HURRICANE IAN
As Hurricane Ian approaches Florida, Winbourne Consulting wants to extend sincere appreciation to the first responders: dispatch/communications, police, fire, EMS, and military. We also thank all other emergency response teams including the multitude of emergency management workers, electric linemen, cable and communications crews, tree services, debris removal, food and water suppliers, construction crews, volunteers, and all other rescue operations teams. These crews run to the storms to assist with evacuations, rescues, crowd control, medical attention, and securing the areas.
Thank you for your service and protection. Be safe.
Editor's Note: I am hunkered down in Tallahassee! As a native Floridian and resident of North Florida, I am anxiously following this storm. Hotels are sold out to house emergency crews as they prepare to go where needed as soon as safely possible. As I passed two large convoys of electric line trucks last night, I sent silent thanks to all the teams as they head south because of this catastrophic storm.
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At the very mention of the words “strategic plan,’’ many people have an immediate negative reaction. And there is a good reason for this. Too often, department strategic plans provide no tangible value to the organization, department personnel, or the citizens the department serves. There is a litany of reasons for this problem that include 1. The strategic plan was poorly designed, to begin with, 2. No leadership commitment to execute the strategic plan, 3. Strategic plan items were not included in the budget process so there is no funding for implementation, and 4. Change in leadership so the original strategic plan was put on a shelf to collect dust or stuffed in a desk drawer never to see the light of day again.
All that said, strategic plans can provide tremendous tangible value to an organization. Do not let the previous poor design or execution of a strategic plan sway your perspective on the benefits a strategic plan can provide.
An equally eye-glazing topic for many in public safety is “technology.” Same as with strategic planning, there is a multitude of reasons people have a negative reaction such as 1. Frustration/disappointment with current technology systems, 2. Technology project failures (e.g., cost overrun, the system took longer than expected to implement and the system did not meet expectations), and 3. Lack of understanding regarding the system.
Unfortunately, too many organizations fail to fully accept the fact that public safety administration and operations are 100% dependent on technology systems.
Read the full article here: Technology Master Plan/Strategic Plan – Why It is Necessary – Winbourne Consulting, LLC (w-llc.com)
Winbourne Consulting can help your agency prepare and implement a Technology Master Plan or Strategic Plan. Contact us for more information.
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Winbourne Consulting Participates in the USTDA Jamaica Emergency Communications Network Technical Assistance Program
Winbourne CEO Andrew Reece is pictured attending the signing ceremony for the USTDA Jamaica Emergency Communications Network Technical Assistance Program Grant.
Pictured from left are Lambrini Kolios, USDTA Country Manager, Brazil and the Caribbean; Amy Tachco, Dept. Chief of Mission, US Embassy Jamaica; Darryl Vaz, Jamaica Minister of Science, Energy, and Technology; Enoh Ebong, Director, USTDA; Steve Gardner, Chief Council, Commercial Law Program, US Dept. of Commerce; Andrew Reece, Winbourne Consulting President and CEO; and Nathan Younge, USTDA Regional Director, Latin America and the Caribbean. September 7, 2022
Arlington, VA – Today, the U.S. Trade and Development Agency awarded a technical assistance grant to Jamaica’s Ministry of Science, Energy and Technology (MSET) to advance the development of national emergency communications infrastructure. The goal of the assistance is to strengthen the country’s ability to adapt to and manage the impacts of climate change. MSET selected Virginia-based Winbourne Consulting, LLC, to perform the assistance.
“The Caribbean is disproportionately impacted by climate change. Natural disasters and storms are growing in intensity, requiring island nations like Jamaica to seek climate adaptation solutions,” said Enoh T. Ebong, USTDA’s Director. “This grant will identify innovative U.S. solutions and technology to support Jamaica’s efforts to protect its most precious asset – its people.”
Read more here: Winbourne Consulting Participates in the USTDA Jamaica Emergency Communications Network Technical Assistance Program – Winbourne Consulting, LLC (w-llc.com)
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Connecticut Statewide ESInet
Winbourne's Scott Smith was the Program Manager responsible for the migration of a 110-PSAP statewide NG-911 Comtech ESInet system to the AT&T ESInet. He had previously migrated that state-wide system from a Legacy Frontier E911 system to the Comtech solution. The migration from the Legacy E911 to Comtech was completed in October 2017 after a customer-mandated replacement of the original Comtech CPE with an Intrado VIPER system mid-way through the project.
Scott was then retained by AT&T to plan and execute the migration from the Comtech ESInet to the AT&T ESInet. The migration to AT&T ESInet was successfully completed on September 1, 2022.
