For decades, people have known to call “911” to easily reach police, fire, or emergency medical assistance from any phone in any location. Created in the late 1960s, the system was designed to work with the technology that existed at the time -- wired phones in residences and businesses.
As technology has evolved, “911” has kept pace, going from a landline system to a sophisticated labyrinth of new capabilities that can enhance any crisis response, better protecting people and communities.
Tags: Public Safety Communications, Next Generation Public Safety
Read MoreI write this to all of those Police Chiefs, Fire Chiefs and Public Works Directors as well as the IT departments of all the towns and governments that oversee a budget.
Today’s technologies are merging and what you were individually responsible for ten years ago is not the same today. Your technology requirements are starting to converge with other agencies within your city. Police, Fire, Public Works, Administration and Park Districts are all now sharing the same connectivity paths.
Tags: Public Safety Communications, Wireless Communication, Tech Talk
Read MoreMany cities are asking this question. Safe City initiatives are on the rise around the world due to unique, ever-evolving and complex threats. As populations grow, so do the size and intricacy of the infrastructure required to support them. Municipalities must be able to respond with a citywide, unified approach to safety and security.
Implementing comprehensive command-and-control solutions to improve situation awareness, gather actionable intelligence and more effectively respond to incidents have become essential to growing urban populations such as those in Surat City, India, and Guayaquil, Ecuador.
Tags: Public Safety Communications, Technology
Read MoreThe folks over at PoliceOne have created this helpful Infographic to show how video is affecting how police officers do their jobs.
Tags: Public Safety Communications, Video Surveillance
Read More1) The Council On Financial Reform (COFAR) Fraud Alert: FEMA announced that there are scam artists claiming to be the Council on Financial Reform contacting individuals reporting that they’ve received grants from the government. However, the individual must pay a processing fee which can only be paid by giving up bank account information. COFAR stresses that they will never ask for such personal information when dealing with grants. Read more on this topic on the Grant Fraud website.
Tags: Public Safety Communications, Next Generation Public Safety, FCC, Social Media
Read MoreThe advancement of technology comes with major overhauls in terms of how we communicate and learn, what keeps us safe, and how things are made. One of the biggest technological advances within the past decade is something we all probably see on a daily basis on our commute: Public Safety vehicles.
We’ve transitioned from a single light on the hood of the car, to the multiple individual lights, to a light bar, and now LED lighting. Some of these advances you might not have ever encountered, such as communication equipment and computer technology equipped within the vehicle.These technology changes not only required police officers to learn to operate new equipment, but have also posed a challenge for the installers of said equipment.
Mike Falls, installation coordinator here at Chicago Communications, has noted the difference in how equipment has to be installed in today’s public safety vehicles, as opposed to those from nearly a decade ago. What’s the biggest change? How the vehicle is put together, thus is changing how installers have to take it apart to install radio equipment, computer systems, and light fixtures in the car.
Tags: Chicago Communications, Public Safety Communications, Safety Solutions, Video Surveillance
Read More1) Google Glass & Public Safety- Google Glass is a wearable technology (like a pair of glasses) with a head mounted display that would relay information to the officer’s line of sight, replicating a computer monitor. This would reduce the time an officer spends on having to radio in information, while waiting to obtain an answer. NYPD seems to be the first one to test this new technology, and you can read about it on PublicCEO.
Tags: Chicago Communications, Public Safety Communications, Next Generation Public Safety, Safety Solutions, GPS
Read More1) P25 (Project 25) Communication equipment- These are the set of standards used for federal, state, and local police departments set forth by APCO. It ensures interoperability between these levels in terms of radio communication to enhance timeliness, effectiveness, and coordination during emergencies. Why is this important? FEMA opened applications for Assistance to Firefighters Grants (AFG) on the 18th, which is only available for “the acquisition of P25 compliant equipment.”
Tags: Two Way Radios, Public Safety Communications, Motorola Solutions, Interoperability, Next Generation Public Safety, GPS
Read MoreThe good news for some of you is that you are keeping your radios an extra year or two (maybe three). Your budgets are being spent on maintaining your existing equipment, whether a service contract for a 24 hour response or just routine maintenance. It is prolonging the inevitable. Technology is changing, but service teams, like Chicago Communications, are equipped with the latest in technology to meet whatever challenge is thrown towards us. From basic analog radio systems to the most advanced P25 Public Safety systems we can monitor and respond to service outages in any required timeframe you need. We can consult on your equipment with our contracts department to see whether it makes sense to put your equipment on a contract or actively seek replacement because of age or parts issues.
Tags: Two Way Radios, Chicago Communications, Public Safety Communications, Wireless Communication, Radio System, Tech Talk, Safety Solutions, FCC, Maintenance/Installation/Service
Read MoreIt’s crazy to think that in about 2 weeks we will be kissing 2013 goodbye and welcoming in 2014 with open arms. One great thing about the end of the year is all of the sales and specials … even for your two way communication needs!
With so many different deals in place, it’s hard to keep track what will be ending when the clock strikes midnight on the 31st.Here’s a checklist from Chicago Communications to make sure you get the most out of your communication purchases through 2013!
Tags: Two Way Radios, Chicago Communications, Public Safety Communications, Motorola Solutions, Wireless Communication, Radio System, MOTOTRBO, Vertex, Maintenance/Installation/Service
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