The Safety BlogSort & Filter

I had the pleasure of attending an Emergency Management Interpreter Training session this past weekend.  No, I’m not fluent in American Sign Language (ASL), but…

I recently read a thought provoking blog entry “Is Violence Affecting Chicago’s Higher Education Community?” on the Chicago Now blog which made me think about…

Last month NENA announced a key milestone for the organization; they are now a certified ANSI Standards Developing Organization (SDO). We are a little surprised…

It had been a few years since I’d been at the CTIA conference so I went this year to get a sense for where things…

In the recent aftermath of the terror attacks in Boston, I am struck by the many unnamed heroes and selfless acts of courage. One hero…

Despite the devastation caused by the blasts at the Boston Marathon on Monday, the difference between a single-digit death count and one that was far…

It’s always risky to publish initial reactions before all the details have shaken out, but I find it’s important to record learnings before the impression…

Web 2.0, social networking, SaaS, cloud… it seems like each year there is a new buzz word with which we are expected to be conversant. …

Nearly everything a 9-1-1 caller should not do is demonstrated in a recent call to the Fire Department in Bakersfield, California. An elderly woman living…

While not a new phenomenon (see this bulletin from the FBI from 2008: http://www.fbi.gov/news/stories/2008/february/swatting020408 ) , recently “swatting” has moved from an obscure problem faced…

The map to the right is great news if you’re the Republican candidate for the Presidency; however, if it represents the prevalence of influenza-like illness,…

Most emergency managers maintain detailed inventories of critical infrastructure, their vulnerabilities, state of repair, and hotspots around town that are more easily impacted (i.e. the…

The tragic events at Sandy Hook elementary have once again brought us together in mourning an act of senseless violence. If past events are any…

While Sandy is still fresh in our collective conscience (even more so for those still without power), I figured it was worth documenting a few…

With declining revenue and increasing demands on service, could citizen self service / eGovernment be extended into the realm of 9-1-1 and emergency services in…

While the CAP standard has been available for several years, recent changes in the country’s emergency broadcast capabilities, such as the ongoing deployment of CMAS,…

OK, I am going to admittedly stray out of my usual “techie” comfort zone and make some observations on PSAP operations I’ve noticed over the…

Here’s a quick video overview to help you understand the differences between how CMAS works and traditional SMS text messaging.

The ability for 9-1-1 telecommnuicators to locate a wireless caller is perhaps one of the most misunderstood functions of emergency communications.  In future posts, we’ll…

The other day I was sitting in a restaurant with a colleague when a number of phones began to shriek with the familiar warning sound…

I had the privilege of participating in the NG9-1-1 Institute roundtable last week.  The intent of the roundtable was to update members of the NG9-1-1…

The FCC is seemingly taking an increasingly active (and welcome) role in 9-1-1 lately.  Their active role in identifying both interim and long term texting…

I’ve been thinking a lot about the steps it takes to move from mere compliance with Clery Act, HEOA and related safety regulations, to a…

In previous posts, I’ve discussed how some “Legacy ALI” data will be sourced through NG9-1-1 Additional Data, and options for how 9-1-1 might control how Additional Data is…

I recently posted a survey on the NG9-1-1 Group on LinkedIn.  The results confirm a trend I have heard through the past few years about…