Community Preparedness Webinar Series:
National 9-1-1 Education Month: Partnering with E9-1-1 Institute and Engaging Local Public Safety Answering Points (PSAPs)

Date and Time: Wednesday, April 14 @ 2 PM EDT

Presenters: Gregory Rohde, Executive Director of the E9-1-1 Institute, and Wanda Royster Gattison, Office of Unified Communications (OUC) in Washington, D.C.

Please note: A link to enter the webinar will appear on this page approximately 15 minutes prior to the start of the webinar.

April is National 9-1-1 Education Month.  Citizen Corps’ affiliate, E9-1-1 Institute, encourages local communities to call upon educators, parents, public officials, and telecommunications industry leaders to join a national effort to educate the public on the importance of the 9-1-1 emergency call number system and its appropriate use during April.  9-1-1 is nationally recognized as the number to call in an emergency to receive immediate help from police, fire, EMS or other appropriate emergency response entities.  It is important that all levels of government and community stakeholders understand the importance of 9-1-1, how the system works today, and steps that need to be taken to modernize the 9-1-1 system. 

The E9-1-1 Institute promotes public education on 9-1-1 and emergency communications.  The E9-1-1 Institute shares the mission of the Congressional E9-1-1 Caucus; a joint initiative to educate lawmakers, constituents, and committees about the importance of citizen-activated emergency response systems.  The E9-1-1 Institute serves as an information clearinghouse for policy makers at the federal, state, and local levels, as well as for interested organizations and the general public.  

Gregory Rohde, Executive Director of the E9-1-1 Institute, will discuss how the 9-1-1 system connects the eyes and ears of the public to the emergency response system. Mr. Rohde will highlight how to work with E9-1-1 Institute to promote 9-1-1 education and citizen-activated emergency response systems to lawmakers, community stakeholders, and citizens.

Mr. Rohde will be joined by Wanda Royster Gattison from the Office of Unified Communications (OUC) in Washington DC.  Ms. Gattison will provide a local perspective to the imperative role 9-1-1 public safety answering points (PSAPs) play in emergency response.   PSAPs are often the first to know of emergencies of all magnitudes, making 9-1-1 a significant asset to emergency responders and the public.  Ms. Gattison will discuss the essential relationship which must exist between PSAPs and their communities to educate the public about 9-1-1 and proper communications and messages during a disaster.

Additional Details on this Webinar

A webinar is a web-based informational or training seminar (a presentation, lecture, workshop or seminar) that is transmitted over the internet. This webinar will last approximately one hour. After the presentation is complete, you will have an opportunity to ask questions via the chat feature in the webinar system. This webinar is free to the public and will accommodate the first 500 visitors that enter the site. In addition to airing live, the webinar will be recorded and viewable at your convenience after it completes.

Information on How to View Our Webinars

The Community Preparedness Webinar Series is conducted in DHS's HSIN Connect system. You do not need to register in advance, nor do you need a HSIN account in order to view our webinars. Audio for this webinar will be broadcast within HSIN Connect; there will not be a concurrent, phone-based teleconference. Questions and answers will be moderated via text-based chat inside the webinar. In order to ensure that your computer is capable of viewing our webinars and webcasts, we highly recommend that you read the below documents and perform the compatibility test prior to the start of the event. In addition, please ensure your computer's speakers are working prior to the webinar. If for any reason you have trouble accessing the system, please send an email to citizencorps@dhs.gov.

Accommodations for Those with Special Needs

This webcast will be offered with closed captioning and paticipants will be able to download a PDF PowerPoint of the presentation.