Urgent Communications RSS

Solution may be near for prepaid wireless 911 funding dilemma

Thu, 09 Jul 2009 17:51:00 EDT

Federal oversight of 911 funds is needed

Thu, 09 Jul 2009 16:07:00 EDT

Reporter's notebook: UTC releases telecom-spending report

Thu, 09 Jul 2009 11:31:00 EDT

Fire departments dropping pagers in favor of emergency dispatch solution

Wed, 08 Jul 2009 15:20:00 EDT

Some fire departments and rescue squads are dropping their pagers in favor of an emergency dispatch solution that allows messages to be transmitted onto a host of mobile devices that fire officials already carry around. Omnilert, the maker of a unified notification system known as Amerilert, can rattle off a number of fire departments that have adopted its system. The primary draw is the fact that firefighters can receive messages on their cell phones rather than carrying around a pager. Moreover, the Web-based access means a command officer can use his BlackBerry or any computer rather than being tied to an in-house network computer to send alerts.

Broadband stimulus money to flow soon; How will public safety benefit?

Wed, 08 Jul 2009 15:01:00 EDT

The Obama administration announced late last week that entities seeking broadband stimulus funding can begin to submit their applications on July 14 and will have until Aug. 14 to apply for the first round of funds that will be released by September. The Rural Utilities Service (RUS) and the National Telecommunications and Information Administration (NTIA), the agencies in charge of issuing a total of $7.2 billion for broadband deployments in underserved and unserved areas, issued a 121-page Notice of Funds Availability. The question is: How might the move benefit public safety?

Will multiband radio replace PS network build-out?

Tue, 07 Jul 2009 13:21:00 EDT

The eventual widespread availability of the multiband radios makes me wonder: If they hit the market next year and public-safety agencies nationwide adopt them, why do we need to build out a broadband, public-safety network?

DHS announces final phase of multiband radio testing

Tue, 07 Jul 2009 13:01:00 EDT

The U.S. Department of Homeland Security's (DHS) Science and Technology Directorate announced the 14 lead organizations for the upcoming pilot phase of testing and evaluation (T&E) for the multiband radio project. The pilot is part of the final phase of a three-part T&E process that includes laboratory testing, short-term demonstrations and pilot projects, said Dr. David Boyd, director of command, control and interoperability for the directorate.

Mesh network powered by trees detects fire dangers

Mon, 06 Jul 2009 15:50:00 EDT

The U.S. Forest Service and the Bureau of Land Management have tested a wireless environmental-monitoring system used to help first responders prepare for wildfires and disastrous events. The pilot test and system installation demonstrated Voltree Power's remote sensing and mesh technology, as well as its integration with existing remote automated weather stations (RAWS) network that transmits air temperature, humidity and diagnostic data using a preexisting satellite infrastructure, said the company's CEO Stella Karavas.

Augusta Systems says public safety largely untapped in M2M

Wed, 01 Jul 2009 17:08:00 EDT

LTE may be data-only, but still needs to support voice

Wed, 01 Jul 2009 16:32:00 EDT