Thursday, August 7, 2008

San Diego Wins PR Award for Wildfire Response 

The Public Relations Society of America presented its Public Relations Professional of the Year award to San Diego Mayor Jerry Sanders' communications team for its handling of citywide communications during the wildfires in October 2007....

Uneasy Silence 

By Lynnette Luna

Researchers are working to discover why digital radios are having problems on the fireground. ...

House Looks at Failed Communication Auction 

The House Subcommittee on Telecommunications and the Internet held a hearing with the Federal Communications Commission to analyze the 700MHz spectrum auction....

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....

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