Results - Topic: 9-1-1 Public Education

10-year-old Massachusetts boy calls 9-1-1 to complain about mom telling him to go to bed

A 10-year old boy in Brockton (MA) called 9-1-1 on his mother on Weds night - not because of an emergency but because he didn't want to go to bed.

9-1-1: An Emerging 'Hidden' Career

Why is it that Police, Fire and EMS in almost every community have college and High School criminal justice, fire science, or emergency medical training, but no such career training for 9-1-1 since every police, fire, or EMS agency has a corresponding number of emergency telecommunicators to hire?

A Matter of Perception

Public Perception and the 9-1-1 Dispatcher

April is National 9-1-1 Education Month

April is National 9-1-1 Education Month. Public Safety communication centers across the country are working to educate the public about the 9-1-1 Emergency System to help residents and businesses in their jurisdiction with emergency preparedness. Please join Operation 10-8 all this month as we support dispatchers everywhere with our own 9-1-1 Educational Campaign to assist with emergency preparedness and eliminating false calls.

Cassidian & Greater Harris County 9-1-1 Text Messaging to 9-1-1 Trial a Success

Emergency communications leader Cassidian Communications and Greater Harris County 9-1-1 Emergency Network have announced the successful advanced text messaging trial using the company's next generation 9-1-1 emergency response call processing platform, VESTA. The trial involved the receipt and processing of text messages from within the Houston area. Although the general public believes the capability for short message service (SMS) also known as text messages to 9-1-1 should be available...

Cast & Creators Of THE CALL Join 9-1-1 Professionals to Launch National "Friends Of 9-1-1" Campaign

NENA - The 9-1-1 Association on Wednesday kicked off the NENA Foundation's "Friends of 9-1-1" fundraising campaign with a special screening of the new film THE CALL and an in-person appearance by the film's star, Academy Award-winning actress Halle Berry.

Cayman Islands postage stamps honor Emergency Services & 9-1-1 Dispatchers

The Cayman Islands Postal Service is honoring Emergency Services personnel with five commemorative stamps, including one that depicts 9-1-1 dispatchers. "To my knowledge, this is the first time that our profession has ever been honored by a postage stamp in the world," wrote Brent Finster, Cayman Islands' 9-1-1 Director.

Dispatchers and Children Honored as 9-1-1 Heroes at Celebrity Golf Tournament

Actors and professional athletes gathered together on Monday, May 20th at the St. Regis Golf Resort for a celebrity golf tournament as a fundraiser for the 9-1-1 For Kids organization. The organization publicly recognized two local dispatchers and children as 9-1-1 Heroes to kick-off the tournament. A dispatcher from the Anaheim Police Department (CA) and one from the California Highway Patrol were honored, along with two children they each received a 9-1-1 call to report an emergency.

Facebook Site To Improve Emergency Response To Schools

School Safe House is a safety and security site designed to improve our emergency response tactics within schools around the world. This site will allow school administration and staff, security technology companies, law enforcement and all other emergency responders to share ideas so we can build on minimizing the risk of dangers that our schools may face.

From the Chair: "Press or Push?"

You are right in the middle of a multiagency mass casualty event when the phone rings. Is it a commander in the field with important information? Is it one of the mutual aid agencies you are coordinating? No. It is a reporter from a local newspaper with a thousand and one questions; just what you needed! This installment of From the Chair takes a look at the relationship between the dispatcher and the media. It discusses how an effective Public Information Officer is a buffer between...

From The Chair: "Scanner Land!"

You just sat down to begin your shift. The cluster of screens before you glow brightly, and the radio test revealed no problems. Before long, you will handle the fire on Broadway, the domestic violence on State Street, and the fender bender at the mall. And of course you will wonder if the hundreds, if not thousands, of people looking over your shoulder will approve of the way you're doing your job. The latest installment of "From the Chair" takes an irreverent look at the love-hate...

From the Chair: April Foolishness

It's amazing how time flies! April 2013 marks the one-year anniversary of "From the Chair" - a featured column in 9-1-1Magazine written for the frontline 9-1-1 telecommunicator. Its author - Paul Bagley - took us on a wild ride through the ever-changing landscape of public safety emergency communications. His breezy style was frequently irreverent, often whimsical, and sometimes touching. To conclude its first year, and to usher in the next, the latest installment takes a fun look at the...

