Jumpline magazine February 2025 - Flipbook - Page 30
30
Veronica “Ronnie” Solomon
Dispatch
Next Generation 911
What is Next Gen 911? The
昀椀rst time I saw that term, I ignored it. I
was at an Emergency Medical Dispatch
Conference in Orlando where there
was a vendor’s exhibit booth with that
term emblazoned across the front of
it. All I could think to myself was that
I wouldn’t be around to see it, so cavalierly shrugged it off as I continued
moving through the exhibit hall. I took
it upon myself to look up the de昀椀nition because Next Gen 911 has become a catchphrase that is now being
tossed around like a frisbee. So, what
is the de昀椀nition of Next Generation 911 (NG911)?
It’s an internet-based system designed to replace the
existing 911 infrastructure. NG911 will improve communication between callers, call centers, and 昀椀rst responders by allowing transmission of text messages,
photos, videos, and data. According to this AI generated detailed de昀椀nition, this appears to be something,
if all goes well, that will become the new and ef昀椀cient
way to dispatch and receive emergency calls.
OLD FAITHFUL
we can’t see what is going on. Can you
imagine the calls we would be able to directly engage with? Heck, a dispatcher
may not be any good for the rest of their
life considering what they may have just
witnessed. It will be an uncontrolled situation, where no 昀椀rst responder has yet
arrived. All due to NG911. I am not
sure that if I were a call taker I would
be able to free my mind quickly enough
and be ready mentally to move on to the
next nosebleed because, quite frankly,
we can’t unsee anything.
For example, a citizen calls in a
shooting. A pretty routine call (yes, for some it’s routine). The call taker would not only be able to see the
caller, but the victim and any other gruesome aspects
of the scene taking place in real time. I’m not sure
I’d be able to handle that type of emergency situation. Just think of the increased stress and mental
anguish I would endure.
Here are some of the bene昀椀ts of NG911:
Increase speed and resilience of 911.
Facilitate the seamless 昀氀ow of digital information between the
public and 昀椀rst responders.
Improve information transfer between 911 call centers.
Improve management of call overload and natural disasters.
We operate in the “now.” In the present. Let’s say that all of
this comes to fruition and the visionaries who developed this
future of 911 dispatching pat themselves on the back for what
has become the “now” in dispatch. So, will this Next Gen thing
become a success story?
Using technology such as Facetime, dispatchers can now be
placed on the scene of a crime in progress or maybe a domestic
situation occurring in real time. I’m not eager to have my eyes
resting upon those situations and still have to perform according to protocol and SOP. All it takes is one citizen to Facetime
a shooting that could permanently ruin the mental health, career, or life of a call taker or dispatcher. We all handle situations differently. Some calls stick with us, but as of right now,
Yes, the world has changed and let’s be clear, the
digital communications landscape is evolving rapidly, driving the high demand for more ef昀椀cient and effective emergency response services. The world is all about
growth in technology, which also applies to 911. At least eleven
states have fully migrated or are in the process of migrating to
the NG911 system, including my native hometown of Connecticut.
According to a study by the federal government, implementing
NG911 across all 911 call centers in the United States would
cost between $9.5 billion and $12.7 billion over a ten-year period. This cost estimate comes from a report to Congress by the
911 Implementation Coordination Of昀椀ce. Those are not small
numbers. As of right now, a $200 million emergency command
center will be constructed in Miami-Dade County and I’m not
sure if they’ve even broken ground yet, but rumor has it that
both 昀椀re rescue and police dispatchers will be housed there.
Will NG911 be a part of that schematic going into the new communications building? We’ll just have to wait and see. But in
the meantime, we will continue to utilize the current system
which, for the most part, has not changed since the 昀椀rst 911 call
was taken in 1968.
March 2025 | JUMPLINE Magazine
