NENA NEWS
Join NENA for a special free webinar on Thursday, Februrary 23 at 2 p.m. Eastern featuring an overview of the just-passed Middle Class Tax Relief and Job Creation Act of 2012, which includes many provisions relating to Next Generation 9-1-1 and public safety communications. During this one-hour program, congressional staffers who helped to write the Act will go through the 9-1-1 provisions section-by-section, and NENA staff will give you a preview of the deep analysis and critical insights that you can only get at the upcoming 9-1-1 Goes to Washington event.
With all the changes wrought by the new Act, attending 9-1-1 Goes to Washington is more critical than ever, and this free webinar is a great chance to get a sneak-peak of what this one-of-a-kind event has in store for attendees.
Don't miss out on this opportunity to learn how this new legislation affects YOU! Register now!
As an active member, you know the value of NENA membership. Earn rewards by spreading the word to peers and coworkers about the benefits of belonging to the association!
How it Works
Participation has never been easier. Simply log in to the new nena.org, click on the Refer a Friend link from the "My NENA Account" menu on the left-hand side of the screen, and send out your personal referral link to invite friends and colleagues to join online. This exciting new feature even allows you to track your invitations and rewards points along the way! For those recruits who choose to sign up using NENA's printable membership application, make sure they include your name in the "Referred by" line of the application.
Online Sign-Up = Double the Rewards
For each new member you recruit using the online Refer a Friend system between now and February 29, 2012, you will receive two (2) member-rewards points good towards your choice of prizes. For each new member you recruit using the printable application, you will receive one (1) member-rewards point good towards your choice of prizes. Items available as rewards include mugs, candy jars and even complimentary registration to NENA 2012. The more you recruit, the greater the prize.
Start recruiting today! Visit the Member Recruitment & Rewards page for a full listing of prizes and full program details.
Thursday, April 19 at 1 p.m. (EST)
Sponsored by TruePosition
This free webinar explains how the FCC measures the performance of the wireless location technologies currently used to locate 9-1-1 phone calls made from cellphones. The webinar delves into the latest announcements from the FCC, including statements about county-wide averaging, a single location accuracy requirement, as well as an indoor location requirement. Also, analysts from Ovum review the results of a recent report that exposes the limitations of particular location techniques and shows the benefits of others.
NENA is pleased to open the nominations process for our 2012-2013 Executive Board election! This election will be for the following positions:
- Second Vice President
- Southeastern Regional Director
- Western Regional Director
All nominees must be current members in good standing and current Emergency Number Professionals (ENPs). Nominees for the position of Regional Director must reside in the region they wish to represent.
Nomination / Election Documents:
- Nomination Form - Word / PDF
- Executive Board Statement of Responsibilities - Word / PDF
- Request for Paper Ballot - Word / PDF
The nomination deadline is March 15, 2012. Contact Bri Robinson with any questions about the nomination process, eligibility requirements or general election details.
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 the nomination form. Deadline for nominations is March 30, 2012.
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 2012 Annual Conference and Trade Show. The scholarship includes conference registration fee and four (4) 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. All applications must be returned to headquarters by March 23, 2012.
You no longer have to wait for your renewal statement to arrive in the mail! Save time and paper by renewing online today.
The new NENA website offers you the ability to instantly renew your membership online by credit card or check in just a few easy steps: Simply log in, go to your Manage Profile page, and click on Membership under the "Account History" header to view your renewal options. From there you can pay online and print out a receipt for your records.
Help NENA go green and paperless by taking advantage of this quick and easy renewal option!
Make sure the addresses (e-mail and postal) that we have on file for you are current! Please log in to your online member account to verify or update your information, or send an e-mail to Bri Robinson.
UPCOMING DEADLINES
Register before March 12, 2012, for the next ENP examination window: April 7-21, 2012. Visit the ENP webpage for more information.
GOVERNMENT AFFAIRS UPDATE
On February 16, Congress made a down payment on the future of our nation's 9-1-1 system when it provided $115,000,000 in grant funding to state and local 9-1-1 authorities. The move comes as part of a major legislative push to extend payroll tax cuts that were set to expire at the end of February.
Alongside the grant provisions, Congress also directed the FCC to begin a proceeding aimed at curtailing automatically-dialed calls to 9-1-1 centers, and another aimed at determining the feasibility of including E9-1-1 location capabilities in multi-line telephone systems. The latter provision would help to ensure that factory workers, college students, and corporate employees can be easily found when they call 9-1-1 from campus landlines. Under the agreement, the FCC must also report to Congress on the need for legislative and regulatory changes to enable Next Generation 9-1-1 deployment nationwide. The legislation also reauthorizes the 9-1-1 Implementation Coordination Office, a joint program office administered by the National Telecommunications and Information Administration and the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration.
