Enhanced 911, now available at a handful of emergency operations centers, could be statewide by 2026.
The surcharge on your monthly phone bill funds the service, which allows callers to stream live video from emergency situations. Callers who use a language other than English can also communicate with a text translator, using what’s known as “E – 911.”
LEWISTON, Idaho — This week marks National Public Safety Telecommunications Week, a time to honor and recognize the dedicated telecommunications professionals who serve their communities in times of need. Among these unsung heroes are two communication specialists from the Lewiston Dispatch.
By Jennifer McIntyre, 9-1-1/Emergency Communications Subject Matter Expert, First Responder Network Authority
When a person calls 9-1-1 to report an emergency, they rely on Public Safety Answering Points (PSAPs) to answer the call every time, without fail. They expect that the call will reach someone who can quickly and efficiently send help to the right place. Lives depend on emergency telecommunicators being there, ready to take the call.
WASHINGTON – U.S. Senators Amy Klobuchar (D-MN) and Ted Budd (R-NC), co-chairs of the Next Generation 911 Caucus, introduced a bipartisan resolution designating April 13-19 as “National Public Safety Telecommunicators Week” to recognize 9-1-1 dispatchers for their dedication and service as first responders to emergencies across the country. A companion resolution was introduced in the House of Representatives by Representatives Norma J. Torres (D-CA) and Brian Fitzpatrick (R-PA).
“We’re behind the scenes. You never see us out in the community or out in public, you only hear voices… sometimes people might not know about us,” shared Halley Challis, training coordinator at BC 911. “To get that appreciation from the community, it means a lot to us; that people know what we do and they know that we’re here, that we’re behind the scenes and that we’re the voice on the other end of that phone.”
April 17, 2025
Washington, D.C. – Congresswoman Norma Torres (D-CA-35) introduced the bipartisan Providing Resources and Occupational Training for Emotional Crisis and Trauma (PROTECT) 911 Act, alongside Congresswoman Robin Kelly (D-IL-02) and Congressman Brian Fitzpatrick (R-PA-01). This critical legislation will improve the mental health and well-being of the nation’s 9-1-1 call-takers and dispatchers, a group often exposed to high-stress and traumatic situations.
