NENA NEWS
NENA HQ will be closed from Dec. 24 until Jan. 5. During this time, the best way to reach staff with urgent requests is via email. Please visit the staff page for contact info. Happy holidays!
Save the date! Registration for the NENA 2015 Conference & Expo is going live on Dec. 26!
Register early and save! NENA members who register online using a special discount code between Dec. 26 and Jan. 9 can save an additional 10% off full-conference Early Bird rates when paying by credit card at the time of registration.* That's a total savings of more than $150 off Regular registration pricing!
Watch your email on the morning of Dec. 26 for the discount code, and lock in your special, members-only deal! To be eligible for the extra 10% savings, you must register and pay online and use the discount code during the promotional window.
*This offer cannot be combined with group membership vouchers or other promotions.
9-1-1 Goes to Washington (Feb. 22-25 in Arlington, VA) brings together hundreds of 9-1-1 professionals from around the country with policy leaders in our nation's capital to explore and discuss today's most pressing 9-1-1 and emergency communications issues. 9-1-1 Goes to Washington 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.
Click here to register now and here to make your housing reservation.
NENA is now accepting applications for the position of Operations Issues Director. Click here for the full job description and submission instructions. The deadline to apply is 5 p.m. Eastern on Friday, Jan. 30, 2015.
Click here to watch this special webinar on the historic agreement reached between NENA, APCO, and the "Big 4" national wireless carriers on Wireless E9-1-1 Location Accuracy. For the first time, carriers have agreed to begin delivering "dispatchable location," rather than just latitude and longitude for wireless 9-1-1 calls. This advance puts us on a path to parity with the wireline world, and will help preserve the effectiveness of 9-1-1 service as consumers and carriers alike transition from wired to wireless services. This free webinar covers:
- The definition of "dispatchable location" and the roadmap that will make it a reality for wireless calls.
- The transition to using live 9-1-1 call data for carrier compliance assessment.
- The timeline for standards development, handset roll-out, and network builds.
- The roles and realities of other interest groups.
This webinar gives you the information you need to understand the location accuracy agreement and to handle inquiries from media and other interest groups.
Earlier this week you received an email from NENA with a link to your 2015 NENA dues notice. Help NENA go green and save a stamp by choosing to pay online by check or credit card. If this is not an option for you or your agency, the email also contained a link allowing you to print out a copy of your invoice for local processing.
Instantly renew your membership online in just a few easy 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.
In appreciation of your continued support, when you renew online by credit card before Dec. 31, 2014, you will receive free access to an upcoming NENA webinar of your choice—a $50 value!
We look forward to sharing many new and exciting member benefits with you in the coming year!
AmazonSmile is a simple and automatic way for you to support NENA every time you shop, at no cost to you. When you shop at smile.amazon.com, you’ll find the exact same low prices, vast selection, and convenient shopping experience as Amazon.com, with the added bonus that Amazon will donate a portion of the purchase price to NENA.
To shop at AmazonSmile, simply go to smile.amazon.com from the Web browser on your computer or mobile device. You may also want to add a bookmark to AmazonSmile to make it even easier to return and start your shopping at AmazonSmile.
On your first visit to AmazonSmile, you need to search for and select " National Emergency Number Association" to receive donations from eligible purchases before you begin shopping. Amazon will remember your selection, and then every eligible purchase you make on AmazonSmile will result in a donation.
Click here to learn more and here to start shopping now!
Make sure the addresses (email 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 email to Bri Robinson.
OPS UPDATE
The NENA PSAP Operations Committee is looking for workgroup volunteers to assist in updating NENA 56-508, Protocol for Handling Calls Regarding Human Trafficking Information Document. Human trafficking is a global issue that spans a variety of crimes, affecting communities both large and small, and PSAPs need to be able to identify potential human trafficking incidents and appropriately respond to situations. Individuals with working knowledge of human trafficking issues are encouraged to volunteer. To join the work group, please go here.
