News and information about South Sound 911 and emergency communications issues in general:
South Sound 911: Better radios and dispatch for all
Op-ed, Tacoma Weekly, Fife Free Press and Milton/Edgewood Signal
If voters approve South Sound 911, every member of 40 police and fire agencies throughout Pierce County will receive new radios that dramatically improve your safety and theirs. Those radios – the lifeline for any first responder – will let each of them communicate directly with each other anywhere in the county.
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911: Proposition 1 is limited to life of the bonds
The News Tribune, letter to the editor
Opponents of Proposition 1, which creates a seamless countywide emergency communications system called South Sound 911, are making lots of incorrect claims. Let’s set the record straight on four of them.
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Central Pierce Fire and Rescue endorses South Sound 9-1-1
The Puyallup Herald
The Central Pierce Fire and Rescue Board of Commissioners recently made a 4-0 vote in favor of endorsing the 1/10 of 1 percent sales tax proposal to support advancing emergency communications in Pierce County and creating South Sound 9-1-1. Larry Nelson, chairman of the board of commissioners, said it made all the difference in the world when the commissioners realized how money was going to come in, how it was going to be spent and the efficiencies and cost-savings that would result.
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Fife creates memo of understanding with South Sound 911
Fife Free Press
Fife, which operates one of six primary 911 dispatch centers in the county, is still on the fence about the regional plan. However, a new memo of understanding could allow the city to join South Sound 911 in the future, if the county abides by a few guidelines.
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The case for South Sound 911: Antiquated, disjointed system can waste lifesaving minutes
Op-ed by Sheriff Paul A. Pastor and Central Pierce Fire Commissioner Larry Nelson
Here are four stories that illustrate the dire problems with the 911 and radio systems throughout Pierce County: the delayed response to two officers who were shot, a serial bank robber who eluded four police agencies that could not communicate with each other, a house fire that nearly took the lives of two firefighters, and a catastrophic power outage at a dispatch center.
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Proposition 1: A seamless, modern 911 system
TNT editorial
Proposition 1 would fix two big, interrelated problems that have long plagued the county’s police officers and firefighters – and the citizens who depend on them. … This is a bad time for a tax increase, however small. But anytime is a bad time for obsolete radios and a fractured dispatch system, the problems Proposition 1 would finally fix.
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Tacoma Weekly endorsements: Yes on Prop 1
The entire county needs a modern system to allow police officers, firefighters and those who dispatch to communicate effectively in emergency situations. Raising the sales tax 1/10th of 1 percent would pay to create such a system, an agency that would be known as South Sound 911. It is a small price to pay for something that is truly needed.
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Editorial: South Sound 9-1-1 opens up communication
Peninsula Gateway editorial
When police and fire agencies are on their way to the same emergency scene — even if they’re already there — one common misconception is that they can communicate with one another through their radio systems. But with various radio platforms and frequencies, that’s not the case. Among other things, Pierce County’s South Sound 9-1-1 proposal, called Proposition 1 on the Nov. 8 general election ballot, would fix those issues for 99 percent of the county.
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Piecemeal radio systems create risk to public, responders
Sheriff Paul A. Pastor op-ed, The News Tribune
Delivering public safety services requires strong communications systems for receiving calls from the public and for dispatching police, fire and paramedic units. In Pierce County, we have come to a crossroads. Existing radio dispatch equipment will soon need to be replaced. Some systems are in better shape than others, but within the next two to four years all existing public safety radio technology will need to be upgraded in order to operate effectively. Here are four reasons why.
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Chamber Supports 9-1-1 Measure
The Live Wire blog, Tacoma-Pierce County Chamber
The good news – combined dispatch centers could be implemented cheaper jointly than individually. Other jurisdictions should consider joining the system, which increases the economies of scale.
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Westside Story – Prop 1, Yes or No?
The Suburban Times op-ed
This is a countywide issue, not a single agency issue. It is also your issue. Please do not think I am supporting this just because I am a police officer. I am getting very close to retirement. I am asking you to support Prop 1 because I have observed the problem for over 20 years. I know how bad it is.
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911: Proposition 1 is a sensible solution
The News Tribune, letter to the editor
I have been a fire service professional for 35 years and currently serve as the fire chief of West Pierce Fire & Rescue. I support Proposition 1 because I’ve seen firsthand how poor communications can wreak havoc on an emergency scene, putting first responders and citizens at risk. I believe it would be irresponsible to allow our patchwork system of six dispatch centers and six radio systems to continue, when Proposition 1 serves as a sensible solution that will create a single, integrated, state of the art system.
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911: It’s your call
The News Tribune, letter to the editor
Many of our daily communication devices cannot be used to request life saving assistance because of the rapidly changing technology and lifestyles of today’s modern electronic “toys.” So I ask you why you would not consider approving the proposal for upgrading the E911 emergency communications?
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Puyallup dispatch center may move to larger facility nearby
The News Tribune
Puyallup may spend a half-million dollars or more moving its emergency communications center to a larger building nearby, at a time when Pierce County is proposing a new dispatch agency that aims to take over calls in the East Pierce city and around the region.
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State Patrol will spend $40M on radio upgrade to meet standard
The News Tribune
The Washington State Patrol is upgrading its radios to meet pressing federal mandates and to allow troopers to talk with police officers, sheriff’s deputies and firefighters in the areas they patrol.
Story
Rescuing 911
The News Tribune
This fall, Pierce County voters will be asked to approve a tax increase to raise nearly $12 million a year to address two public safety dilemmas – a patchwork 911 dispatching system and a fragmented radio network.
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South Sound 911 headed to November ballot
The Peninsula Gateway
Pierce County voters will be asked in November to establish a seamless, more efficient emergency communications system that improves safety for every resident and first responder.
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East Pierce Fire commissioners support South Sound 911 ballot measure
The News Tribune
The Board of Fire Commissioners for East Pierce Fire & Rescue recently voted to support the South Sound 911 ballot measure. “According to the commissioners, the current patchwork system has been a concern for some time, especially in the more rural areas of the district where dead zones leave responders and residents without critical emergency communications,” a press release states.
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South Sound 911 heads to the November ballot
Pierce County TV
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Texting 911: King County will upgrade emergency system
Federal Way Mirror
Developed from 1960s technology to primarily service landline-based phones, 911 services in King County will need a massive overhaul before they are ready to deal with text, picture and video messaging.
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How To Fix 911
Time magazine
Americans assume we can connect to 911 in all the ways we connect to each other. Our GPS-enabled smart phone, Google and Foursquare may know exactly where we are at any given time, but unfortunately, these technologies aren’t compatible with standard 911. Traditional emergency services don’t take texts, photos, Skype calls or videos either. Then there are social media like Twitter and Facebook, which work when our phones don’t. Such gaps leave us with a patchy emergency infrastructure that has become progressively less able to find people in need.
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INDIANA: A push for one county to consolidate its 18 dispatch centers
Northwest Indiana Times editorial
Ten years after 9/11, advancing the cause of facilitating communication among first responders should be a no-brainer. With consolidation, first responders would be guaranteed easy communication with each other. And a single agency would be involved in answering 911 calls and directing responses. Working together to bring consolidation to fruition would result in well-coordinated responses to major disasters.
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