Home ยป NEWS Wow, a lot of stuff

NEWS Wow, a lot of stuff

E911 Institute changed the way they did things ... I think last year, they began sending out news - you can get anything 9-1-1 from an RSS or newsfeed.  Anyway, when you have time there is a lot of good 'stuff' in here (not gossip).  :) 

 
 
Council votes to join County 911, overrules mayor: December 16, 2009
Richmond, MO - "This isn't over." That's what Richmond Public Safety Committee chairman Bob Bond said, the Wednesday after Mayor Lance Green declared he would veto a 5-3 vote for consolidating both Richmond's emergency 911 service and dispatch center with...

911 Hosted Solutions Feature: VoIP Complicates Existing...: December 16, 2009
TMCnet.com -Accessing emergency services by dialing 9-1-1 is a critical component of public safety and emergency preparedness. But reports about consumers being unable to access life-saving emergency services using Voice over Internet Protocol services are emerging...

911 board moves closer to implementing wireless calls...: December 16, 2009
Benton, IL - Rick Basso, Franklin County Emergency Telephone System director, told board members Tuesday that meetings are leading closer to the implementation of wireless phone calls for emergency service. During the regular meeting, Basso reminded members they had approved activities that would bring the...

Rossington pitches idea for joint Crawford Co. emergency...: December 16, 2009
Bucyrus, OH - Crawford County resident John Rossington has been attending city and county meetings here for the past few years.He compiled some compelling data government that he shared at Tuesday night's Bucyrus City Council meeting. "Since 1970, 6,368 people have left Crawford County. I think we need to look at the future and a better...

Jasper County Streamlines and Saves with microDATA's Next...: December 17, 2009
St. Johnsbury, VT - The Jasper County, Missouri PSAP (Public Safety Answering Point) replaced their enhanced 9-1-1 call handling system with microDATA's IP-based 9-1-1 Call Handling solution, delivering a robust and state of the art NG9-1-1 system at a price that made the system replacement easy. With the new system installed and running since February of 2009, Jasper County Emergency...

Florida First Responders Turn to Verizon Business for...: December 17, 2009
Tampa, FL - For first responders, saving seconds can mean saving lives. So when Hillsborough County officials wanted to tap the power of communications technology to speed response times in the cities of Plant City and Tampa and in unincorporated parts of the county, and put all the emergency systems under one umbrella, they turned to Verizon...

FSPD receives two grants: December 17, 2009
Fort Scott, KS - With the finishing of some final paperwork, the Fort Scott Police Department will receive nearly $75,000 in grant money. During Tuesday evening's Fort Scott City Commission meeting, commissioners accepted a grant from the Kansas Wireless Enhanced 911 Advisory Board in the amount of $50,709. According to FSPD Chief Ron Puterbaugh, the money will be used to upgrade the department's current computers...

Brookline 911 dispatcher praised for helping to save a life: December 18, 2009
Brookline, MA -Authorities in Brookline are praising the work of a rookie 911 dispatcher who helped a local man perform CPR on his wife last month until emergency medical technicians arrived. The woman survived, and now Emergency Dispatcher Siobhan McIntyre, who has been on the job...

DuPage 911: Cost, other questions remain: December 18, 2009
Naperville, IL -The cost of a new countywide emergency communications system doesn't have to blow the budget, officials heard Thursday,but no one is certain if it will work along with a separate system on order for Naperville and Aurora. At the request of the DuPage County Emergency Telephone System Board, the radio project's steering committee...

County plans to bond for new emergency call center: December 18, 2009
Keokuk, IA - Lee County officials hope to issue $500,000 in general obligation bonds to pay for equipment and interior construction costs for a new consolidated emergency dispatch and 911 call center. The new center will be constructed inside the Lee County Correctional Center, which is undergoing a $6.2 million renovation. Because the new call center...

Parents Meet 911 Operator Who Helped Deliver Baby Over Phone: December 18, 2009
Jacksonville, FL - The 911 operator who talked a Southside dad through the delivery of his son met the bundle of joy she helped deliver.The parents, Takara Houston and Omar Flournoy, never expected to deliver little Xavier in their own bedroom. It happened after the couple said they went to St. Luke's Hospital over the weekend. Houston thought...