Click here to read the rest of NENA's press release.
On February 15, NENA expressed great pleasure as the Federal Communications Commission voted to require reporting of outages experienced by Voice Over Internet Protocol (VoIP) providers. "As consumers increasingly shift to broadband or internet-based communications, it is important that they continue to receive consistent and reliable access to emergency calling services," said NENA CEO Brian Fontes. The new rules would require VoIP providers to report certain total outages of their proprietary networks and network elements, similar to existing obligations on the part of wireline telephone providers.
On February 15, NENA praised an FCC action aimed at decreasing the incidence of telemarketing "robocalls." NENA Director of Government Affairs Trey Forgety thanked Commissioner Robert McDowell, in particular, for recognizing in his separate statement the need to examine the impact of telemarketing robocalls on Public Safety Answering Points (PSAPs), saying "It's really encouraging to public safety professionals to see the FCC take notice of this problem; robocalls to PSAPs are a serious distraction that endanger public safety and waste taxpayers' money."
The rulemaking announced today would not allow PSAPs to stop informational, charity, or political calls, however. "This is a great first step, and we hope the FCC and Congress will follow it up with the changes needed to ensure that all telemarketing calls to PSAPs become a thing of the past," Forgety said.
EMERGENCY COMMUNICATION NEWS
NENA recently launched a FREE e-mail news service called Public Safety SmartBrief. It provides a weekly summary of news, trends and updates on public safety issues - not just 9-1-1, but police, fire and EMS. Knowledgeable editors handpick key articles from hundreds of publications, summarize them and provide direct links to the original sources.
In other words, we do all the research and you get the latest news in your inbox or on your handheld device, absolutely free.
HELP WANTED
NENA's new and improved career center now offers more options and search functionality to job seekers and recruiters, including the ability to browse openings by category, subscribe to receive e-mail notifications of new openings and apply for openings directly online. Recruiters can now view and rate candidates applying for openings, search the resume database of available candidates (members-only feature) and manage postings online.
UPCOMING EVENTS
Join NENA for 9-1-1 Goes to Washington and hear from Academy Award-winning actress and accessibility advocate Marlee Matlin. Ms. Matlin currently serves as a national celebrity spokesperson for the American Red Cross, encouraging Americans to donate blood. She has worked on behalf of closed captioning and was instrumental in getting Congress to pass federal legislation requiring all televisions manufactured in the United States be equipped with closed captioning technology. She also serves on the boards of a number of charitable organizations including Easter Seals, the Children Affected By AIDS Foundation, as well as those charities that primarily benefit children. In 1995, Matlin served as Chairperson for National Volunteer Week and was honored in a White House Rose Garden ceremony by President Clinton.
NEW THIS YEAR: Tuesday "Lunch & Learn"
In order to pack each day in Washington with as much information as possible, we've added a special lunchtime panel on the future of 9-1-1 funding. This panel will focus on the funding needs of states and 9-1-1 authorities during and after the transition to NG9-1-1, and will include a discussion of possible strategies for meeting those needs. Best of all, this additional meal is included in your registration for 9-1-1 Goes to Washington, so there's no additional cost!
Join NENA March 26-29 for 9-1-1 Goes to Washington - the only event where you can explore the policy issues facing public safety and take immediate action to address technological, operational, and educational challenges by engaging in dialogue with your elected and appointed officials. The agenda for the conference, registration, and housing details are now available at www.nena.org/gtw.
You may recognize J.R. Martinez as the winner of season 13 of ABC's Dancing with the Stars or from his recurring role on the recently cancelled ABC soap opera All My Children. But Martinez's rise to fame came at a great physical and emotional cost. In April of 2003 while serving as a U.S. Army infantrymen in Iraq, a Humvee he was driving was hit by an IED. Martinez was trapped inside the burning vehicle and suffered smoke inhalation as well as burns to more than 40 percent of his body. Martinez spent a total of 34 months in recovery and underwent 33 different procedures, including skin grafts and cosmetic surgery.
During his time in recovery, a nurse asked Martinez to speak with another burn patient who had just seen his injuries for the first time and had become withdrawn. The 45-minute visit was transformative for both men, ending with the patient beginning the healing process and Martinez finding a new calling in life. He began using his personal journey to help others, visiting with many patients in the hospital - sharing his story and listening to theirs.
Thinking about exhibiting at the NENA 2012 Conference & Trade Show?
Check out NENA's brand new online prospectus! Showing off your company's products and services in the NENA 2012 exhibit hall is the best way to reach public safety decision-makers.
Contact Anna Marie Batt for additional details about exhibiting at NENA's premier annual event. Sponsorship opportunities are also available.
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