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 Latest NewsThanks to all who helped make NENA 2019 such an amazing event! A big thanks goes out to our sponsors, speakers, exhibitors, volunteers, and especially the attendees who took the time out of their busy lives to join us in Orlando! Thank you to everyone who helped us raise more than $20,000 for 9-1-1 scholarships during the conference! You can help us provide even more vital training opportunities to members of our 9-1-1 family by texting NENA to 41444 and clicking the link in the reply message to complete your donation!
   NENA is proud to announce that it is accepting proposals for a vendor to provide services for the PSAP Credentialing Agency (PCA). NG9-1-1 requires a root of trust. The PCA is that root of that trust. The PCA is a function in i3 (see NENA i3 Standard for Next Generation 9-1-1, NENA-STA-010.3-2019 DRAFT at 5.2) which serves as the top-level certificate authority for NG9-1-1. Throughout prevailing standards for NG9-1-1, credentials used for NG9-1-1 must be traceable to the PCA. Countless interactions within NG9-1-1 require credentials traceable to the PCA; this not only facilitates a secure environment for life-saving emergency communications but also provides a path to interoperability by standardizing handling of security certificates in NG9-1-1. Potential respondents must acknowledge their critical role in emergency calling in the United States and beyond by participating in this important program. NENA anticipates valid responses to come from established certificate authorities, but we invite innovative and creative responses. Please note the following dates (all deadlines at 11:59 PM ET)
NENA reserves the right to change or modify any of the dates above. The complete RFP and proposed certificate policy can be downloaded here. All RFP questions and responses are to be sent to Brandon Abley. NENA and GeoComm are pleased to announce the development of the new Enhanced Public Safety Answering Point (PSAP) Registry and Census (EPRC), a secure web-based tool containing essential information for PSAPs throughout the United States. The NENA EPRC, made possible through a sponsorship from Uber, will replace and improve upon NENA's current PSAP Registry, which is a basic database of the contact information for every 9-1-1 center in the nation. Over 20 years ago, NENA built the original PSAP Registry to ensure that PSAPs and commercial call centers can deliver requests for service to the proper 9-1-1 center in cases when a 9-1-1 call does not arrive at the appropriate PSAP, such as when an out-of-state family member dials 9-1-1 on behalf of a relative. In cases like these, the PSAP registry provides the priority answer ten-digit phone number of the agency that needs to be notified. However, the legacy PSAP registry utilizes a text search based on various data items, such as community name, and does not support modern mapping or context-awareness. The EPRC brings the NENA PSAP Registry into the 21st Century; in addition to fulfilling its purpose of providing a single authoritative registry of PSAP contact information, the EPRC is also a modern interactive mapping and search tool with expanded data such as back-up phone numbers, PSAP capability information, PSAP service areas, and more. Using a modern mapping interface, users can search for PSAP information using a landmark, community name or address, or simply by clicking on the map viewer. Additionally, the platform provides a robust Application Programming Interface (API) to make EPRC data available to approved third-party public safety applications. Click here to keep reading... 
 Training Update07.12.19 | Leadership in the 9-1-1 Center | Syracuse, NY | Register Check out the NENA Education Calendar to see additional upcoming classes!  Association BusinessNENA has announced that April Heinze, ENP has joined the NENA staff as the association’s new 9-1-1 & PSAP Operations Director. Heinze has spent the vast majority of her nearly three-decade career in 9-1-1 focused on PSAP-operations issues. In her new role, she will identify how the ongoing technological evolution will impact 9-1-1 and NG9-1-1 services and operations, as well as how new technologies and new leadership, workforce management, and wellness best practices can enhance 9-1-1-center operations. Additionally, she will design and implement projects related to current, emerging, and prospective issues affecting 9-1-1 operations within the 9-1-1-authority and PSAP communities, including the development of standards and the management of the association’s dispatcher-focused programs. "I couldn’t be more excited to join NENA during this time of transition for the 9-1-1 community," said Heinze. "I’ve had the privilege of serving NENA in volunteer-leadership positions, and my experience has allowed me to become well-versed in NENA’s standards development processes. I look forward to working alongside NENA staff, volunteers, and members to provide 9-1-1 professionals with the tools they need to best serve the public." Click here to read more.  Document AnnouncementsNENA is pleased to announce that version 3 of the NENA i3 Standard for Next Generation 9-1-1 (American National Standard Candidate NENA-STA-010.3-201x) is available for public review and comment. This standard provides detailed functional and interface specifications for Next-Generation 9-1-1 (NG9-1-1) and serves as the foundation for NENA’s suite of NG9-1-1 standards. Version 3 includes key updates to NG9-1-1 infrastructure to ensure continued support for interoperability on a national and international scale, including functional elements that allow for the discovery of NG9-1-1 systems (a Forest Guide) and a root of trust (PSAP Credentialing Agency [PCA]). Additional version 3 changes include a move to a REST/JSON architecture for data interactions between functional elements and systems, improvements to security, major updates to the call bridging (Bridging Service), updates to novel call types (including non-interactive calls and Advanced Automatic Crash Notifications [AACNs]), and more. These changes not only improve i3 on its own, but also bring it into compliance with recent updates in related standards families, such as the Internet Engineering Task Force (IETF) internet standards. i3 is an open standard developed with the contribution of a large community of industry, academic, and public-safety experts. NENA’s development process is always open to all.You may both download this document for review and submit your comments here. Comments are due by 11:59PM Eastern on July 8, 2019. Contact the NENA Committee Resource Manager with any questions.
