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Alan Burton
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Wednesday, July 1 2009 |
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The survivor of a carbon monoxide incident at an Ocean City (Md.) motel in 2006 has filed a federal wrongful death lawsuit against the city and two city EMS workers, saying her husband and young daughter died because of negligence. Yvonne Boughter was staying at the Days Inn motel with her husband and two children, when they were overcome by carbon monoxide from a malfunctioning water heater in the motel basement. Boughter dialed 911 to report that the family was vomiting and feeling ill, and gave her room number. However, arriving EMS units failed to investigate the family's room, instead going to the motel room of another family who had called from the motel 15 minutes earlier. The Boughters were not found until four hours later, when Yvonne Boughter woke up a second time from her stupor and dialed 911. By then, her husband and daughter were dead. The lawsuit asks for $20 million in damages. Download (pdf) a copy of the lawsuit here. |
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Wednesday, July 1 2009 |
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An independent consultant has found that Canada is "late to the game" in establishing E911 location features for cellular callers, and that telecom regulators have been slow to set firm deadlines for implementation. IDC Canada says that over one-half of the nation's 911 calls are now made by the nation's 21 million wireless subscribers. They implied that the Canadian Radio-Television and Telecommunications Commission (CRTC), responsible for telecom regulation, has not taken a leadership role in establishing what is called "Phase II" in the United States. Instead, the CRTC has established only general regulations, and with no firm deadline dates. IDC provided a comparison of wireless E911 in other countries, and concluded, ""Canada is significantly lagging behind the U.S. as well as Europe in adopting wireless emergency service technology." Read a press release about the report, and then download (pdf) the full IDC report here. |
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Tuesday, June 30 2009 |
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A section of highway in Licking County (Ohio) apparently has a confusing and contradictory numbering system, which led callers to mistakenly report the location of a fatal accident last month. Licking 911 Center operations supervisor Delores McNamara said she listened to the nine persons who dialed 911 for help, and concluded that they were confused by overlapping highway routes and signage. The calls led dispatchers to send units to a location four miles from the actual incident, which killed one person and injured two. McNamara has requested improved signage from the state to clarify the highway routes for motorists, and will also add locations to CAD to accommodate the various ways that callers might report incidents along the highway. Read more here. [map] |
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Monday, June 29 2009 |
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A Massachusetts man who pleaded guilty earlier this year to telephone fraud and witness intimidation charges has been sentenced to over 11 years in federal prison. On Monday a federal judge ordered Matthew Weigman, 19, to prison for 135 months. Weigman was part of a nationwide group of party-line callers who used various telephone techniques to spoof, or falsify, their actual location when making 911 calls to comm centers in other states. During the calls, Weigman and others would describe a violent crime or other situation in-progress, resulting in a large law enforcement response. Under his plea agreement, Weigman admitted to In one count of conspiracy to retaliate against a Verizon employee who was investigating his calls, and one count of conspiracy to commit access device fraud. Two other defendants also pleaded guilty in the case. Paul Benton, 23, was sentenced to 18 month in prison. However, Carlton Naily failed to appear at his sentencing last week, and is being sought by federal agents. Read more about the court action and listen to a Weigman 911 call here, and also download (pdf) Weigman's guilty plea court document. |
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Monday, June 29 2009 |
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A university professor who is developing an expert system for fire dispatching is asking for assistance in testing the intelligence that he's built into the first version of the software. Associate professor of disaster and emergency management Ali Asgary teaches at York University (Toronto, Ont.), and specializes in urban risk mitigation, business continuity planning, disaster economics, and post-disaster recovery and reconstruction. His latest project aims to create software that assists fire dispatchers in evaluating incidents and providing recommendations for a response. His project is now at the point where feedback from working dispatchers would be important in further refining the expert system. You can contact Asgar and volunteer to help at e-mail
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, or telephone (416) 736-2100 x 22879. |
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Friday, June 26 2009 |
 Sharp criticism has been leveled against the National Emergency Number Association (NENA) after it was revealed the group is working on a proposal to auction off 700 MHz spectrum allocated to public safety, with 50% of the proceeds given to a public safety trust. Public safety would receive discounted rates and priority access on any commericial network built using the spectrum. NENA executive director Brian Fontes told Telecom Regulation Daily (TRD) that the proposal is being considered by the association's policy review groups, and could be submitted to the FCC in the next two weeks. The proposal would also create on-going revenue for public safety communications by taxing products that access the nation's 911 systems, or implementing some other fee structure. Fontes said the proposal is intended to "create debate," and its provisions could change over time. The media report immediately sparked a response from the Association of Public Safety Communications Officials (APCO), which said it does not support the unreleased proposal. APCO president Chris Fischer said that public safety has "fought long and hard" for dedicated spectrum, and that it would be a "huge" mistake to give up the allocation. [more] |
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Wednesday, June 24 2009 |
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Officials at Chicago's Office of Emergency Management and Communications approved upgrading each dispatcher console from 15-inch to 17-inch video screens, at the same time they were negotiating with a console furniture vendor to replace all 107 of the consoles. According to tipsters who talked to the Chicago Sun-Times newspaper, the screen upgrade was a complete waste of $480,000. But OEMC spokesperson Jennifer Martinez told the newspaper that the project cost only $386,000, and that it might be a year before the new consoles are installed."In the meantime, we do not want to risk public safety. It's critical to public safety to have the latest technology on the 911 floor," Martinez said. "We want to equip our call takers and dispatchers with the most up-to-date equipment possible." Read more about the controversy here. |
