TiPS Today in Public Safety with Fletch

A #SWATTING report is dangerous precisely because it resembles a real emergency. Wednesday follows the call from the emergency communications center through dispatch, school protective actions, unified command, verified callback, PACE communications, rumor control, and the first evidence-preservation steps.

This episode is part of the TiPS week **Before the First Bell: When the Alarm Is the Attack**. The operational guidance is designed to support local planning and does not replace emergency communications center SOP, school EOP, law-enforcement policy, legal advice, or incident command.

RESOURCES

PODCAST - School SWATTING Readiness Workbook (Excel workbook)

https://fletch.tv/wp-content/uploads/2026/08/Back-to-School-Swatting-Readiness-Cookbook.xlsx

Source note: These sources support definitions and operational principles. Local law, policy, SOP, counsel, and incident command control local action.

FBI - Threat Actors Use Swatting to Target Victims Nationwide (April 29, 2025): https://www.fbi.gov/investigate/cyber/alerts/2025/threat-actors-use-swatting-to-target-victims-nationwide

FBI San Diego - Back-to-School Reminder: Hoax Threats Are Not a Joke (August 12, 2025): https://www.fbi.gov/contact-us/field-offices/sandiego/news/fbi-san-diego-issues-back-to-school-reminder-hoax-threats-are-not-a-joke

FBI - School Hoax Threats: https://www.fbi.gov/video-repository/school-hoax-threats/view

National 911 Program - Public Safety Information on Swatting: https://www.911.gov/assets/National_911_Program_Public_Safety_Information_Swatting_2015.pdf

CISA - Social Media Threat Guidance for School Staff and Authorities: https://www.cisa.gov/sites/default/files/2023-12/Social%20Media%20Threat%20Guidance%20for%20School%20Staff%20and%20Authorities%20Infographic_508.pdf

CISA - Leveraging the PACE Plan into the Emergency Communications Ecosystem: https://www.cisa.gov/sites/default/files/2024-10/2024_NCSWICPTE_Leveraging_PACE_Plan_Emergency_Comms_Ecosystems.pdf

CISA - K-12 School Security Guide and related resources: https://www.cisa.gov/hometown-security

FEMA - Multi-Hazard Emergency Planning for Schools / ICS and EOP implementation: https://emilms.fema.gov/is_0362a/groups/211.html

SchoolSafety.gov - Responding to and Investigating Bomb Threats and Swatting Hoaxes training listing: https://www.schoolsafety.gov/events/past?page=0

 

Learn more at 911tips.com, fletch.tv, and fletch911.com.

  REMEMBER  : NEW EPISODES are published each week on Monday, Wednesday, and Friday morning - usually around 8AM on"Fletch's LinkedIn page [ https://www.linkedin.com/in/fletch911/ ]

For Fletch's Blogs, see his Wordpress Site at [ http://Fletch.TV ]
and you can follow him on Social Media (such as X) @Fletch911 
 
For NG911 Consulting Services - you can reach Fletch through Fletch 911, LLC at http://Fletch911.com

Swatting often begins long before the emergency report.

Threat actors assemble names, schedules, addresses, photographs, floor details, phone numbers, account access, and other public clues into a story that sounds local and urgent. Monday builds an exposure inventory, hardens accounts and connected devices, and creates a verified pre-incident coordination path.

This episode is part 1 of 3 of the TiPS Series:

**Before the First Bell: When the Alarm Is the Attack**

**NOTE: The Excel workbook referenced in this podcast can be downloaded at the link found in the RESOURCE section at the end of this description.

The operational guidance is designed to support local planning and does not replace emergency communications center SOP, school EOP, law-enforcement policy, legal advice, or incident command.

Learn more at 911tips.com, fletch.tv, and fletch911.com.

 

RESOURCES

PODCAST 26 0824 - School SWATTING Readiness Workbook (Excel workbook)

https://fletch.tv/wp-content/uploads/2026/08/Back-to-School-Swatting-Readiness-Cookbook.xlsx

Source note: These sources support definitions and operational principles. Local law, policy, SOP, counsel, and incident command control local action.

FBI - Threat Actors Use Swatting to Target Victims Nationwide (April 29, 2025): https://www.fbi.gov/investigate/cyber/alerts/2025/threat-actors-use-swatting-to-target-victims-nationwide

FBI San Diego - Back-to-School Reminder: Hoax Threats Are Not a Joke (August 12, 2025): https://www.fbi.gov/contact-us/field-offices/sandiego/news/fbi-san-diego-issues-back-to-school-reminder-hoax-threats-are-not-a-joke

FBI - School Hoax Threats: https://www.fbi.gov/video-repository/school-hoax-threats/view

National 911 Program - Public Safety Information on Swatting: https://www.911.gov/assets/National_911_Program_Public_Safety_Information_Swatting_2015.pdf

