Gary Bell, ENP – Director of Emergency Preparedness for Waukesha County, Wisconsin – was sworn in on June 17 as President of NENA: The 9-1-1 Association’s Board of Directors. He now leads the organization’s nearly 16,000 members in efforts to improve 9-1-1 through research, standards development, training, education, outreach, and advocacy.

Watch the on-demand replay of the installation ceremony and President Bell's remarks.

After taking the oath of office, Mr. Bell promised that the organization would help the 9-1-1 community meet the challenges of the day. "We live in difficult times, and we must be nimble and responsive to our members and to the public we serve," he said. "Recent events have shone a bright spotlight on the importance of 9-1-1 professionals."

Further, Bell pledged to remain focused on the organization’s key initiatives and priorities, including standards development; training and certification; wellness and resiliency; and the classification of 9-1-1 as a protective-service occupation. "It is long overdue that 9-1-1 be recognized as the fourth public-safety discipline, alongside law enforcement, fire, and EMS," he said.

Click here to read more.

Earlier this week, NENA announced that it has cancelled its in-person 2020 Annual Conference & Expo and is replacing it with an online event due to public-health and safety concerns related to the coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic. The face-to-face event was originally scheduled to be held in June in Long Beach, California, before being postponed to September. However, given the still-uncertain trajectory of the pandemic, and considering that conference participants would be coming from all over the country and around the world, NENA concluded that cancelling the in-person meeting was the only safe and responsible action.

NENA is working with speakers, sponsors, and industry partners to deliver a virtual event during the week of September 21. Registration information, exact dates, and industry-partner opportunities will be announced soon.

Click here to read more.

NENA members have told us that disinfection and personal protection supplies are among your most critical needs at this time. That’s why NENA has partnered with AvKARE, a trusted distributor of pharmaceuticals and infection-control products, to provide discounted supplies to 9-1-1 centers across America. Simply visit store.avkare.com and use the Promo Code "EMERGENCY" to receive a 25% discount on your $100 purchase of supplies including Waltz Free hand sanitizer lotion, Waltz D disinfectant spray, and Level II Surgical Masks. Check out their informational video for more info and download this promo flyer to share with your public-safety peers.

As NENA continues to closely monitor the coronavirus (COVID-19) outbreak, we have developed a list of resources for members, chapters, and the greater 9-1-1 community.

NENA's COVID-19 resource page contains items including PSAP-guidance documents, EMD protocols, on-demand webinars, CoOPs and planning checklists, event-planner assistance, public education graphics, health and hygiene best practices, and many more resources to support you and your work during this ever-evolving situation. This page is updated with new information as it becomes available. 

Do you have or know of other resources that should be posted? If so, you can contact NENA Communications Director Chris Nussman.

The new NENA Free Training Resource Center provides a database of free online and in-person training opportunities to help you build your skills and advance in your career. Whether you are a training coordinator searching for training for your staff, or a 9-1-1 professional looking to add to your knowledge, the Resource Center is a go-to guide for industry-leading education from trusted providers including: DHS, FEMA, NJTI, FRA, NCMEC, and more.

Email Lisa Fulton from the NENA Education Team to suggest other free training programs to consider for inclusion in the Resource Center.

Growing Up 9-1-1: A Teenager’s Perspective on Living in a 9-1-1 Family
Wednesday, July 29 | 3PM Eastern (live) or On-Demand
FREE for NENA Members
Click here to register!

Being a kid or a parent in a public-safety household isn’t easy. You have to navigate the tough calls, exhausting schedules, and many difficult conversations. Attend this special NENA #WebinarWednesday to hear from Chloe, a 16-year old who has grown up in the 9-1-1 world, alongside her mother, Christine, a two-decade 9-1-1 veteran, as they share how they’ve created a strong, healthy 9-1-1 family. Whether you’re a parent or not, attend this webinar to explore:

• Tools and techniques that assist in time management, job stress, family priorities, intentional parenting, and more; 
• What the kids of 9-1-1 really need from parents (and it’s not perfection); and
• Ways that all of us – with kids or without – can support our fellow 9-1-1 teammates and improve our work- and home-relationships.

Can't attend on the 29th? Register now and you will receive an email after the live presentation with instructions for accessing the on-demand webinar archive.

Presenters: Christine Bannister, ENP – Waukesha County (WI) Communications | Chloe – Teenager 

CEUs: Attend this webinar and receive one-half ENP re-certification point towards the ten-point maximum for NENA courses in the Professional Development CEU/Course Credits section. 

Webinar Access Info: Dial-in and web-access details provided automatically via email upon registration. 

Questions? Contact Amanda Tegtmeyer with the NENA Education team.

The NENA Standard for 9‑1‑1 Call Processing facilitates the processing of 9‑1‑1 calls by PSAPs and serves as a basis for the development of SOPs. Use of this document standardizes the method of call handling across jurisdictional boundaries. This provides consistency in the processing of emergency and non-emergency calls and improve service to the public. Further, this new standard consolidates and replaces a number of NENA documents, including:

• Silent or Hang-up Calls for Service Operational Information Document
• Guidelines for Minimum Response to Wireless 9‑1‑1 Calls
• 9‑1‑1 Call Answering Standard/Model Recommendation
• Emergency Call Processing Protocol Standard

 

In developing this new comprehensive call-processing document, NENA engaged both NFPA and APCO to ensure the harmonization of our standards. Most notable is the update to the standard for 9‑1‑1 call-answering times, now providing that 90% of all 9‑1‑1 calls be answered within 15 seconds and 95% answered within 20 seconds. The remaining call-taking standards (e.g., order-of-answering priority, answering-statement protocols, information gathering, transfer) have been updated to reflect PSAP best practices.

In the evolving environment of Next Generation 9-1-1, the data received will change and come from different sources. This document seeks to inform on E9-1-1 and NG9-1-1 data flow issues and identify at least a few transition issues for additional consideration.

Members of the authoring Working Group can download the document and submit comments by going here and then selecting "Add a Comment" from the "Edit" icon.

All others may download the document and submit comments by going here and then selecting "Add a Comment" from the "Document Actions" icon.

Please complete all requested data and "Save," or, if submitting multiple comments, select "Save and Add Another."

If submitting a substantial number of substantive comments and/or edits, commenters may add a single comment in NWS Comment Manager and attach an edited version of the document containing tracked changes. To do this, scroll down to "Add Supporting File" on the comment page and select the file you have edited.

If you are providing editorial comments, such as corrections to typos, grammatical errors, style/numbering errors, or incorrect references/links to documents, please document them in one comment and list the page and line number for each. For example:

• Page 22, Line 761: correct muse to most
• Page 51, Line 905: correct Maine to main
• If the correction is within a table, provide the table name and page number of error and specific details of change

All comments are due by August 7. You may contact the NENA Committee Resource Manager with any questions or concerns.

Having adjudicated all comments, the NENA Managing & Monitoring NG9‑1‑1 Information Document and the Impact of IoT Devices and Emergency Calling Applications Information Document are now considered "stable." Per NENA IPR & Antitrust Policy, Section 4.5.1 "Stable Form Notices" are being issued and can be viewed here.

911 Telecommunicator | IXP Corporation | Lawrence Township, NJ
Director | KITTCOM (Kittitas County 9-1-1) | Ellensburg, WA
Director | Dickson County Emergency Communications District | Dickson, TN
Executive Director | Shelby County Indiana Board of Commissioners | Shelbyville