Contact us for more information or for assistance with your ESInet plans.
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AUTHOR: STEPHANIE HEPBURN
JUNE 21, 2022
In October, the Pew Charitable Trusts released an issue brief highlighting that most 911 call centers lack the resources to address mental health and substance use (“behavioral health”) crises. Then, several months ago, the public charity released a follow-up report looking into 911 call centers affiliated with the Safety and Justice Challenge, a John D. and Catherine T. MacArthur Foundation initiative. The initiative aims to reengineer and rebuild local criminal justice systems to increase equity and reduce jail incarceration. “The report explains how these sites differ from other 911 call centers in how they collect, manage, and share mental health call data,” says Tiffany M. Russell, former project director of Mental Health and Justice Partnerships at the Pew Charitable Trusts.
She points out that the 16 Safety and Justice Challenge sites they interviewed diverge from most 911 call centers in their data collection, feedback loops, and collaboration with behavioral health partners. “There was significantly more interaction and data sharing between 911 and behavioral health among the challenge sites,” she says.
While 911 public safety answering points and behavioral health services commonly collect data, the information each gathers often stays within its own silo.
Read the complete article here: 911 Must Be Part of the 988 Conversation - #CrisisTalk (crisisnow.com)
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Miles Blumhardt, Fort Collins Coloradoan
August 31, 2022
Christopher Cawdrey was eating lunch at his remote home in far northern Larimer County when he noticed smoke coming over the hill in the direction of his neighbor’s house.
Once outside, he could see the house was on fire and quickly called 911.
The dispatcher asked his location and other critical questions, then asked if would be willing to livestream video from his cellphone of what he was seeing.
He agreed, and the dispatcher texted him a link. He clicked on the link and was able to walk around the burning home to show the dispatcher the fire in real time. The dispatcher relayed the video to emergency responders who could better assess the scene.
Because the house fire was near the Wyoming border, 90 minutes from Fort Collins, firefighters couldn’t save the home. Still, Cawdrey, who tried to extinguish the fire with a water hose, and emergency responders believe the new tool will prove invaluable.
Read the complete article here: Larimer County 911 callers can share real-time videos with responders (coloradoan.com)
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By Danny Ramey, Editor
Friday, September 23, 2022
Multiple industry organizations submitted filings supporting the First Responder Network Authority’s (FirstNet Authority) application for renewal of its license for the 700 MHz Band 14 spectrum. The National Sheriff’s Association (NSA) also filed comments expressing some concerns about the FirstNet Authority and industry partner AT&T.
The legislation that created the FirstNet Authority required the FCC to give the authority a 10-year license for the spectrum. The act then directed the FirstNet Authority to submit a license renewal application when the license expired and gave the FCC the authority to grant the authority another 10-year license.
The FirstNet Authority submitted its application for the renewal in August.
Read the complete article here: Several Organizations Support FirstNet Spectrum Renewal, NSA Expresses Concerns (rrmediagroup.com)
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October 10-14, 2022
Orlando, FL
For more than 30 years, EMS World Expo has been the leading education event for emergency medical healthcare professionals. This is where the leading medical experts from across the world come together to share their innovative research, demonstrate cutting-edge procedures, and drive the field of paramedicine and the delivery of emergency medical services forward.
To learn more, visit: Home | EMS World Expo
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October 15-18, 2022
Dallas, TX
The International Association of Chiefs of Police (IACP) Annual Conference and Exposition is the largest and most impactful law enforcement event of the year.
To learn more, visit: IACP Conference 2022 – THE IACP – Shaping the future of the policing profession (theiacpconference.org)
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October 18 - 20, 2022
Irving Convention Center
Irving, TX
As technology advances, new practical applications are imagined to keep communities safer. Augmented reality that can scan a collapsed building or landslide to see cellphone pings of missing persons. Artificial intelligence that can predict disasters. These are just some technologies currently being developed, and Technology Summit International aims to bring the tech of the future to today’s fire and emergency service professionals — helping them reduce risks to their communities and improve their ability to respond to emergencies.
To learn more, visit: Technology Summit International (iafc.org)
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Winbourne Consulting provides a wide range of public safety services to our clients. Some of our services offered are (click on any of these to go to our website):
Areas of focus include:
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International Services
International Clients
Some areas of focus include:
- Emergency Communications
- Emergency Operations Centers
- Emergency Services
- NG9-1-1
- Wireless Communications
- LTE 5G Network
- 911 Implementation
- 112 Implementation
- Transportation Management
- Smart Cities
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