Public Safety
-
The county in Texas Hill Country accepted the funds from the state following last summer's deadly flooding on the Guadalupe River. Neighboring Kerr County accepted a similar state grant this week. -
By responding to 911 calls involving mental health crises with a specialized team including a clinical social worker, the program cut hospitalization rates. Permanent funding may be on the way.
-
The Flathead County Sheriff's Office is set to receive a new remote underwater vehicle after getting approval from county commissioners on Tuesday.
More Stories
-
The decision to not repair the current VHF radio system leaves officials with two options. They could install a new VHF system, which would solve some problem but not others. Or they could build a “trunked P25” digital system.
-
When Pennsylvania halted funding to two city 911 centers, those centers were consolidated with county centers, causing a domino effect of staffers leaving, new equipment being deployed and dispatch times lagging.
-
A new undertaking by the North Central Texas Emergency Communications District is relying on drones to create 3-D models of certain areas, like schools, to enable a better response should a threat arise.
-
Trailers have been used for emergency housing in the event of a wildfire. Fifty-eight trailers are available, and 42 will be offered soon after being vacated by Camp Fire survivors. State funds will also be made available.
-
The Butler County, Ohio, Sheriff’s Department dispatches for police and fire services in several jurisdictions, including five that it wants to start paying for receiving 911 dispatch services to help support its budget.
-
The department is planning the deployment of a new Criminal Booking System that should bring never-before-seen capabilities to the agency later this year.
-
Other communities have wrestled with similar issues with growing EMS demand, from the struggle to recruit enough EMS workers to meet call volume, to a Dayton program that can help frequent 911 callers get other services.
-
A 2.3 magnitude quake was recorded near Kershaw Wednesday, said the USGS. That was the most recent of four area earthquakes, and the second in 2020. The other three occurred near Cayce, with some being felt in Columbia.
-
In many ways, every natural disaster is the same: power failures, debris fields, rampant misinformation. Mix fear, haste and panic with well-intentioned people who aren’t equipped or empowered to help, and sometimes you get chaos.
-
The 911 center is budgeted for 42 full-time employees, but often operates with fewer. To eliminate mandatory overtime, the center needs about 50 employees. A new contract for dispatchers includes raises of $3,000-$7,000 a year.
-
The Vitals app will give police officers instant, critical information, including audio and video to show to the subject, on those vulnerable individuals who possess a Vitals beacon and come within 80 feet of an officer.
-
The Houses of Worship: Targeted Disruption Tabletop Exercise Toolkit follows three previous guides to help plan for acts of aggression in various settings, including houses of worship, higher education, malls and businesses.
-
Climate change is worsening the problem for coastal areas: Sea rise is soaking metal pipes in salty water, and flooding from frequent high tides pushes up through the ground, collecting that leaked sewage as it floods streets.
-
The design and cost estimate of a new emergency management facility didn’t consider building standards specific to public safety/emergency operations/911 facilities, which will raise costs from $7 million to $10 million.
-
A spokeswoman for the National Interagency Fire Center said 21 Idaho firefighters and fire management personnel from the Bureau of Land Management, U.S. Forest Service and Bureau of Indian Affairs have gone to Australia.
-
At their Monday reorganization meeting, the supervisors approved the pay increase for two non-union, at-will employees this year. That hike matches the raise recently approved for 23 union members who work either in the township office or on the public works crew.
-
Boynton's fire rescue department on Nov. 22 promoted Erick Joassaint to lieutenant, making him the city's first Haitian-American to gain the title. He is one of 29 lieutenants among the department's three shifts.
-
Nevada was a distant second with a 733% increase, and New Mexico third, at 663%. Despite the headlines it has earned with apocalyptic megafires in recent years, California was ninth with an increase of 325%.
Most Read
