A Fort Smith (Ark.) newspaper article profiles the city’s police comm center, spotlighting former Oregon resident Rhonda Harper, whose original inspiration for becoming a dispatcher was “Rescue 911.” Smith moved to the state 3-1/2 hears ago to be near her ailing father, the article says, and is now a trainer for the agency. Read more of the article here.

You’ll recall that the FCC recently turned down the Cyren Call spectrum allocation proposal, saying it didn’t have the authority over the frequencies that the Congress has mandated be auctioned to commercial companies. But the FCC did continue its request for comments on the proposal, and now NENA has submitted their view on how 24 MHz of spectrum might be used. They note that public safety communications seems to be converging on IP-based technology, including wireless connections. NENA concluded, “It would be a missed opportunity, we believe, if the remainder of the 700 MHz spectrum were to be auctioned for commercial use on the present schedule without further consideration by Congress and the FCC of the Cyren Call proposal or other plans that would provide increased spectrum and broadband capabilities for public safety.” Read NENA’s entire submission here.

Department of Homeland Security (DHS) secretary Michael Chertoff told a conference audience that 46 cities should have interoperable communications in place for first responders by the end of 2007, and all 50 states should strive for interoperable systems by the end of 2008. Chertoff gave the keynote speech at the National Grants and Training Conference in Washington (DC). Chertoff talked about the prioritization of risk, a concept that is applicable to federal funding for emergency preparedness. Read the full text of Chertoff’s speech here.

Spalding County (Geo) issued an RFP for a new trunked radio system back in May, outlining the details of radio communications needs. Now both Motorola and M/A-Comm have submitted bids on the system, but a study committee handling the bid award has delayed recommendation at the request of consultant Steve Macke, according to radio station WKEU. According to a story posted on the WKEU Web site, Macke recommended delaying the decision until questions about interference on TV channel 69 and rebanding are resolved. Also, “Macke continued that January 7, 2007 is when everyone will know in which direction Phase 2 of the 800 MHz Radio System will go so that both vendors can provide bids on it as requested.” However, the story quotes state rebanding program manager Jim Mollohan saying that the county doesn’t have to wait for rebanding, since the Georgia Technology Authority (GTA) and the FCC will handle it. The story concludes, “The only question WKEU has not received clarification of at this time is whether or not Spalding County will be paying another $100,000 for the services of Consultant Macke if the process is drawn out another year.” Read the entire story here.

Polk County (Fla.) officials have released the logging recorder tape of a man who was attacked by a 12-foot alligator, and who was rescued by three sheriff’s deputies who jumped into the water to battle the animal. The man was seriously injured, losing an arm, breaking a leg and suffering puncture wounds. ”A gator’s got me! A gator’s got me!” the man yelled on the phone to a dispatcher. The calltaker told the man to punch the alligator in the snout. ”Too big!” the man gasped. Read the story and listen to the call here.

Milford (Conn.) dispatchers Teresa Burrows and Steven Gifford have been fired by the city for engaging in a conversation that was “unprofessional, insensitive and reflected poorly on their departments and the city.” The two were working fire and police respectively when they handled an EMS incident involving a prisoner in custody who had been Taser’d and later died. According to a transcript of a call between the two dispatchers, Gifford called the fire department to request an ambulance, and said, “”He’s doing the funky chicken right now … I’m looking at him right now in the camera and he, I don’t want to be in his shoes.” Talking about the victim possibly swallowing drugs, Burrows said, “You know he should have double-bagged it or something.” An attorney for the firefighter’s union said they would appeal the firings. Police chief Keith Mello said the dispatchers’ behavior was, “inconsistent with the type of conduct we expect from our employees.” The chief also said he suspended five officers without pay for not following policies during the incident and for unprofessional conduct.

Canton (Ohio) residents who dial 911 from the cellular phone now have the call routed directly to the city’s comm center after Stark County’s conversion to Phase II technology. A newspaper story explores the benefits here.

