all NG9-1-1 systems are equal. Before agencies draft their proposals to implement NG9-1-1, it’s important to keep the technology cart behind the horse by using the core principles of project management.
Read full article2010 Hot Products
November 3, 2010Gear, gadgets and great ideas could be found in abundance at the 76th Annual APCO Conference & Exposition in Houston in August. This year, a select few APCO experts patrolled the exhibit hall for PSC. Incognito, they hunted for the most innovative solutions available to the public safety communications market. Our reviewers have asked all the tough questions, played with the technology and drawn conclusions, identifying the best of the best released in 2010. Here’s what our reviewers have to say about 20 solutions that could soon be coming to an agency near you.
Read full articleSpace-Age Communications
October 27, 2010Advanced Phenomenal Co-piloting Of emergency response: With this new definition of APCO, Tracey Hillburn of Bossier Parish (La.) Communications secured…
Read full articlePublic Safety Communications Announces 2010 Hot Products
October 15, 2010San Diego, Calif. — Public Safety Communications (PSC), a monthly publication published by Elsevier Public Safety on behalf of the…
Read full articleWhen West Trains East
October 11, 2010In the August 2009 issue, we published an article by Mark Boudreaux called “9-1-1 Instructor for Hire: When West Trains East.” The article was a first-person account from an APCO adjunct instructor who traveled to the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia to provide public safety telecommunications training at King Abdullah’s University of Science and Technology (KAUST) — a brand new, state-of-the art facility on the coast of the Red Sea in Thuwal. Here, Boudreaux continues his story.
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