CISA - Social Media Threat Guidance for School Staff and Authorities: https://www.cisa.gov/sites/default/files/2023-12/Social%20Media%20Threat%20Guidance%20for%20School%20Staff%20and%20Authorities%20Infographic_508.pdf

CISA - Leveraging the PACE Plan into the Emergency Communications Ecosystem: https://www.cisa.gov/sites/default/files/2024-10/2024_NCSWICPTE_Leveraging_PACE_Plan_Emergency_Comms_Ecosystems.pdf

CISA - K-12 School Security Guide and related resources: https://www.cisa.gov/hometown-security

FEMA - Multi-Hazard Emergency Planning for Schools / ICS and EOP implementation: https://emilms.fema.gov/is_0362a/groups/211.html

SchoolSafety.gov - Responding to and Investigating Bomb Threats and Swatting Hoaxes training listing: https://www.schoolsafety.gov/events/past?page=0

  REMEMBER  : NEW EPISODES are published each week on Monday, Wednesday, and Friday morning - usually around 8AM on"Fletch's LinkedIn page [ https://www.linkedin.com/in/fletch911/ ]

For Fletch's Blogs, see his Wordpress Site at [ http://Fletch.TV ]
and you can follow him on Social Media (such as X) @Fletch911 
 
For NG911 Consulting Services - you can reach Fletch through Fletch 911, LLC at http://Fletch911.com

A PSAP’s first IP call is an important milestone, HOWEVER, it is not the finish line.

In this episode of TiPS Today in Public Safety, Fletch examines what it really means to complete the transition to Next Generation 911. Connecting an ESInet or successfully receiving an IP call does not guarantee that calls, location, media, and incident data can move reliably across jurisdictional and vendor boundaries.

True NG911 capability depends on validated geospatial routing, interoperable call and data transfers, resilient network failover, trained personnel, and sustainable long-term funding. The real test is whether the complete emergency-response ecosystem continues working securely and consistently during routine operations, malformed data, network congestion, cyber events, and system failures.

NG911 is complete when the public receives reliable, interoperable service from the point of origin through the response—not when one piece of technology goes live.

Visit 911tips.com for the complete TiPS archive, fletch.tv for Fletch’s blogs, and fletch911.com for contact information.

  REMEMBER  : NEW EPISODES are published each week on Monday, Wednesday, and Friday morning - usually around 8AM on"Fletch's LinkedIn page [ https://www.linkedin.com/in/fletch911/ ]

For Fletch's Blogs, see his Wordpress Site at [ http://Fletch.TV ]
and you can follow him on Social Media (such as X) @Fletch911 
 
For NG911 Consulting Services - you can reach Fletch through Fletch 911, LLC at http://Fletch911.com

An ESInet connection does not mean the NG911 migration is finished. Legacy and next-generation systems may have to work together for years—and every gateway, handoff, failure path, and ownership question must be understood before the old network can be safely retired. Today, we examine why NG911 migration must be treated as an operational program rather than a single installation event.

 

Watch - Or see our archive of 250+ Episodes at http://911TiPS.com

 

#NG911 #911 #PublicSafety #EmergencyCommunications #ESInet #PSAP

  REMEMBER  : NEW EPISODES are published each week on Monday, Wednesday, and Friday morning - usually around 8AM on"Fletch's LinkedIn page [ https://www.linkedin.com/in/fletch911/ ]

For Fletch's Blogs, see his Wordpress Site at [ http://Fletch.TV ]
and you can follow him on Social Media (such as X) @Fletch911 
 
For NG911 Consulting Services - you can reach Fletch through Fletch 911, LLC at http://Fletch911.com

Completing the nationwide transition to Next Generation 911 will require an estimated $5.8 billion to $9.27 billion in additional investment over seven years. But NG911 is no longer funded like a traditional equipment replacement project.

In this episode, Fletch examines the shift from upfront capital purchases to recurring operating commitments involving software, cloud services, managed networks, cybersecurity, monitoring, location services, data storage, redundancy, and vendor support.

The transition period adds another challenge. Many jurisdictions must temporarily support legacy and next-generation systems at the same time while the new environment is tested and placed into service. That overlap is not waste—it protects emergency-service continuity.

The central questions are long-term ones: Can agencies afford to sustain NG911 after implementation? Who owns the continuing obligation? And how can smaller communities avoid becoming isolated from an interoperable national system?

NTIA's 2026 NG911 Cost Study:
https://www.ntia.gov/report/2026/next-generation-9-1-1-ng911-cost-study

Visit https://www.911tips.com for more TiPS Today in Public Safety.