City manager to 'present the facts' about joint 911: December 18, 2009
Richmond, KY - Richmond's 911 board met Friday to do some final fact gathering before Interim City Manager Jimmy Howard addresses the city commission about the idea of consolidating the city's 911 dispatch service with the E-911 system, which includes Berea and Madison County. "Tuesday at noon, we'll present the facts as we know them to the city...

911 Shortcomings: Florida's State of Emergency: December 19, 2009
Lakeland,  FL - A police operator's failure to dispatch an officer to a roadside in North Port - where the body of a dead man lay for more than 18 hours - has prompted more questions about the shortcomings of Florida's 911 "system." Here is another question to consider as the review of this incident continues: What must Florida - and its counties and cities - do to create a seamless system designed to ensure that all emergency calls receive...

No Man's Land: Emergency response to remote areas sometimes...: December 20, 2009
Farmington, NM - For at least 41 minutes, Patricia "Trish" Jacquez lay injured and dying in a ditch off La Plata Highway waiting for paramedics to respond. Jacquez was killed Sept. 24 when her vehicle went off a 45-foot embankment just before 1 p.m. near the state line. The 26-year-old was not wearing a seat belt and was ejected from her vehicle. She landed about 20 feet off to the right. Although police estimate the accident...

County, city each want own PSAP funding: December 20, 2009
Alamogordo, NM -Interim county manager Ray Backstrom told the Otero County Commission on Thursday night that there may be good news regarding a public safety answering point. The state Department of Finance and Administration made a push to co-locate nearby 911 dispatch services years ago. The DFA was going to provide equipment to all...

911 upgrade hinges on grant: December 21, 2009
Galesburg, IL - If $100,000 in grant money is approved, the city of Galesburg would have the newest technology in its 911 system that would allow for video and text messaging. The New Generation-911, or NG-911, would allow for texting, file sharing and the transmission of cell phone photos and real-time video as well as any future form...

Napa Dispatch Now Accepts Wireless 911: December 21, 2009
Napa County, CA - he Napa Dispatch Center began accepting wireless 911 calls in the county on Wednesday. The center, which provides emergency and non-emergency dispatch services for the Napa and American Canyon police departments, the Napa County Sheriff's Office, and the Napa Fire Department, began to accept wireless calls from...

Pinpointing the predicament: Dispatchers getting new system: December 21, 2009
Lake Havasu City, AZ - The 911 emergency call center in Havasu is expecting upgrades in 2010 that will more efficiently accommodate the average 250 calls per day. Dispatchers handle twice that amount during busy holiday weekends. The new system in the wings includes mapping capabilities associated with cell phone calls. The technology will help dispatchers to more easily coordinate emergency response...

County approves backup 911 plan: December 21, 2009
Wilkes County, NC - A backup copy of Wilkes County's 911 address data will soon be created and updated automatically as calls are made to the Wilkes Communications Center. Wilkes County commissioners on Tuesday night unanimously approved a 911 resource sharing agreement with Ashe County that provides this backup for Wilkes emergency communications. This backup information, collected for the first time, will be used if Wilkes 911 address data stored at the Wilkes...

Responders seek to bridge gaps in La Plata Highway service: December 21, 2009
Farmington, NM - Every minutes counts following the occurrence of an accident, especially when a life is on the line. Patricia "Trish" Jacquez, 26, lay injured and dying in a ditch off La Plata Highway waiting for paramedics to respond after her vehicle went off a 45-foot embankment near the state line on Sept. 24. About 20 minutes elapsed from the time the initial call to 911...

Ground breaking for new EMS Center: December 21, 2009
Muhlenberg Co. KY - Officials in Muhlenberg County broke ground for a new Emergency Services Center that will be the new home to 9-1-1 dispatch, Emergency Management, and Emergency Medical Services. "Cell phones have made a huge difference in call volumes," 9-1-1 dispatch supervisor Kristi Jenkins said. "So with that...

Emergency team honored for 911 birth: December 22, 2009
Jackson, MS - When Lisa Adams answered a 911 call earlier this month, the mother who needed help was already in labor. The mother, pregnant with her first child, was at her sister's south Jackson house when her water broke. It was almost 9:45 p.m. on Dec. 1. She could be heard in the background...

9-1-1 Calls from disconnected landlines: December 22, 2009
Maricopa, CA - It's become the trend for many to ditch their landline phones and strictly use cell phones. But many keep their home phone for fear of 9-1-1 dispatchers not being able to find them if they call from a cell in an emergency. When you call 9-1-1 from a cell as opposed to landline, a dispatcher...

