Preview
We arrived in Charlotte on Saturday afternoon to find the city warm, quiet and friendly. The state is accepting suggestions for the illustration on the new state series of quarters (the Wright Brothers are a shoo-in), the legislature is considering a bill outlawing hog waste lagoons, and a Charlotte-Mecklenburg officer learned he won't be prosecuted on drug, bribery and prostitution charges because the DA doesn't have enough evidence.
Check out the Longhorn Steakhouse at 700 E. Moorehead St. for local atmosphere, a green neon Gumby and great food. The Key Lime pie is especially good--and they serve sweetened ice tea here! For breakfast, hustle over to John's Country Kitchen, 1518 Central.
The fireflies came out at 9 p.m. just as a wedding ended at the uptown First Baptist Church. Nearby, huge construction sites foretell of more skyscrapers, to rival the current crop that are all addressed after some giant corporation--One Bank of America Plaza, Two Giant Company Square.
NENA Conference Ready to Go
Jefferson County (Colo.) Sheriff's Dispatcher to Attend 
LAPD Dispatcher to Discuss North Hollywood Shoot-Out
NENA Submits Waiver Comments to the FCC
by Gary Allen
Perhaps one of the pre-conference seminars for the 1999 conference of the National Emergency Number Association (NENA) describes it best: "The 9-1-1 Puzzle: Putting All the Pieces Together."
This year's annual conference in Charlotte (NC) will again try to put in perspective all of the technology and political issues surrounding the nation's emergency number. There are issues of wireless 911, alternative carriers, Phase I and II location requirements, access required by the ADA, in-vehicle emergency reporting systems, and many more. Ironically, one of the issues includes the nagging problem that 911 isn't available everywhere, and that 911 isn't the only number used to report emergencies.
In addition, two of the countries most-tested dispatchers will the conference--one dispatcher from the Jefferson County Sheriff's comm center who was working during the Columbine High School shootings, and a Los Angeles Police Department dispatcher working during the North Hollywood bank robbery and shoot-out.
As the Association targets 10,000 members, and having fended off a proposal that it merge with the Association of Public-Safety Communications Officials (APCO), this will be an important meeting for NENA. It will be chance to vote on new officers, to learn about pending 911 legislation, and share solutions and stories with fellow attendees.
The U.S. House has passed, and the Senate is considering, a bill that would make 911 the universal emergency number across the country, ending a collection of such numbers as *SP and HELP-MEE that cities and towns have devised to receive emergency calls. It would also push wireless 911 forward by providing liability protection for wireless carriers. Perhaps this legislation will be the most discussed topics at the conference.
Charlotte is certain to be warm, both in weather and hospitality. The city hosted the annual APCO conference just two years ago, so it's ready for another round of public safety professionals. The city's police and fire comm centers are relatively new and are considered show pieces for the companies that outfitted them. Along with the Mecklenburg EMS agency comm center, attendees will be able to visit the centers and gain ideas for their own facilities back home.
DISPATCH MONTHLY has learned that Jefferson County (Colo.) Sheriff's dispatcher Kevin Garcia will attend the conference, under the sponsorship of SCC Inc. Garcia fielded a call from a student inside the high school and spent over two hours talking to the youth. We have also learned that Garcia will accept a donation
from NENA to the Columbine High School memorial fund during Monday's opening session. Understandably, Garcia is restrained from discussing the details of the incident, and will not appear to recount the handling of the incident. DISPATCH Monthly will be there for his appearance and will report on any comments he makes.
Also attending--and conducting a seminar--will be Tonja Bellard, one of the LAPD dispatchers working when two heavily-armed gunman robbed the North Hollywood branch of the Bank of America. Bellard will host a seminar entitled "What to Do When a Worst-Case Scenario Actually Occurs." According to the NENA schedule of activities, her presentation will include "an overview of the incident along with a dispatcher's perspective on the events that took place in the communications center and in the field." NENA said she would also discuss "the psychological effects this event had on her and her co-workers," and will include the importance of debriefings.
In other news, NENA filed comments with the FCC on the eve of their conference, expressing their opposition to granting wireless providers any waivers for meeting Phase II locating requirements. The FCC had offered to give
carriers extra time to implement solutions based on the global positioning system (GPS), beyond their Oct. 2001 deadline. In a press release, NENA's executive director W. Mark Adams said, "This proposed delay in implementation will cost untold losses in life, health and resources for the American public. Extending the rule for GPS phones will delay the implementation of location technology for all phones, and delay the introduction of this important service." [full text of press release]
Capt. Denny Fitch, an United Airlines pilot on board Flight 232 when it crashed on the runway at the Sioux City (Ia.) airport in 1989, will kick off the conference with a keynote speech. Also speaking will be Mike Staley, a 26-year veteran safety officer at the Daytona International Speedway who hit and seriously injured by a speeding race car. Both men will try to inspire and spark new thinking among the attendees.
Inside the Charlotte Convention Center, NENA has planned seminars grouped by track--operations, training, system implementation, ADA compliance, public education, database management, contingency planning, administration, national issues, wireless technology and technical aspects.
DISPATCH Monthly will be attending the conference and bringing you same-day, on-line coverage of the seminars, the company exhibits and any breaking news. Join us at this page starting Sunday, June 13 for a preview of the conference, the city and other sidelights of this annual event.
For a preview of the city, check our 1997 coverage of the APCO conference in Charlotte.
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- The DISPATCH Monthly headquarters for the 1999 NENA conference is located just a few blocks from the Charlotte Convention center, where all the seminars, meetings and trade show will occur. The location will allow us to post same-day, on-line coverage of all the news and activities. [click map for large view]
copyright 1999, Allen Media