The NENA PSAP Operations Committee, Contingency Planning Subcommittee, is looking for workgroup volunteers to assist in updating NENA’s Contingency Planning Documents in the 53 series, including 53-001, Communications Center/PSAP Disaster Contingency Plans Model Recommendations. Planning and preparing for a disaster, power outage or equipment malfunction is critical to PSAP operations. This subcommittee is looking for a mix of individuals with operational and/or technical knowledge of current and NG PSAP equipment, as well as knowledge of PSAP operations to assist in the updating of these documents. The commitment is participation for an hour a week on a conference call with committee members. Please complete the volunteer form to join this group.
NENA is seeking comments on a Candidate American National Standard (ANS) released today that identifies minimum training requirements for the use of TTY/TDD in public safety communications.
This standard, written in conjunction APCO, addresses the minimum training requirements, in general, necessary to foster levels of consistency for all personnel in an emergency communications environment assigned to answering TTY/TDD calls for service specifically in the public safety environment. This standard responds to the valid needs of the rapidly expanding and ever-changing industry, providing competent training standards while defining training in certain knowledge, skills, and abilities, and recognizing the need to supplement basic competencies with agency-specific information and existing equipment use parameters.
The draft standard can be downloaded for review here. Comments must be submitted via email by Jan. 26, 2015 and should include the name of the standard, line number in question, existing text, and proposed resolution.
TECH UPDATE
NENA/APCO Next Generation 9-1-1 Public Safety Answering Point (NG-PSAP) Requirements, NENA/APCO-REQ-001 (DRAFT), is available for Public Review and Comment until Jan. 30, 2015, at 5 p.m. ET.
This technical requirements document introduces requirements for a NG9-1-1 Public Safety Answering Point (PSAP) that is capable of receiving IP-based signaling and media for delivery of emergency calls conformant to the latest version of the NENA i3 Architecture document. An emergency call enters the i3 PSAP using Session Initiation Protocol signaling. NG9-1-1 encourages the creation of many new coordination and information access services to enrich collaborative interactions between all agencies involved in processing emergency service requests. This document is issued as NENA/APCO recommended requirements for functions and interfaces between an i3 PSAP and NG9-1-1 Core Services, and among Functional Elements associated with the i3 PSAP. This document is primarily intended to drive the development of one or more standards that meet the technical requirements specified herein. Unless otherwise indicated, the requirements in this document do not apply to products and services unless and until matching specifications are published in applicable standards.
All comments shall be submitted by going here and then selecting "add a comment" just above the title "Document Details." Please complete all requested data and "Save" OR if submitting multiple comments, select "Save and Add Another."
You may contact the NENA Committee Resource Manager with any questions or concerns.
NENA-STA-003.1.1-2014, Standard for NG9-1-1 Policy Routing Rules, has been updated to make the following editorial corrections:
- 3.4.2.1.1.1 Standard – numbering sequence in Routing Instructions table
- 3.4.2.3.2.1 Enhanced – numbering sequence in Routing Instructions and Routing Instructions (call queues) tables
GOVERNMENT AFFAIRS UPDATE
by Admiral David Simpson, Chief, Public Safety and Homeland Security Bureau
Earlier this year, the Commission proposed rules to help first responders better locate indoor wireless 9-1-1 callers. The reason was clear: The vast majority of 9-1-1 calls are from mobile phones, and we are not where we need to be on location accuracy for wireless 9-1-1 calls. This puts American lives at risk and requires swift action from the FCC, from wireless carriers, and from public safety officials. Next Wednesday marks a deadline for public comments on the latest proposal we have received in this proceeding. To get this right, it is important that the Commission hear from stakeholders on many key questions.
Make no mistake, locating wireless 9-1-1 callers indoors is not easy. The technologies used to locate outdoor callers simply don’t work as well indoors. Additionally, today’s 9-1-1 location technologies can’t tell a 9-1-1 call center what floor a call is coming from. Imagine the challenge this creates for an EMS technician when responding to a medical emergency in a 50-story skyscraper!
Click here to continue reading...
EMERGENCY COMMUNICATION NEWS
NENA recently launched a FREE email 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 email 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 (a members-only feature), and manage postings online.
UPCOMING EDUCATION COURSES
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