Public Safety
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Rates of ER visits for heat-related illness in Dallas-area kids soared between 2012 and 2023. The findings mirror global trends as temperatures, particularly in the summer, increase. -
A new Google and Muon-backed satellite wildfire detection system promises faster alerts and high-resolution fire imagery. But with false alarms already straining fire crews, its real impact may depend on trust.
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System issues were behind intermittent disruptions to Next-Generation 911 earlier this month, the Pennsylvania Emergency Management Agency said in a preliminary report. A cyber attack is not believed to be behind it.
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The city plans to use $75,000 from the Indiana Department of Homeland Security to launch its new service that aims to expand the work of EMS responders so they can provide more care and reduce patient hospital visits.
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Mayor London Breed announced the first three cameras will be deployed to monitor high-crime zones when police officers can't. The city also recently rolled out police-operated drones and automated license plate readers.
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The company said in a blog post that it is teaming up with a satellite maker and a group of nonprofits to launch satellites next year that can pinpoint small blazes all over the world before they spread.
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Researchers at the University of Montana found a correlation between rising temperatures and increased 911 calls. That not only impacts vulnerable populations like seniors, but stretches first responder resources.
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Experts say that while climate change did not start the Airport, Bridge and Line fires currently burning in Southern California, it did lay the groundwork for their aggressive spread and destructive impacts.
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City and county police agencies across Maryland are moving to encrypted radio systems to protect witness and victim privacy, as well as officer safety. But some say the switch affects community trust.
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Law enforcement agencies nationwide are losing officers faster than they can recruit them. Automated license plate readers and using drones as first responders are just two solutions that can act as "force multipliers."
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With 70 fires currently burning in the Western U.S., the federal government's firefighting leadership teams have all been dispatched to incidents. It's a reflection of persistent recruitment and retention challenges.
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Hurricane Francine hit the Louisiana coast as a Category 2 storm Wednesday, but quickly lessened to a Category 1. While less severe than other recent hurricanes, it is still capable of causing severe damage.
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Law Enforcement Active Shooter Emergency Response training specializes in school shootings and terrorism involving active shooter attacks. It replaces an older program found to be flawed after the Uvalde, Texas, event.
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Pacific Gas and Electric used low-flying helicopters equipped with hi-res imagery technology and light detection sensors to build 3D models that will show where fire risk may be highest. The data will also inform AI risk models.
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Designating emergency medical services by law would go a long way toward addressing the many issues they face, including workforce shortages and funding deficits that make it difficult to help in critical situations.
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The Portland City Council voted to expand a police drone program, enabling its use for all precincts and divisions despite pushback from some community members over surveillance concerns.
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Apalachee High School staff just this year started wearing badges with a form of ID from Centegix that allows them to alert administrators and first responders of an emergency, including Wednesday's deadly shooting.
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Their system, DeepFire, analyzes data on previous fires, weather conditions and other factors to anticipate potential wildfires and detect new ones. It is advancing in an ongoing competition to develop firefighting technology.
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NEOGOV, the HR, payroll and onboarding tech provider, wants to make it easier and more efficient for law enforcement to vet job candidates — and it’s hit the market with a new product launch to do so.
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San Antonio firefighters reached a tentative contract agreement last month that would increase firefighter and paramedic pay by 20 percent over three years, which the city plans to achieve by cutting spending elsewhere.
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“It has since come to our attention that a technological error occurred with our messaging software, and not all families received our initial notification,” the school wrote on its website.
