INDUSTRY NEWS
SIDEBAR:
Communications Boost
During Grand Forks Flood
Attorney General Urges ADA Compliance by PSAPs
In her keynote address to the National Emergency Number Association conference in Baltimore last June, US Attorney General Janet Reno eloquently spoke on her efforts to insure 9-1-1 accessibility among the hearing impaired, urging all PSAPs to comply with ADA requirements for equal accessibility of 9-1-1 services. "When a person cannot use 9-1-1 because he or she is deaf, or hard of hearing, or has a speech impediment, the results can be truly tragic," Reno said. "We know how to make 9-1-1 services accessible to people with disabilities, and together I think we can do it for all Americans."
Reno commended the work of America's public safety dispatchers. "In 15 years as the Chief Prosecutor in Miami, Florida, I saw the work of 9-1-1 day in and day out," Reno said. "I saw the lives that you save, I saw all that you did, and I just want to say thank you. That experience made me a believer in the work that you do, and the care with which you do it."
In her efforts to enforce the ADA, Reno described a three-step process: "First of all, I've tried to educate people about the requirements of the law, about why it's right to do it, about what a difference it can make for so many people," Reno said. "Secondly, we try to negotiate with those who still don't comply, try to reach a common understanding that will serve everyone's concerns. And if we have to - and I don't like doing it at all - we will litigate, and litigate vigorously."
The Department of Justice has already performed compliance reviews of forty 9-1-1 centers in different parts of the nation, Reno said. Many centers were found not to be in compliance with the ADA. "In some cases, the problem is the failure to acquire the necessary equipment," Reno said. "Under the law, 9-1-1 centers must provide direct access to TDD users. We believe that means there must be one TDD per call-taking position in most centers. I understand that you may have some concerns; we need to work with you to address that, to understand the issues, and to make sure that we achieve our common goal of providing access to all Americans."
More often, though, equipment was not found to be the problem. Lack of training was the pervasive issue found in non-compliant PSAPs, according to Reno. "Let us work together to insure that we develop the best training mechanisms possible, so that we again achieve our common goal," Reno said. "Every one of the centers where our review found a violation of the ADA, we are negotiating formal compliance agreements, attempting to persuade these localities to comply. But where our attempts at persuasion are not successful, we have not hesitated to bring a lawsuit, as we recently have done in the District of Columbia. Access to 9-1-1 services is the law, and it's far too important for equivocation and evasion."
"We will not end our efforts at the forty 9-1-1 centers that we have already reviewed," Reno concluded. "Our goal is to ensure that everyone has a full opportunity to summon emergency help from each of the more than 5,000 9-1-1 providers across the country. I'm not going to rest until we reach that goal. The ADA is about something fundamental - the right of all Americans to have access to all those things that make for a full and happy and productive life, and nothing can be more basic to this goal than preserving access to emergency services, the thing that may be necessary to preserve life itself."
For the full text of Janet Reno's address, refer to our web site at http://www.9-1-1magazine.com. An article from our March-April, 1997, issue on hearing-impaired 9-1-1 access is also archived on the web site.
Wireless 9-1-1 Trial in Pennsylvania
Vanguard Cellular Systems, Inc., doing business in Allentown, PA as Cellular One, and XYPOINT Corp. conducted a 90-day "wireless E9-1-1" trial in Allentown in June, well ahead of the FCC's Phase I deadline.
Here's how their wireless E9-1-1 solution works: a caller dials 9-1-1 using a wireless phone. As the voice call travels to the emergency dispatcher, XYPOINT uses a separate server to process the caller's 10-digit cellular phone number and general location, then sends that information to the emergency center. The voice call and data arrive simultaneously. The dispatcher sees the 10-digit wireless phone number, numbers for the closest emergency response agencies, and a geographic description of the caller's general location, based on the nearest cell tower or base station. The data appear on the dispatcher's ALI screen in the same fields as a landline call.
XYPOINT's wireless E9-1-1 solution does not require the public safety community to make expensive equipment changes or to retrain staff. For carriers, XYPOINT works with existing equipment, delivers a service many customers already think they have, and provides carriers a platform for offering future location-based services.
Wireless Parking Ticket System in New Jersey
In an effort to upgrade its current paper-based parking ticket issuance process, the State of New Jersey has deployed the Parking Authority Ticketing System (PATS). A wireless data system created by Paradigm4, a provider and integrator of mobile computing solutions, PATS allows New Jersey parking enforcement officers to use wireless-enabled handheld computers to immediately access on-line warrant information and issue violations.
PATS is the first of its kind in wireless data communications systems, and was recently completed by Fort Lee, NJ, earlier this year. The system comprises hand-held computers from Symbol Technologies, portable printers from Radix, local parking authority PCs, and a centralized communications gateway server in Trenton, NJ. Paradigm4 plans to complete state-wide implementation, to include 34 parking authorities throughout New Jersey, by December, 1997.
The International Parking Institute (IPI) recognized Paradigm4 with an award for "excellence in parking design and program innovation" for PATS at the organization's May conference in Orlando, Florida. For more information on PATS contact Paradigm4 at 212/303-5555 or refer to their website at www.paradigm4.com.
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Communications Boost Grand Forks, North Dakota, officials received a boost when two Motorola Advanced Systems Communications Trailers pulled up in the aftermath of last April's flooding, carrying communications systems to facilitate recovery efforts in the flood-ravaged county. Each trailer housed a self-contained wireless communications unit intended to provide the critical two-way radio communications link to allow national, state, and local public safety officials to communicate with one another, speeding and enhancing recovery efforts. "Once the floods hit, we faced a serious threat of losing all radio communication among the different groups of emergency workers," said Pete Eggimann, director for Grand Forks County's PSAP. "During the evacuation, we were able to use our existing two-way radio systems with portable equipment with very limited capabilities. Once the floods hit, the PSAP was shut down, moved three times, and we could not communicate effectively outside our own groups." The more than 25 groups of relief workers, including police, fire, EMS, FEMA, and many others, had difficulty coordinating communications with each other over their radios and had to use cellular telephones, which resulted in congested cellular use and numerous busy signals. Motorola's Advanced Systems Communications Trailers deployed in Grand Forks were used at the Olympic Games in Atlanta last year, where there was a need for critical wireless communications in the outlying venue sites. The units also provided the additional radio communications coverage required during the opening and closing ceremonies at the Olympics. Each unit contains a state-of-the-art 800 MHz, 5-channel StartSite Trunked system, each capable of supporting up to 500 two-way radio users and providing for multiple, autonomous talk groups. Each has a 50-foot, hydraulically extensible antenna mast for wide area communications and is powered by a self-contained 10,000 watt diesel generator. Motorola also loaned more than 200 mobile radios to relief workers communicating on the network. "We hope that our efforts will provide the area with a radio communications system that will enhance the ability of relief workers to handle their difficult tasks more quickly and efficiently," said Jim Sarallo, Motorola Corporate Vice President and General Manager for Radio Network Solutions. |
