| News for emergency communications and response professionals |  |
| Making the Call |  |  |
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- Cleveland begins merging fire, ambulance services
Cleveland is combining its ambulance services and Fire Department in an effort to improve response times, putting firefighters who are also paramedics on fire trucks and stationing ambulance crews at fire stations. The goal is to create a Division of Fire, Rescue and Emergency Medical Service, staffed with cross-trained professionals, and have one emergency dispatch hub handle all calls. The Plain Dealer (Cleveland)
(2/1)     
- New Chicago policy sends fewer police to crime scenes
This week the Chicago Police Department began a policy of not sending officers to certain crime scenes, such as a car theft or some burglaries, where the suspect has fled. The goal is to free up officers for more serious crimes and cases where people are in danger, so reports in cases where the danger has passed will be taken over the phone. Officers will be dispatched if the victim is not safe or needs medical care, or if it appears the suspect may return and an arrest can be made. Chicago Tribune (tiered subscription model)
(2/3)
| Policy Pulse | | |
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- Pa. bill designed to facilitate consolidation, ease shortfall
A Pennsylvania state legislator from Delaware County plans to propose a bill that would provide counties with guidance on merging and regionalizing 9-1-1 services. The legislation would give the Pennsylvania Emergency Management Agency authority to provide a plan that includes joint-purchasing opportunities, technology regionalization and center consolidation, which are cost-saving measures designed to help close budget deficits for 9-1-1 centers. Delaware County Daily Times (Primos, Pa.)
(2/3)
| Innovation Insights | | |
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- TCS Smart911 provides dispatchers with key intel on texters
TeleCommunication Systems has launched TCS Smart911 technology, through its Geospatial Emergency Manager portal, which will give 9-1-1 systems access to text messages and detailed information about the sender. Dispatchers use a regular browser to access the GEM system. Once they get a 9-1-1 text, they will be able to view a database profile associated with the phone number. "They can be looking at medical history, photos — for example, the picture of a missing child — and all the kinds of rich media that the next-generation capabilities are permitting. And we're there with this available today through the GEM 911 portal," said Kent Hellebust, a TCS vice president. Forbes
(2/4), Urgent Communications
(1/31)
- Fire drill evaluates new thermal imaging cameras
Salt Lake City firefighters tested new thermal imaging cameras with updated technology during a drill, according to this report. "They give us more opportunities to save someone," said Capt. Chris Milne. The cameras, used to locate firefighters and victims, are sensitive enough to find people in a smoke-filled building, pick up residual heat left behind when a foot slides on a frozen surface, and they show even slight differences in temperatures. The Salt Lake Tribune (Utah)
(1/29)
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