Texas County Upgrades 9-1-1 System: December 22, 2009
Guymon, OK - If you call 9-1-1 in Texas County, using a cell phone, emergency crews may not find you right away. But that is soon to change. Texas County's emergency response system is undergoing a makeover. Over the next two weeks, a new GPS map...

Countywide radio system at least two years away: December 22, 2009
Gadsen, AL -The Etowah County Commission learned Tuesday that some help for a countywide radio system could be available from the state Department of Homeland Security but it is at least two years away. Art Faulkner, assistant to the director of the state Department of Homeland Security, met with the commissioners...

Governor activates Emergency Operations Center: December 22, 2009
Pierre, ND - Gov. Mike Rounds has ordered the state Emergency Operations Center opened at noon on Wednesday because of a major winter storm that is expected to pound South Dakota from Wednesday afternoon through Saturday morning.The storm is to bring from eight to 14 inches of snow across most of South Dakota. The heavy snow combined with winds that...

Rivada And Agito Partner To Bridge Emergency Communications: December 23, 2009
networkcomputing.com - In an increasingly standardized world, one of the areas that has resisted standardization is communication systems for first responders, the police, fire, medical and other emergency personnel who are the first people to arrive at accidents and disasters. While the departments...

A more direct line to 9-1-1: December 23, 2009
Napa Valley, CA - Emergency callers now have a more direct line to first responders in Napa County, as 911 calls from cell phone users will be directed to local agencies for the first time. Up until about a week ago, when people using a cell phone dialed 911 from within Napa County, they would reach a California...

Riley County wants to consolidate dispatch services: December 23, 2009
Riley County, KS - Riley County is the only area of its population size in Kansas to not have a consolidated center. The county has five emergency services which include: Manhattan Fire Department, Riley County Fire Distrcit #1, Riley County Emergency Medical Services, the Riley County Police Department and the Kansas State University Police Department. Right now...

OCC offering 911 dispatch academy: December 24, 2009
Detroit, MI - Oakland Community College is offering Michigan's first 911 Dispatch Academy beginning in the spring session from March 30 to May 6. Offered through OCC's Oakland Police Academy, the six-week program consists of 144 hours of instruction, including classroom and 911 simulator...

Centralized 911 system badly needed: December 24, 2009
Tuscaloosa, AL - On the city of Tuscaloosa's wish list, shared with local legislators earlier this week, is one item every person living here should want: a centralized E-911 system. It won't come in time for Christmas this year, or even - more than likely - for Christmas 2010, but it can't come soon enough. Until then, too many emergency calls will be delayed as they bounce from...

Naples learns of cost savings for 911 call center consolidation: December 24, 2009
Naples, FL -It likely won't happen but now Naples City Council members know how much consolidation of 911 call centers will save them. Naples police Chief Tom Weschler last week outlined a report about the potential savings surrounding consolidating its 911 communications call center with the Collier County Sheriff's Office center. The report came out...

A more direct line to 9-1-1 for Napa cell users: December 26, 2009
Napa, CA - Emergency callers now have a more direct line to first responders in Napa County, as 911 calls from cell phone users will be directed to local agencies for the first time. Up until about a week ago, when people using a cell phone dialed 911 from within Napa County, they would reach...

State looks at making 911 dispatch a regional operation: December 26, 2009
Park Rapids, MN -The 911 dispatch center is the lifeblood of emergency operations in Hubbard County, so when Sheriff Frank Homer announced last week the state is funding studies to determine whether it should move toward regional dispatch centers, the concept got a cool reception. Two Hubbard County commissioners are former road officers...

Fire-rescue dispatcher helps revive child pulled from pool: December 26, 2009
Orlando, FL - A fire-rescue dispatcher helped an Orlando family avert a Christmas Day tragedy when he provided them with life-saving directions to revive a toddler pulled from a swimming pool. "You never want to get those kinds of calls, any [calls] involving a child, especially on Christmas," said Scott Anderson, 26, the 911 operator for the Orange...

Guilford County 911 Center Gets International Recognition: December 27, 2009
Greensboro, NC - Guilford Metro 9-1-1 was recently awarded accreditation as an Emergency Fire Dispatch Center of Excellence from the International Academies of Emergency Dispatch (IAED). IAED is an international non-profit standard-setting organization that promotes safe and effective emergency dispatch services world-wide. Guilford Metro 9-1-1 is the 11th 9-1-1 center in the nation, out of 6,500, and the 12th emergency...

