A key Republican member of the U.S. House yesterday said he believes a bill calling for federal funding of IP-based next-generation 911 (NG911) deployments nationwide could be enacted, but bipartisan support will be needed, particularly to secure the necessary votes for approval in the U.S. Senate.
Dispatchers in Brown County say they’ve noticed an increase in 9-1-1 hang-ups throughout May, prompting the department to send out reminders as we head into the summer season, when these numbers tend to spike.
When a 9-1-1 call is made, emergency telecommunicators serve as the first line of response. Not only do they inform other public safety entities of where and what to respond to, they also often provide emergency medical dispatching and pre-arrival instructions, triage, and advice over the phone, guiding the caller through what could be the most challenging moment of their lives. They are the first first responders.
This is why training and staffing are so important for telecommunicators and emergency communication centers (ECCs). Every incident deserves the most effective and efficient response possible.
Current 911 systems enable the public to share voice, caller ID, and limited location information. But even with that data, emergency officials say there are limitations. The goal of the new system is to improve speed and accuracy of emergency response.
It has been said, San Bernardino County Supervisor Dawn Rowe told a crowd, that the county is “the Disneyland of disasters.”
“If it can happen, it happens in San Bernardino County,” she said, referencing any number of fires, floods, mudslides, shootings and even a blizzard.
