Friday, May 9, 2008
Communications
Florida Red Cross Tests Flood Response
The American Red Cross, Broward County (Fla.) Chapter, successfully used AtHoc IWSAlert as part of its recent disaster readiness exercise and evaluation....
Bluetooth on its Way
By Glenn Bischoff
A walkie-talkie headset with Bluetooth first will be targeted to security and retail sectors — then to public safety....
Senate Passes VoIP/Public Safety Bill
The U.S. Senate approved S. 428, the IP-Enabled Voice Communications and Public Safety Act. The measure would require Internet telephone companies to offer enhanced 911 services to all subscribers....
APCO, Motorola Release Communication Survey
Motorola and the Association of Public-Safety Communications Officials released the findings of a national survey to assess how public safety organizations use current communications technology and what future capabilities they would deploy to help improve emergency response, officer effectiveness, and public and officer safety....
Maine Fire Chiefs Move Toward Interoperability
The Maine Fire Chiefs’ Association began planning the implementation of the two Assistance to Firefighters Grants awarded for regional interoperable communications....
FDNY Gives Purvis $2.3M
The New York City Fire Department awarded Purvis Systems a $2.3 million contract to modernize its emergency reporting system/electro mechanical alarm display systems, or ERS/EMADS. ...
The Quiet Chief
By Rick Markley
He’s deliberative, soft-spoken, calm and driven to improve the fire service, which are some of the reasons Michael Varney is our Volunteer Chief of the Year....
Glendale Finds Faithful Responder with Blue Ox
Mitch Kelsey
In July 2003, the Glendale (Ariz.) Police Department formed a committee to explore buying a vehicle that would meet a variety of communications needs....
Pillars of Success
By Glenn Bischoff
APCO will step up efforts to slow employee turnover in communications centers....
Crank the Heat
By Merrill Douglas
Radio handsets melt at extremely high temperatures — but that might not be such a bad thing....
APCO Issues Training Officer Call for Comment
The standard specifies the minimum training requirements of all personnel assigned to a one-on-one communications training function in an emergency communications environment while recognizing the need to supplement basic competencies with agency-specific information and existing equipment-use parameters....
IAFC Solicits Ideas to Fight Digital Radio Noise
The International Association of Fire Chiefs Digital Problem Working Group is working to identify the causes and potential solutions for the digital distortion some users of digital radio systems have experienced in high-noise environments. ...
Speech Impediments
By John Facella and Dirk Young
Communications challenges fall under two categories: operability and interoperability. ...
Military, Civilian Emergency Communications Tested
Being tested was the Incident Command System that is part of the Federal Emergency Management Agency's National Incident Management System....
Chicago Fire Department Goes on YouTube
The Chicago Fire Department has posted videos to YouTube to promote fire safety programs to a younger generation. The instructional videos discuss saving lives in dormitories and commercial and residential high-rises. ...
IAFC Forms Digital Noise Working Group
This working group will investigate problems related to the use of digital radios on the fireground and is open to all interested parties....
IAFC Seeks Input on Digital Radio Problem
The organization has learned of firefighters experiencing unintelligible audio communications while using a digital two-way portable radio when operating in close proximity to the low-pressure alarm of their SCBA. ...
Urban Legends
By Mary Rose Roberts
A collaboration between a university and a fire department has yielded a new wireless sensor system using interactive floor plans that increases situational awareness and aids in decision-making....
Connectivity
By Janet Wilmoth, Editorial Director
I just returned from one of my favorite conferences, the Fire Department Safety Officers Association's 19th Annual Apparatus Specification & Maintenance Symposium in Orlando. There were more than 60 presenters for 28 programs, with chief officers and industry specialists teaming up to share experience and knowledge. ...
Telecom Council Seeks Recommendations on Common Nomenclature
The National Public Safety Telecommunications Council is requesting alternate recommendations on the common interoperability channel nomenclature scheme developed by the FCC’s Public Safety National Coordinating Committee. ...
DHS Issues Nationwide Interoperabity Assessment
The Department of Homeland Security has released scorecard assessments of interoperable communications capabilities in 75 urban and metropolitan areas nationwide....
Survey Shows Significant Level of Communication Interoperability
The Department of Homeland Security has announced the results of a nationwide survey of first responders and law enforcement that assesses progress in achieving interoperable communications. The national interoperability baseline survey was issued to 22,400 randomly selected law enforcement, fire response and EMS agencies, and confirms that roughly two-thirds of emergency response agencies across the nation use interoperable communications to varying degrees....
IAFC Board Urges Broadband Support
At its recently concluded annual meeting, the International Association of Fire Chiefs Board of Directors approved a resolution calling for the allocation of 30MHz of spectrum in the upper 700MHz band to be held in trust to create a nationwide public safety wireless network...
Firefighter Radios May Fail During High-Temp Fires
Given the protection provided by today’s PPE and SCBA gear, firefighters sometimes find themselves fighting blazes in relatively high temperatures. A recently released National Institute of Standards and Technology study, however, reveals that first responders shouldn’t rely on unprotected handheld radios even in routine firefighting situations, much less in higher-temperature fires....
Airport Unveils Interoperable Capability
Dallas Love Field airport in Texas has announced implementation of an interoperable communications system that improves pubic safety by uniting all first responders in the event of an emergency....
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