Hey Everybody - It's Our Week!

Believe it or not, it's that time again; National Public Safety Telecommunicators' Week. Created by an act of Congress during the Clinton administration, it sets aside the second full week of April every year as a time to honor and acknowledge our brothers and sisters who work tirelessly during all fifty-two weeks of every year. As best as I can determine, the good folks in Contra Costa, California (or specifically one good folk at the Sheriff's Office named Patricia Anderson) came up with...

Leading Public Safety Coalition Celebrates National 9-1-1 Education Month

"Today the National 9-1-1 Education Coalition announces a new resource for everyone across the nation," stated Gregory Rohde, Executive Director of the E9-1-1 Institute. "We encourage you to visit www.know 911.org for ideas on what you can do for National 9-1-1 Education Month."

Location Logistics: Where Are You and How Did You Get There?

Before you begin reading this story, ask yourself these simple questions and see if you can answer them quickly, with minimum hesitation. From where you are right now, which way is North, South, East, West?... In my opinion, all schoolchildren should be taught geographical directions at an early age, much like language skills are taught at early ages. Geographical awareness can be a lifesaver!

Motorola Solutions and the Motorola Solutions Foundation Contribute $15 Million to the National Law Enforcement Museum

The funding provided by Motorola Solutions will help support the museum, which will tell the story of American law enforcement through interactive exhibits, historical artifacts, research and diverse educational programming. The contribution announced today brings the total to $18 million that Motorola Solutions and the Motorola Solutions Foundation have provided to support the museum's public education effort.

National 9-1-1 Assessment Guidelines Released for Public Comment

The 9-1-1 Resource Center, sponsored by the United States Department of Transportation, National 9-1-1 Program has a project underway to develop consensus-based universal guidelines to serve as the basis for a 9-1-1 statewide program assessment process. The National 9-1-1 Assessment Guidelines are now available for public comment on the 9-1-1 Resource Center. Comments received will be considered prior to the release of the final guidelines.

NENA Achieves ANSI Accreditation

NENA-The 9-1-1 Association announced it has received accreditation as a standards-setting authority by the American National Standards Institute (ANSI), which serves as the voice of the U.S. standards and conformity assessment system... "This accreditation certifies and validates our rigorous development process. We look forward to our standards gaining wider recognition and implementation. The end result will be a public made safer through their use," said National President Barbara Jaeger...

Next Generation 9-1-1 Institute Issues Call For Nominations for Board of Directors

The NG9-1-1 Institute is seeking nominations for five (5) seats to the NG9-1-1 Institute Board of Directors in the upcoming fall 2012 election. Members of the NG9-1-1 Institute who represent one of the five open positions and are dedicated to the advancement of emergency services and are able to strengthen, assist and expand the NG9-1-1 Institute are encouraged to nominate themselves

Nine Years Of 9-1-1 Coming Of Age

The NG9-1-1 Institute recently marked the 9th Anniversary of its NG9-1-1 Caucus. The NG9-1-1 Institute is a not for profit organization that supports the mission of the Congressional Next Generation 9-1-1 Caucus.

Notification Systems and School Safety

As campuses nationwide openup their classrooms for the new school year, MIR3, Inc., an innovator of real-time Intelligent Notification and response technology, is urging school administrators to review their current campus alerting plans to keep students and staff safe and operations running smoothly in case of disaster.

Only 1 out of 4 EU citizens are aware of 112 as the European emergency number

At European level, still only 1 out of 4 citizens are aware of 112 as the emergency number to dial all over the EU. Moreover, this figure has been stagnating for years and it varies significantly across European countries. Thus, more than 25 countries of Europe are organizing awareness raising activities on the occasion of the European 112 Day 2013, observed on 11 February every year since 2009.

Orange and Anaheim Police Dispatchers Teach Kids About 9-1-1

According to the California Public-Safety Communications Office, statistics show there were over 250 million calls made to 9-1-1 throughout the United States in 2011. They also estimate that in some cities nearly 70% of 9-1-1 calls were non-emergencies and an overwhelming majority of those false calls were made by children between the ages of 4-11. In order to reduce these alarming statistics, Orange Police and Anaheim Police have taken a more proactive approach to public education.

