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NENA's Friends of 9-1-1 program is happy to announce the availability of ten Telecommunicator Continuing Education Scholarships! This doubles the amount of scholarships offered in previous years, thanks to the generous support of participants in our Holiday Scholarship Drive, as well as a grant from the Motorola Solutions Foundation. This scholarship opportunity is open to any telecommunicator, call taker, or dispatcher with at least one year of experience and in good standing with his or her current employer. Supervisory and other managerial personnel are not eligible for this award. Each Telecommunicator Continuing Education Scholarship recipient receives the following:
To be eligible for a scholarship, you must complete and submit the scholarship application and provide a current resume. Applications will be accepted through April 7, 2017. Scholarship winners will be notified no later than May 1, 2017. Click here to apply for the scholarship and here to learn more about Friends of 9-1-1. During the week of March 19, NENA brought together twenty-three public safety technology companies for the latest in a series of Next Generation 9-1-1 (NG9-1-1) Industry Collaboration Events (ICE). The ICE series allows vendors to test leading-edge products and services that will advance 9-1-1 from the current voice-only, legacy 9-1-1 environment into the data-rich world of IP-based communications. The hands-on, standards-based testing done in the lab setting at this event yielded a number of significant firsts and other meaningful results. Click here to continue reading.
This week marks an important milestone in FirstNet’s mission to provide nationwide, wireless, IP-broadband networks for public safety field responder communications. All public safety entities should have access to the latest technologies that can improve communications and better serve our communities. NENA looks forward to the deployment of Next Generation 9-1-1, which will create a fully-interoperable, technology-forward emergency communications chain that links the public, 9-1-1 centers, and responders in the field.
April is national 9-1-1 Education Month, presenting the ideal opportunity for public education about the successes and challenges of the emergency communications system. "You don’t wake up in the morning thinking you are going to call 9-1-1. However, should you have to, it may be the most important call you ever make," said NENA CEO Brian Fontes. "That’s what makes 9-1-1 Education Month so very important. In an emergency, seconds matter; being knowledgeable and prepared can make all the difference." NENA's education month page has a wide variety of materials that public educators can use in their efforts to promote public awareness on pressing issues, including text-to-9-1-1. Click here to read more. Training Update
04.03 | Tactical Dispatch | Washington, D.C. | Register View the NENA Education Calendar to see additional upcoming classes! Association Business
The William E. Stanton Award is NENA's highest honor. It is bestowed upon an individual who has not only excelled in his or her everyday job, but has gone above and beyond to further NENA's goals. Nominations for this prestigious annual award are now open. Click here for additional information on the award, including criteria, past recipients, and more. Click here to submit your nomination online. The deadline for nominations is March 31, 2017. Document Announcements
The NENA Call Blocking Information Document is intended to provide guidance to PSAP Administrators regarding what conditions should be required for a PSAP to identify a calling number as a problem source and develop a draft policy for having that source blocked. This document will also provide guidance on how to determine if the problem is resolved and the criteria to un-block the number. This document focuses on threats from individual sources; it does not address Distributed Denial of Service (DDoS) attacks where large numbers of individual sources are coordinated to simultaneously launch attacks. See the full document here. Click here for instructions on how to submit your comments. All comments are due by midnight Eastern on April 28, 2017. You may contact the NENA Committee Resource Manager with any questions or concerns.
Washington Briefing
On March 29, NENA Government Affairs Director Trey Forgety testified before the United States House of Representatives Committee on Energy and Commerce Subcommittee on Communications and Technology in the "Realizing Nationwide Next-Generation 911" hearing. NENA's comments stated that: 1. Local 9-1-1 centers must transition to Next Generation 9-1-1 at the same time that consumer wireline and wireless networks transition to IP-based service, and at the same time as FirstNet enables IP-based service for field responders. 2. Existing funding at the state and local levels covers maintenance and operations of legacy systems, and legacy voice-centric 9-1-1 service, with little room to enable the technical transition. 3. Delaying the NG9-1-1 transition will cause state and local costs to explode as legacy infrastructure maintenance overtakes the cost of providing basic services to the public. 4. Congress should accelerate NG9-1-1 deployment by making a one-time investment in the capital infrastructure and transition costs of NG9-1-1 systems at the state and local levels. Click here to read the full testimony and here to watch the on-demand replay of the hearing. Volunteers Wanted
The departure of an Education Advisory Board (EAB) member has created a vacancy on the committee. NENA is looking to fill the open seat with a NENA member in good standing who possesses the desire and dedication to become part of the team charged with carrying out NENA’s educational mission. For more details, please see the Statement of Purpose and Duties for EAB Members, the EAB Candidate Application & Questionnaire, and the below Applicant Information Submission Instructions. All documentation from applicants must be received by close of business on March 31, 2017 in order to be considered for the position. All applicants for the vacant Education Advisory Board (EAB) seat are required to:
NENA is looking for subject matter experts to help create the standards which support product development, PSAP Operations, and the implementation of NG9-1-1. With the goal of full NG9-1-1 roll-out by the end of 2020, this is your chance to literally help shape and write the future of 9-1-1. Although we welcome volunteers from all 9-1-1 backgrounds and with knowledge or experience in any area, we currently have significant needs to help write draft text in the following areas:
Contact the NENA Committee Resource Manager for information on how to get involved! NENA is seeking volunteers to participate in a new working group that will develop a NENA Standard related to military notifications by PSAPs. There are over 17,000 Department of Defense locations in the U.S.—ranging from recruiting stations and offices to major military installations. Serving in and around those facilities are over 1,000,000 service members and their families. This standard will help ensure that vital information concerning those personnel and facilities are shared in an effective manner during times of crisis. The standard developed by this group will apply to all 6,000 U.S. PSAPs and highlight the critical role that PSAPs play in ensuring Homeland Security, building on the lessons of Ft. Hood and Chattanooga. We are seeking volunteers with knowledge and experience in: PSAP Operations; CAD; EIDD; NG9-1-1 implementation; Call Protocols; and related areas. Click here to sign up no later than May 1, 2017.
Featured Job Openings
Emergency Communications Training Officer l Manatee County Public Safety l Bradenton, FL Emergency Communications Director l Illinois Quad Cities Consolidated Dispatch Center l Illinois Business Development Manager l Mission Critical Partners l Multiple Locations Technology Director l Bonner County, Idaho l Sandpoint, ID Director Software Development l Synergem Technologies Inc. l Multiple Locations
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