Catoosa to get 911 upgrade: December 27, 2009
Ringgold, GA - Catoosa County will upgrade its 911 system from 15-year-old technology to a new mainframe that can pinpoint cell calls and could receive text messages in the future.The Catoosa Commission approved the funding for the $249,000 system. Law enforcement officials hope it could be purchased, installed and operational by March. The call center dispatchers calls...

Region: Share Services Where It Makes Sense: December 28, 2009
Canton, CT - On Nov. 10, Canton named a new police chief, who will be paid $97,000 a year on a four-year contract. The new chief, John Murphy, is well qualified; that is not the point. The question is whether Canton should have named a police chief at all. The town has 14 uniformed officers. Neighboring Simsbury...

Study: Perform CPR on possible cardiac arrest patients: December 28, 2009
Evansville, IN - A new study suggests 9-1-1 callers should perform CPR on a possible cardiac arrest patient, even if they end up not needing it. Researchers found the benefits of early CPR to those having a cardiac arrest far outweighs the risk of injury...

911 non-emergencies a growing problem nationwide: December 29, 2009
Denver, CO - The 911 call came in as "ankle pain."So Denver paramedics headed out onto frozen streets and brought Debra Neaves to the hospital. With that trip, those emergency providers became makeshift patches in the frayed health care safety net, providing services they were never intended to provide - at enormous cost to health systems, taxpayers and everybody with health...

911 needs upgrades: December 29, 2009
Buffalo, NY - There's no telling whether a frantic 911 cell phone call by a woman screaming for help as fire tore through her Cheektowaga home would have turned out differently, had it not been sent on a circuitous route throughout an outdated system ill-equipped to handle emergency phone calls with the same speed...

Calls For Emergency Services Increasing; Response Times Improving: December 29, 2009
North Escambia, FL - The calls for emergency services are increasing in Escambia County, and recently released data shows that response time is improving. The average response time for Escambia Fire Rescue has improved slightly to 5.77 minutes, compared to 5.99 minutes...

Dispatchers: The life blood of the police department : December 30, 2009
Brookings, OR - With five computer screens to monitor - four of them on her desk  and four radio systems blaring -  Brookings Emergency Services Dispatcher Debbie Fries monitors emergency systems for the Brookings area, waiting for the next call for help. When it comes, Fries becomes the ringmaster for an electronic ...

Change coming to Montco 911 system: December 30, 2009
Eagleville, PA - Residents of Montgomery County can expect some changes in who's handling their emergency calls. Beginning next week, the county's more than 1,000 daily 911 calls will be handled at a centralized center in Eagleville, bypassing smaller call centers. It's a move that, officials say, will save money and streamline operations...

Wood County dispatchers say half of 911 calls are not emergencies: December 30, 2009
Wood County, OH - The Wood County Sheriff's Department says more than half of the 30,000 calls coming into dispatch every year are for things other than true emergencies. Dispatchers say they receive calls for directory assistance, problems with TV cable service and calls to have car doors unlocked. Some call to find out what the non-emergency number...

Moultrie County considering Coles system for enhanced 911: December 30, 2009
Sullivan, IL - Moultrie County officials are in preliminary discussions to possibly use Coles County's 911 system and its enhanced capabilities. The 911 system Moultrie County's had in place since 2002 sends calls to the county sheriff's department and doesn't automatically identify the caller's location. The sheriff's department has to find out where the emergency is taking...

Dyersburg 911 to add extra line: December 31, 2009
Dyersburg, TN - The Dyer County E-911 board voted to add an extra 911 phone line at the Dyersburg Emergency Operations Center (EOC) to assist in 911-call overflow. They also approved a feature for 911 callers to get a busy signal when more than four 911 calls are being handled. Currently, there are only three 911 phone lines at the EOC. If more than three 911 calls come in at the same time the first three are answered and the overflow calls are routed to the 311 system...

When emergencies call, Buffington answers: December 31, 2009
Forest City, IA - Andy Buffington's rather plain office is tucked away upstairs in the Winnebago County Sheriff's office. There are no trophies or plaques. Just the trappings of his life: computer, police scanner, and multipurpose BlackBerry. It's a perfect setting for Buffington, Emergency Management Coordinator for Winnebago and Hancock counties....