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At NENA’s NG9-1-1 Standards & Best Practices Conference, you will gain an understanding of the world that is made possible by Next Generation 9-1-1 and help make it so.

#NENASBP is a conference unlike any other. It is an interactive, informative, attendee-driven event where you:

  • LEARN about the standards that are spurring the development and implementation of NG9-1-1 technology and operations best practices;
  • COLLABORATE on the guidelines, resources, and documents that enable NG services, systems, and PSAPs to reach their full potential; and
  • CONTRIBUTE your thoughts, ideas, and expertise to address 9-1-1’s most-pressing issues, define our path forward, and ensure the success of NG9-1-1. 

Join us in Orlando from January 21-24 where you’ll discuss and work to address the most pressing NG-related issues, including: GIS and NG-data needs; location services and accuracy; interoperability; telecommunicator SOPs; procurement and transition planning; security and resiliency; social media; apps and the Internet of Things; multimedia messaging and accessibility; disaster planning; staffing, hiring, and training; and the evolution of 9-1-1 center supervision and management.

Click here to check out the #NENASBP brochure.

No other event provides you with the opportunity to shape the future of 9-1-1 and impact public safety for decades to come! Don’t miss your chance to be part of it!

Click here to register now.

9-1-1 Goes to Washington connects you with national policy leaders and hundreds of your fellow 9-1-1 professionals to explore and discuss today's most pressing 9-1-1 and emergency communications issues. This is the only event where you can learn about the policy challenges facing public safety and take immediate action to address them through dialog with your elected and appointed officials.

#NENAGTW offers a significant opportunity for you to shape the nation’s emergency communications policy agenda. Attend to gain an understanding of today’s 9-1-1 policy landscape and take an active role in educating policymakers to shape the laws and rules of tomorrow. Join us in Washington, DC from February 12-15 for a dynamic, interactive program that provides:

  • The inside information you need to help shape the 9-1-1 and emergency communications agendas for the administration and Congress;
  • Critical knowledge of current, proposed, and needed federal and state 9-1-1, Homeland Security, and emergency communications legislation, regulation, and policy initiatives; and
  • An opportunity to speak directly with members of Congress, administration officials, and key staff to make your voice heard on behalf of the entire 9-1-1 community.

Click here to register today! Click here to book your hotel room.

Those who have been there will tell you: Preparing for the Emergency Number Professional Certification exam is no simple task. But they'll also tell you that taking part in a study group is one of the best ways to ensure you're ready!

This workshop starts off with an overview of ENP application and exam scheduling processes before jumping into a cram session to begin getting you ready to ace the test! You will leave the workshop better prepared for the ENP exam and with an increased general knowledge of the main ENP exam topic areas, including telephone, radio, PSAP infrastructure, NG9-1-1 human resource issues, and more. We'll also keep it fun and lively by playing a few rounds of "ENP Jeopardy!" and provide you with learning techniques you can use when you return home to maximize the effectiveness of your study time and improve your information retention levels.

The boot camp is FREE to all #NENAGTW attendees! Registration for everyone else is available here for just $50. 


NENA's Gold Line Scholarships provide training opportunities for our nation's first first responders, 9-1-1 dispatchers. Working in 9-1-1 is difficult and getting harder every day, and that's what makes your support of these scholarships so important.

Click here or on the image above to hear from Timothy Biscoe about what it meant for him to be selected as a Gold Line Scholarship recipient. 

When you support the Gold Line Fund, you're empowering 9-1-1 professionals to do their very best. They'll receive industry-leading training that enables them to adapt and overcome the challenges they face every day. Whether it’s understanding how to use new technology, coping with the significant physical and mental stress associated with the job, or learning how to create and lead strong teams, the training scholarship recipients receive ensures their ability to perform at their peak.

Learn more by clicking here or by texting NENA to 71777.

NENA has established a scholarship program to honor the commitment of William "Bill" McMurray, ENP, Past President, to the mission of NENA and 9-1-1 education. The scholarship will be awarded for the NENA 2019 Conference & Expo, and covers the conference registration fee and four nights of lodging at a conference hotel (to be determined by NENA upon awarding of scholarship). Travel expenses to and from the conference and meals are not included in this award.