Redwood City PD Among First in US to Deploy Live Guide Video Chat

The Redwood City (CA) Police Department is using Netop's Live Guide video and text chat to allow community members to have real-time, interactive video chats directly with Redwood City police officers. Live Guide utilizes the latest technology for two-way text, audio and video chat, offering another way for the community to connect with the Police Department.

Second grader Katie Lee of Alexandria, Va., honored for lifesaving 9-1-1 call

An 8-year-old student at Stratford Landing Elementary School is being hailed a hero after calling 9-1-1 when her mother fell down the stairs in the family's Fort Hunt home. "I heard a fall and I was like, 'Mommy, are you okay?' And she was like, 'I'm bleeding'" said Katie Lee, a second grader at Stratford Landing Elementary. "I just felt like I had to call 9-1-1 and then I did," said Katie. "I just wanted to save her life."

Smart911Connect Provides Solution Providers and App Developers a Method for Delivering Data to 9-1-1

Rave Mobile Safety, creators of the national public safety database Smart911, has announced Smart911Connect, the first program connecting third parties holding data relevant to the emergency response process with supported 9-1-1 centers. Call takers and dispatchers within Smart911 connected public safety answering points (PSAPs) across the country can now automatically receive approved sources of data, including text and images, delivered to their workstation in real-time alongside a 9-1-1...

Social Media in a 9-1-1 World

Looking beyond the processing of emergency requests, social media can easily be implemented and utilized for various functions to support a PSAP... Most agencies have some component of community policing,fire prevention, communications, or interactive community involvement in their strategic plans. These are excellent areas that can be enhanced by social media because they primarily require dissemination of information from the agency to the public.

Stopping Celebratory Gunfire

The consequences and risks of celebratory gunfire can be significant and serious. Many law enforcement agencies proactively announce their plans to maximize their focus and response to celebratory gunfire incidents publicly through direct community outreach and local media...

THE CALL: 9-1-1 Goes Hollywood - The Dispatcher as Action Hero

I just got back from seeing THE CALL, the first movie thriller to feature a 9-1-1 dispatcher as its central protagonist. While not without criticisms, I enjoyed the movie and felt gratified to be able to cheer the film for its positive image of the public safety telecommunicator in a heroic role of action. Xena, step aside

The Facts About 1-1-2 vs. 9-1-1

You may have seen recent posts on social media sites urging people in the U.S. to dial 1-1-2 rather than 9-1-1 in certain emergencies. This is bad advice. The posts claim that 1-1-2 is especially effective if you are being pulled over in your car and want to ensure that you are dealing with the police. It also claims that by dialing 1-1-2, your call will be answered faster and may go directly to the police. Here are the facts:

The Importance of Attending a Citizen's Academy

Newly hired police officers go through a police academy for training. A citizen's academy is the same principle, but designed for members of the community. It gives the general public a behind-the-scenes look at how police agencies work. Citizen's academies vary in length depending on the hosting agency and that agency's goals; some can be as short as 4 weeks, while others can be as long as 16 weeks.

The Importance of Doing a Sit-Along with a Dispatcher

Most people are familiar with a ride-along: the opportunity for a member of the public to "ride along" with a police officer during a patrol shift responding to calls for service. You have probably seen popular television shows, like COPS for example, where you see the excitement of police officers driving with lights and sirens activated to go help someone. But what about the dispatcher who first answered the 9-1-1 call before the officer was even sent to help?

Today is the 44th Anniversary of 9-1-1

On February 16, 1968, the first 9-1-1 call is placed by Alabama Speaker of the House Rankin Fite from Haleyville City Hall to U.S. Rep. Tom Bevill at the city's police station. Bevill reportedly answered the phone, "Hello." The Alabama Telephone Company had beaten AT&T's implementation by 35 days. Twelve days later, on February 22, 1968, Nome, Alaska implements 9-1-1 service.

What Kids Think About 9-1-1: A Fifth Grader's Perspective

We all know that 9-1-1 is something that all kids, like us, should know about. But are the kids really interested? How can we help them become interested? Do they know everything they really should? What do they want to know? What's the best way for them to learn? This interview, taken from a fifth-grader's point of view, should answer those questions.