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Wednesday, June 24 2009 |
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It was a dark night, about an hour after a severe storm rolled by. A couple who is going to be married in two weeks decides to take a ride in the cooler air. They are driving less then two miles from their house. They crest a hill and see a piece of a tree in the road, with some water on the road. They drive just a tad further and see it doesn't look safe. They go to reverse their car and--BAM!--a wall of water from a field slams their car and floats them helplessly into a field. Water fills the car fast. It isn't long until water is up to the dashboard, and the woman dials 911 in a frantic attempt to get some help. [continue] |
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Monday, June 22 2009 |
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The Nevada chapter of the Association of Public Safety Communications Officials (APCO) is offering a great deal to members who are willing to volunteer their time for the association's annual national conference in Las Vegas this August. As the host chapter, Nevada APCO is offering a free one-day pass for each day that a member volunteers. And you receive a free T-shirt! Volunteer time is in four-hour blocks, and the duties include the full range of hospitality tasks. If you're interested, check the association's Web site to sign up. Then check the conference schedule for a list of all the informative seminars and classes that you'll be able to attend for free! |
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Monday, June 22 2009 |
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Faith is one of those traits that seems to lie beneath the surface at most comm centers, where "real life" actions and consequences play out on the telephones and in the field. But a little faith--at both ends of the phone can sometimes lead to a resolution, and a better understanding of people and life. Kristen Campanella, deputy director of the Oktibbeha County (Miss.) EMA/E911 agency recounts a story from one of her dispatchers that could affect how how you answer your next critical call. more. |
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Monday, June 22 2009 |
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A Lake County (Fla.) sheriff's dispatcher was fired last month for improper access to the state's driver's license files, and investigators are following up on what she might have done with the information. Kaley Walker allegedly inquired on the names of 13 sheriff's deputies, and later told investigators she was simply curious and trying to put a face to the names. She made the improper searches between Dec. 2008 and April 2009. Walker. Sheriff Gary Borders says it's not clear if she was passing the information to others. He said three of the deputies worked undercover, and but believes their safety was not compromised. Walker was a two-year veteran of the agency, and has appealed her firing. |
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Monday, June 22 2009 |
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A fire that probably started from an electrical short has destroyed the home of Doraville (Geo.) police dispatcher Lisa Guardardo while she was on-duty, leaving her husband and two children in the front yard in their underwear. Guardardo's husband discovered the fire and called the comm center, but Lisa believed he was calling just to chat, quickly told him she was busy and hung up. His next call was more excited, and when firefighters arrived, the house was totally engulfed by flames. Guardardo waited for relief before leaving the comm center, and later insisted on taking just two hours off for her next shift. However, a police captain told her to take some days off to recover from the disaster. Read more about the fire here. |
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Monday, June 22 2009 |
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A Glendale (Ariz.) dispatcher who answered a 911 call from a man who said he had just stabbed his family of three to death told the man, "I'm hoping that you're just dreaming this." Michael Miller allegedly arrived home from work late at night, got into an argument with his wife, and then stabbed her, his 10 year-old daughter and 4 year-old son. He then dialed 911 to admit what he had done. He later told police that he is bi-polar and schizophrenic. His son is in stable but serious condition, but his wife and daughter did not survive. Listen (mp3) to the 911 call here. |
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Monday, June 22 2009 |
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A federal government agency's on-line map of the nation's railroad network provides plenty of resources for dispatchers who deal with train incidents. The Federal Railroad Administration (FRA) collects information about the location of tracks and crossings, and also documents collisions with vehicles to help promote safety. But the agency's ESRI-based on-line maps also provide comprehensive mapping resources, such as latitude and longitude, jurisdiction, track ownership, rail stations and other geographic features. Specifically, track crossings are identified on the map by number and milepost. Surf the map index to begin your search. You can also search for crossing accident reports here. |
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Friday, June 19 2009 |
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The usefulness of Google Maps increased just a bit more with the addition of a "What's here?" feature that attempts to specifically identify the point on the map you're examining. The feature begins by right-clicking (control-click for the Mac) on any location, and then selecting from the drop-down menu "What's new?" First, Google Maps will try to find any placenames, photos or user-supplied information about the spot. Depending upon the level of magnification, the search results displayed in the left column may include the block range or a specific address. Either way, the point's latitude and longitude will be displayed in the search box for reference. Right now, the ability of Google Maps to identify obvious placenames--even ones listed on the maps themselves--is limited. It would be useful in quickly determining a latitude and longitude for an incident, especially for requesting air support. This feature is expected to be enhanced over the coming months. |
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Wednesday, June 17 2009 |
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The Pima County (Ariz.) sheriff's comm center has released 911 logging tapes of a call made by a woman whose husband and young daughter were shot and killed by two intruders. Deputies say the suspects had targeted the home for money to finance their anti-immigration activities. The suspects shot the woman's husband and 9 year-old daughter, and the woman then armed herself with a handgun and shot one of the suspects before locking herself in a room to dial 911. On the recording, there is the sound of yelling and gunfire, and at one point the woman asked the dispatcher if she could be in legal trouble for shooting the suspect.Read more and listen to the 911 call here. |
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