Please visit the scholarship webpage for information about the criteria, application procedure, and responsibilities. Click here to submit your application online. The application deadline is March 29, 2019.

Three videos about text-to-9-1-1 have been created for the deaf, deafblind, hard of hearing, and speech disabled as a joint effort between the NENA Public Education Sub-Committee and the NENA Accessibility Committee. The videos explain how to text 9-1-1 in areas that have the service, as well as what happens in areas where it is not currently available. Videos are in ASL, captioned, and include voice over and audio descriptions. The videos, linked below, are also available on the NENA YouTube Channel.

You can find additional text-to-9-1-1 information and materials on NENA's text resources page.

It’s time to renew your NENA membership! You can do it in just a few quick steps: 

  1. Simply log in to the NENA website.  
  2. Go to your Manage Profile page.  
  3. Click on Membership under the "Account History" header to view your renewal options.  
  4. Pay online by check or credit card.  
  5. Print out a receipt for your records. 
You’ll see a slight increase in your 2019 dues, which will help the organization grow and provide new benefits. One such benefit you’ll see almost right away: In 2019, all NENA members will receive access to every #WebinarWednesday offering throughout the year for free! That’s a brand-new member benefit worth $450! These hour-long webinars, offered on the last Wednesday of most months, cover the hottest issues in 9-1-1, help you stay in front of the industry’s latest developments, and provide practical takeaways that everyone in the center can use.
Training Update

01.14.19 (3-day course) | Center Training Office Program (CTO) | Clarksville, IN | Register
01.16.19 (3-day course) | 9-1-1 Center Supervisor | North Charleston, SC |  Register
01.17.19 | 9-1-1 Customer Service: Takes Seconds, Saves Minutes | Clarksville, IN | Register
01.18.19 | 9-1-1 Customer Service: Takes Seconds, Saves Minutes | Clarksville, IN | Register
01.22.19 (3-day course) | 9-1-1 Center Supervisor | Sparks, NV |  Register
01.28.19 (5-day course) | Center Manager Certification Program (CMCP) | Austin, TX |  Register
02.04.19 | Overcoming Negativity | Pontiac, MI | Register
02.18.19 | Quality Assurance: Achieving QA/QI in the PSAP | Conyers, GA | Register
02.18.19 (3-day course) | Center Training Office Program (CTO) | Jefferson City, TN | Register
02.19.19 (3-day course) | 9-1-1 Center Supervisor | Rolla, MO |  Register
02.25.19 (3-day course) | Center Training Office Program (CTO) | Greenfield, IN | Register
02.26.19 | Enhanced Caller Management | Plainfield, IN | Register
02.27.19 | Enhanced Caller Management | Greenfield, IN | Register
02.27.19 | Liability Issues in the 9-1-1 Center | Plainfield, IN | Register
02.28.19 | Enhanced Caller Management | Plainfield, IN | Register

Check out the NENA Education Calendar to see additional upcoming classes!

Association Business
Voting for NENA's 2019-20 Board of Directors commences on Monday, March 11. On that day, eligible members will receive an email with a direct link to NENA's online ballot along with voting instructions. Once a member logs in, he or she will be able to review the nominations and vote. After officially casting a vote, the voter will not be able to change his or her vote or access the ballot again. This election is for the following positions:
 
Second Vice President

Northeastern Region Director

North-Central Region Director 

The election for Canadian Region Director is uncontested, and therefore will not be open for voting. The positions of Southeastern Region Director, Western Region Director, and Private Sector Director will be up for election in 2020.

After the voting period has ended, the Election Committee will certify the results on Saturday, June 15 in Orlando, FL, in accordance with the NENA Bylaws. Join us at NENA 2019 in Orlando from June 14-19, where the results of the election will be announced and your new Board of Directors installed!

Contact the Elections Committee with any questions about the nomination process, eligibility requirements, or general election details.

On January 2, NENA announced that Brandon Abley has joined the NENA staff as the association's new Technical Issues Director. Abley has spent his entire career supporting public-safety communications in North America, transitioning through a variety of roles in the government and private sector.
 