A considerable trove of written material and standards exists about NG9-1-1 within NENA, as well as other standards bodies and industry organizations. The NENA NG9-1-1 Go-To Handbook provides guidance to help 9-1-1 authorities create a smooth, timely, and efficient project-management approach and transition plan to implement NG9-1-1 and assist in answering the question, "Where does one start to gain a more complete understanding of all the materials available about NG9-1-1?"
The NENA Standard for Communications Center/PSAP Daily Personnel Operations is available for Public Review and Comment. This standard contains both normative requirements and prohibitions as well as examples, recommendations, and options to assist PSAP managers with the development of agency specific Daily Personnel Operations policies and procedures. Use of this standard will assist agencies in the creation of a cohesive and comprehensive SOP, standardize methods for defining operational procedures for communications centers and/or PSAPs, and provide guidance for agencies in creating agency-specific policies and procedures. You may both download this document for review and submit your comments here. Also, please submit a copy of all comments to psa@ansi.org. All comments are due by midnight Eastern on July 1, 2019. Contact the NENA Committee Resource Manager with any questions.
 Volunteers WantedNENA is seeking volunteers for a new working group tasked with creating an Emergency Incident Data Object (EIDO) to standardize the data format for exchanging Incident data between systems that perform Call Handling, CAD, and RMS functions. The standard will include a JavaScript Object Notation (JSON) schema for the EIDO. Calls will be held weekly or as otherwise determined by group leadership with most text and schema creation work done by members outside of the regular call schedule. Click here to join. NENA is seeking volunteers for a new working group to address Social Media Emergency Requests for Service. This WG will focus on developing a standard to provide guidance to PSAPs on handling emergency requests from citizens who utilize the medium for requesting emergency assistance. Recent real-world events reveal that when traditional communications become unavailable due to disaster events, that the public will attempt to reach emergency services on any available communications platform. PSAPs need to be prepared to handle these requests under any circumstance that they are received. Use cases will be standardized to reflect best practice "call processing" standards to ensure that they are handled consistently by all PSAPs. The new standard will also provide guidance on how PSAPs can work with social media providers to help respond to emergency requests. SMEs with knowledge of PSAP operations, call handling procedures, use of social media for public agencies, or knowledge of social media technology and their procedures when working with public safety entities are encouraged to sign up for this WG. Meetings will be held via conference call on a bi-weekly basis on a day/time determined by consensus of the WG. Click here to join.
Next Generation 9-1-1 (NG9-1-1) Emergency Services IP Networks (ESInets) and Public Safety Broadband Networks (PSBNs), like the National Public Safety Broadband Network that supports FirstNet, are both being designed with the objective of providing public safety with improvements in existing systems and services as well as supporting a broad range of new service capabilities. Greater benefit to public safety, and to the public they serve, will be possible with the interconnection of these complementary networks. NG9-1-1 ESInets and Public Safety Broadband Networks depend on an infrastructure that is built on reliable broadband connectivity. To achieve interoperability between NG9‑1‑1 ESInets and any external network that hosts responder devices and applications, multiple issues must be resolved in areas such as:
While no specific knowledge is required to join the work group, subject matter expertise in the areas of network interconnection and security will be critical to advancing the work of this group. In addition, it is critical that this work group include representatives of stakeholder groups from 9-1-1, as well as providers of Public Safety Broadband Networks . The specific schedule (i.e., day and time) for ESInet-Public Safety Broadband Network Interconnection Work Group conference calls will be determined once WG participants have been identified. Click here to join.  Featured Job Openings
Strategic Planning Manager | Fairfax County Government | Fairfax, VA
Public Safety 911 Cadet Call Takers | City of Aurora Public Safety Communications | Aurora, CO Public Safety Dispatch Call Taker | City of Napa | Napa, CA Communications Manager | Richardson Police Department | Richardson, TX  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.
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