A former Carbon County (Penn.) 911 dispatcher has run afoul of his probation conditions after his arrest on charges he dispatched police and firefighters to a non-existant brush fire last April. Joseph Homanko Jr. was suspended last April after a supervisor discovered the phony incident while reviewing CAD and logging records for quality assurance. He resigned two days later, and was then arraigned in August on criminal charges, released without bail, but given strict conditions of release. Since then he’s violated his curfew, a probation officer told a judge last Monday, and had prohibited contact with emergency responders. Homanko now wears an ankle bracelet and the judge imposed a $5,000 bail until his trial begins. His mother bailed him out.

Kudos to Charleston County (SC) EMS dispatcher Jennifer Thomas, who fielded a 911 call the day after Thanksgiving from a father after his 2 year-old son was found floating face-down in the family’s hot tub. Limp and unconscious, the boy looked gone. Co-workers dispatched fire units and an ambulance, and then Thomas began giving the father step-by-step instructions, the first time she’d ever had to give such critical instructions. The boy began spitting up water as CPR and rescue breathing was performed, and his blue color started turning pink. Thomas, who has an 18 month-old child herself, later met the family and introduced her co-workers: Chimere Myers, Jennifer Graham and Wendy Weber. Thomas told a reporter, “When we heard crying in the background, I just lifted my head and said, ‘Thank you God.’”

The CBS-TV affiliate in Dallas (Tex.) is reporting that a city 911 dispatcher has been fired in connection with his handling of a 911 call from a witness to a kidnapping. According to city officials, the caller fully described the incident to probationary dispatcher Tanya Jones on Nov. 21st, but did not have a license number of the suspect’s vehicle. Jones told the caller that police could not assist since the license plate was unknown, said Lt. Joel Lavender, Fire-Rescue spokesman. Read more about the incident here.

The National Academies of Emergency Dispatch (NAED) has re-accredited the American Medical Response (AMR) statewide comm center in Connecticut as an Emergency Medical Dispatch Center of Excellence, the only such center in the state, and one of just 23 around the world. The center has 23 console positions and handles over 900,000 incoming phone calls a year. It handles 500,000 incidents a year throughout the state, including the state’s four largest cities. The re-accreditation process is very thorough and detailed, and covers all aspects of the EMS dispatching operation.

The California Highway Patrol (CHP) is slowly giving up its handling of cellular 911 calls across the state, reducing their workload, but loading up local agencies who have never had to handle wireless 911 calls. State law has required the CHP to handle and route cellular calls, since from the beginning that’s where the huge phones were–installed in vehicles on the roadways. Indio police officials say they’re looking to almost double their comm center staffing in the wake of taking cellular 911 calls. They have 12 full-time dispatchers, putting two or three on-duty at all times. But officials say calls are up 10-15% now, and they need more staffing to field telephone calls.

The First Response Coalition has posted an interactive map of the United States that leads to links for all 50 states on communications-related issues. The group was formed in the midst of the FCC’s consideration of the 800 MHz rebanding proposal submitted by Nextel, and is generally considered to be a front for Verizon Wireless’ political action on spectrum policy. Even so, the various state links lead to useful news stories and links. Check their map here.

The nation’s existing citizen-level radio systems are being woven into a national emergency communications system with the help of a corporate executive who happens to be an Amateur radio operator. Eric Knight is CEO of UP Aerospace, and is coordinating plans with the American Radio Relay League, Amateur Radio Emergency Service and Radio Emergency Associated Communication Teams to use FRS, GMRS and Amateur radio operators when disaster strikes. Find out more about the project here.

Proposed fines for 911 abuse in Shelby County (Tenn.) have one sticking point–it would turn the dispatchers into law enforcement personnel with the authority to determine what calls are legtimate and which aren’t. County commissioners are considering a first-time fine of $25, and $50 for subsequent offenses. The sheriff’s comm center handles about 6,000 calls to 911 each month, but officials say about one-third of those are pranks or inappropriate calls. Commissioner Wyatt Bunker suggested a process of fines, but also an appeals process for citizens. The commissioners are now waiting for the results–if any–of a public education campaign before deciding on whether to impose the fines.