In his new role, Abley will contribute a technically-focused viewpoint to NENA programs and activities and identify how the ongoing communications evolution will impact 9-1-1 systems and services. He also will provide expertise and guidance to NENA’s committees, members, and other key stakeholders to facilitate a timely and successful transition to Next Generation 9-1-1.
 
"It’s an exciting time to be joining NENA," said Abley. "With so much at stake as we move the nation’s 9-1-1 infrastructure into the future, I’m looking forward to working with 9-1-1 professionals; carriers; service providers; and software, hardware, and app developers to implement life-saving technology."
 
Abley takes over the Technical Issues Director position from Roger Hixson, who is retiring after more than seventeen years with NENA. Hixson will continue to be involved with the association in a consulting capacity on a number of projects.

Click here to read more.
Document Announcements

The NENA Standard for 9‑1‑1 Call Processing standardizes the method of call handling across jurisdictional boundaries and will provide consistency in the processing of emergency and non‑emergency calls and improve service to the public. You can view the document and submit comments here.

All comments are due by midnight Eastern on January 14, 2019. Contact the NENA Committee Resource Manager with any questions or concerns.

Washington Briefing

CenturyLink has confirmed a late-December service outage that has impacted its customers’ ability to reach 9-1-1. As with past outages, this event again highlights the urgent need to transition America's 9-1-1 centers to more robust and resilient Next Generation 9-1-1 networks. NG9-1-1 can intelligently route around outages, redirect calls to other regions, and use backup facilities in ways that legacy E9-1-1 systems cannot. NENA hopes the new Congress will demonstrate its commitment to public safety by prioritizing a coordinated, nationwide transition to NG9-1-1.

NENA applauds the FCC for its swift action to investigate the CenturyLink 9-1-1 outage. We will continue to work closely with government and industry partners to understand the scope and causes of this outage, and look forward to using the lessons learned from this investigation to prevent future outages and reduce their impact on affected 9-1-1 centers and consumers.

The NG911 Institute seeks nominations of the heroes and leaders who should be honored as part of the 2019 911 Honor Awards. Examples of heroism and leadership that occurred between November 1, 2017 and December 31, 2018 will be considered for the awards presented at a reception in Washington, D.C. this coming February. Nominations are open for these six awards categories:
  • Citizen in Action
  • Government Leader
  • 9-1-1 Public Safety Professional
  • 9-1-1 Industry Professional
  • Outstanding 9-1-1 Call Center/Program
  • NG9-1-1 Awareness
Any person or group fitting the description is eligible to be nominated and anyone can nominate (including self-nomination). You DO NOT need to be a member of the NG911 Institute to nominate or to receive an award.

Click here for more info and to submit your nomination today!
Volunteers Wanted

The Document Management Working Group is responsible for maintaining NENA documents used by the NENA Development Group committees and working groups. The group reviews administrative documents and recommends corrections and updates for approval by the Development Steering Council. The working group is likely to meet weekly for one hour when documents are being reviewed and updated.

Join this group if you are interested in improving the documents that govern our processes and the documents that our working groups use to prepare NENA documents. We need people with any of these interests: Word processing, management processes, ANSI requirements, and NENA Development Group leadership background.

The References Working Group is responsible for maintaining NENA reference material generated by the NENA Development Group, including the Master Glossary and the Use Case Library. This group is not expected to have regular, scheduled meetings. Training will be conducted as required. Click here to join.
Featured Job Openings
Director l Benton County, Arkansas l Bentonville, AR
9-1-1 Program Administrator l Arizona Department of Administration l Phoenix, AZ
Police Officer l City of Eau Claire l Eau Claire, WI
9-1-1 Program Support & Compliance Coordinator l State of Oregon l Salem, OR
Telecommunicator Corner
Did you know that NENA has a great way to recognize telecommunicators who have gone above and beyond? It’s called the TC Spotlight! If you know of a TC that has done an exceptional job while handling a call, is devoted to his or her career, is a mentor to others, a great cheerleader for your agency, or just plain rocks, then we would like to help celebrate them! Share their awesome talents with the rest of the world by sending an email to tccaucus@nena.org and letting us know the nominee's name, years of service, current agency and position, and why he or she is being nominated.