#NG911 #911 #PublicSafety #EmergencyCommunications #Funding #PSAP #Leadership

  REMEMBER  : NEW EPISODES are published each week on Monday, Wednesday, and Friday morning - usually around 8AM on"Fletch's LinkedIn page [ https://www.linkedin.com/in/fletch911/ ]

For Fletch's Blogs, see his Wordpress Site at [ http://Fletch.TV ]
and you can follow him on Social Media (such as X) @Fletch911 
 
For NG911 Consulting Services - you can reach Fletch through Fletch 911, LLC at http://Fletch911.com

The first hour of a major incident reveals decisions an emergency communications center made months before the first call arrived.

In this episode of TiPS Today in Public Safety, I focus on readiness for storms, wildfire, flooding, evacuations, major crashes, and other extended critical events.

The readiness checklist starts with a few essential questions:

- Have backup connectivity, alternate routing, power, credentials, contact lists, and alternate locations actually been tested?
- Are GIS data, agency boundaries, resource information, and mutual-aid procedures current and usable?
- Can the right information reach the right person before the incident outruns the process?
- Are staffing, relief, food, transportation, communication, and recovery plans ready to support the people carrying the event?

Preparedness is not a binder on a shelf. It is the work already completed before the first call comes in.

Watch or listen to the episode posted below, and visit http://911TiPS.com for the complete archive of more than 200 episodes.

You can also read my blogs at http://fletch.tv and find my professional services and complete contact information at http://fletch911.com.

#PublicSafety #EmergencyPreparedness #EmergencyCommunications #911 #NG911 #Resilience #PSAP

TiPS Episode 26 0814 - You Don't Get to Practice the Storm During the Storm

  REMEMBER  : NEW EPISODES are published each week on Monday, Wednesday, and Friday morning - usually around 8AM on"Fletch's LinkedIn page [ https://www.linkedin.com/in/fletch911/ ]

For Fletch's Blogs, see his Wordpress Site at [ http://Fletch.TV ]
and you can follow him on Social Media (such as X) @Fletch911 
 
For NG911 Consulting Services - you can reach Fletch through Fletch 911, LLC at http://Fletch911.com

TRAINING IS THE FIRST DEPLOYMENT

Technology is not deployed when it is installed. It is deployed when the person working the console at three in the morning can use it with confidence, judgment, and purpose.

This episode of TiPS Today in Public Safety examines why training must be treated as an operational discipline—not a one-time event before go-live.

Key points include:

- Train the work, not just the screen. People need to understand why a tool matters during an actual call.
- Use quality assurance to uncover training needs and process gaps, not merely to assign scores after the fact.
- Let AI help organize calls, identify patterns, and support coaching—but keep human judgment responsible for the conclusion.
- Reinforce learning with scenarios, refreshers, real examples, and accessible supervisor coaching.

Training is not what happens before the work. Training is how the work becomes reliable.

Watch or listen to the episode posted below. A complete archive of more than 200 TiPS episodes is available at http://911TiPS.com.

Read my blogs at http://fletch.tv, and visit http://fletch911.com for professional services and all my contact information.

#PublicSafety #EmergencyCommunications #911 #Training #QualityAssurance #ArtificialIntelligence #PSAP

  REMEMBER  : NEW EPISODES are published each week on Monday, Wednesday, and Friday morning - usually around 8AM on"Fletch's LinkedIn page [ https://www.linkedin.com/in/fletch911/ ]

For Fletch's Blogs, see his Wordpress Site at [ http://Fletch.TV ]
and you can follow him on Social Media (such as X) @Fletch911 
 
For NG911 Consulting Services - you can reach Fletch through Fletch 911, LLC at http://Fletch911.com

A conference can spark an idea. It cannot do the implementation work for you.

In this episode of TiPS Today in Public Safety, I look at what needs to happen after the ballroom clears, the notes come home, and Monday morning brings everyone back to operational reality.

The practical takeaways:

- Choose one or two ideas with real operational value instead of trying to implement everything at once.
- Give every worthwhile change an owner, a first action, and a clear definition of success.
- Bring telecommunicators and supervisors into the process early—the console is the final test.
- Judge a solution by whether it improves decisions, reduces workload, or helps the right thing happen faster.

The conference may give you the idea. Operations is where you prove it was worth having.

 

Watch or listen to the episode posted below. You can also explore the complete archive of more than 200 TiPS episodes at http://911TiPS.com.

 

My public-safety and technology blogs are available at http://fletch.tv, and you can find my professional services and complete contact information at http://fletch911.com.

#PublicSafety #EmergencyCommunications #911 #PSAP #Leadership #Technology #Operations

  REMEMBER  : NEW EPISODES are published each week on Monday, Wednesday, and Friday morning - usually around 8AM on"Fletch's LinkedIn page [ https://www.linkedin.com/in/fletch911/ ]

For Fletch's Blogs, see his Wordpress Site at [ http://Fletch.TV ]
and you can follow him on Social Media (such as X) @Fletch911 
 
For NG911 Consulting Services - you can reach Fletch through Fletch 911, LLC at http://Fletch911.com