Today, the U.S. House of Representatives passed the Build Back Better Act, which includes a $470 million grant program to support state and local deployments of Next Generation 9-1-1, along with helpful provisions for ensuring interoperability and cybersecurity. The legislation now moves to the Senate for consideration. However, the funding level is far short of the estimated $15 billion required for fully achieving NG9-1-1 nationwide. The Public Safety Next Generation 9-1-1 Coalition, which includes APCO and America’s major fire service, EMS and law enforcement associations wrote to congressional leadership in the House and Senate requesting full funding for NG9-1-1. The Coalition warned that underfunding will leave public safety agencies with overly costly, incomplete and non-interoperable solutions vulnerable to cyber-attacks, jeopardizing the safety of the public and homeland security.
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On November 17, Senators Amy Klobuchar (D-MN) and Richard Burr (R-NC) introduced an amendment to the National Defense Authorization Act (NDAA) that would direct the Office of Management and Budget to classify public safety telecommunicators as “Protective Service Occupations” in the Standard Occupational Classification. Passage of this provision into law would have the same effect as passage of the 9-1-1 SAVES Act. Earlier this year the House of Representatives passed its version of the NDAA with an identical reclassification provision. The Senate will vote in the coming weeks on whether to include the Klobuchar and Burr amendment in the NDAA. Then the House and Senate will begin the process to reconcile any differences between the House and Senate versions of the NDAA. APCO will continue to advocate for the reclassification language to be included in any version that moves forward. Stay tuned for further updates.
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December 1-21
December 8 – January 18
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Highlights of the Emerging Tech Forum include a message from FCC Commissioner Nathan Simington, a panel discussion on remote call taking, an update on the FirstNet Authority Roadmap and a powerful session about the stress of dealing with next generation technology. Register now to gain access to all 17 sessions and earn up to 12 CEUs.
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Mohave Valley Daily News
Public safety telecommunicator Brianna Montgomery was named the civilian employee of the year for exceptional service and in particular for helping save a man’s life by instructing a caller in CPR.
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The Greeneville Sun
The sheriff’s deputies and police officers fill in for shifts that the 18-person full-time staff cannot cover.
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The Emporia Gazette
Roxanne VanGundy, Director of the Lyon County (Kansas) Emergency Communications Center, said call volume is rising and she needs help from the social media network to find public safety telecommunicators.
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NBC News
After police shot a woman who suffered from mental health issues, the city added behavioral health responders to its public safety departments.
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WTOP News
The program, which was designed for mental health calls in response to people who are not armed or pose a safety threat, will add additional social workers and expand from 12 to 24 hours a day.
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