3 Ways Interoperability in Law Enforcement Improves Response
When responding to emergency situations, sharing rich, multimedia information is critical to saving lives – both police and civilians. Here are three ways interoperability in law enforcement improves police response and brings people together to make communities safer. by Dan Willingham, Mutualink Executive Director SLED Sales Traditionally, police officers roll up to emergencies with little information. Despite best efforts by dispatchers, in many situations, officers only have minimal information provided by the caller and shared...
Cross-Border Communication Saves Lives
Canada and the United States share the world’s longest undefended border of 5,525 miles along the 49th parallel. This peaceful relationship has allowed for significant trade and people to cross the border for recreation and commerce. With thousands of commercial trucks crossing the Ambassador Bridge every day, the Ministry of Transportation has identified the Windsor-Detroit gateway as Canada’s busiest land border crossing. Running beneath the Detroit River, the Michigan Central Railway Tunnel facilitates the crossing...
Invest in Emergency Communications to Build a More Resilient Canada
Our nation’s firefighters are facing an unprecedented wildfire situation as catastrophic events like floods, droughts, heat waves, and powerful storms become more frequent and increasingly dangerous. Still, our firefighters continue to respond, supporting all hazards situations. Shouldn’t we ensure they have the tools they need to communicate in an emergency? Early situational awareness and comprehensive, interoperable communications across all levels of government and emergency response are critical for agencies across Canada. Mutualink’s LNK360™ platform, recently...
Top Funding Sources for School Safety Technology
School Safety: Top 5 Funding Sources for First Responder Alert System School administrators tasked with keeping children as safe as possible need ready access to funding sources for safety systems like alerting and panic button technology. This article helps sort through the funding maze and offers guidance to help communities improve school safety. By: Sonya Richmond, Grant Information Manager, Mutualink Although there was a brief respite from school violence due to the coronavirus pandemic as...
Emergency Response Team for Inauguration Law Enforcement Support
Emergency Response Team Available for Inauguration Law Enforcement Support (Get Ready for Civil Unrest with Super-Charged Communications) "To go forward at all is to go forward together." - Richard Nixon in his inauguration speech, 1969 Inauguration Day isn't always marked by unity. Inauguration Day 2021 will more likely be remembered as a day of civil unrest. Civil unrest isn't always meant as a direct challenge to law enforcement. Its target is often political change. But...
Communications Systems for Black Sky Events
Communications Systems for Black Sky Events Utility grid resilience never seemed more important than during the active hurricane season the nation faces in 2020. These black sky events reach across state lines, challenging federal, state and local emergency response and the communications systems that support it. For critical infrastructure, resilient operational communications systems are essential for restoration and recovery. Last fall, the Electric Power Research Institute (EPRI) conducted research to evaluate communications systems' ability to...
Thinking Outside the Box Cliché – We understand it but do not practice it
Thinking Outside the Box Cliché We understand it, but do not practice it By Mark Anderko – Business Development Executive – Federal Government Services for Mutualink Among the most well-worn phrases in the Public or Private Sectors is “thinking outside the box”. It is intended to mean thinking creatively, freely, and off the beaten path. This concept has become cliché, especially today. We now operate in a pandemic environment where every day is considered the...
Incident Command & Mutualink – ICS Management
Incident Command & Mutualink The Incident Command System (ICS) was developed by the fire service in the 1970s, after a series of California wildfires. The fire service and emergency management organizations refined ICS over the years into an "all risks" or "all hazards" system. It is now used for managing emergencies of any type. In 2004, the U.S. Department of Homeland Security developed the National Incident Management System (NIMS). NIMS utilizes ICS and provides a...
School Violence Prevention Program Grant
The COPS Office STOP School Violence Prevention Program (SVPP) NOW EXTENDED: The COPS Office has extended the application deadline for the FY20 School Violence Prevention Program (SVPP) from April 8, 2020 to April 29, 2020 at 7:59 p.m. EDT due to the potential impact of jurisdictional emergency responses to COVID-19 that may cause reasonable delays for applicants. SCHOOL VIOLENCE PREVENTION PROGRAM (SVPP) • Purpose - Provide funding to improve security at schools and on school grounds through the...
Communication Gaps in Emergency Response
Communication Gaps in the Emergency Response Community This blog contains excerpts from Gap Assessment in the Emergency Response Community published in September 2010 by Pacific Northwest National Laboratory prepared for the Department of Homeland Security, along with the viewpoint of the writer of this blog. To read the full report, please visit: https://www.pnnl.gov/main/publications/external/technical_reports/PNNL-19782.pdf Why do emergency response agencies regularly encounter operational communication gaps? This question consistently plagues and challenges today's preparedness and response organizations in ...
Interoperable Communications Essential for COVID-19 Response
Confronting Paper Thin Realities: Toilet Paper & Luca’s Dead Sister How Interoperable Communications Is Essential but Overlooked in the COVID-19 Pandemic According to media reports[1] in the early days of the COVID-19 outbreak, Luca Franzese’s sister, Teresa, died from a coronavirus (COVID-19) infection in Naples, Italy. Under house quarantine, he called the city for help, but nobody knew what to do. The funeral home wasn’t cooperating and didn’t know what to do either. Her decaying...
Count on Us During the Coronavirus Response
Count on Us During the Coronavirus Response As our nation deals with the unfolding COVID-19 outbreak, you can count on us to be at your side. We serve those who are on the frontlines helping those in need, including emergency management, public safety and healthcare providers. Mutualink stands ready, willing and able to assist you at any time, day or night. You are connected to the largest network of government, public safety and private security organizations...