Sep 1, 2008 12:00 PM, By Merrill Douglas

Getting call-takers up to speed on next-gen 911 might not be as onerous as first thought

This summer, staff at five public-safety answering points (PSAPs) across the U.S. got a taste of the future of 911 communications. As part of a proof-of-concept demonstration sponsored by the U.S. Department of Transportation, call-takers sitting at experimental workstations received text messages and streaming video, took in data from crash-notification systems, held videoconferences with peers at other emergency call centers and otherwise test-drove a variety of next-generation 911 technologies.

The applications were impressive, said John Merklinger, director of the Rochester-Monroe County (N.Y.) Emergency Communications Department, one of the test sites. But the prospect of introducing 911 systems based on IP technology also raises some serious operational issues, he noted. For starters: “Clearly, there's going to be a lot more training of telecommunicators.”

As call centers migrate to NG 911, the new technology could spell big changes for call-takers and dispatchers. Center operators and standards-setting bodies are just starting to sketch out how those jobs might change in the coming years, as well as how centers will train employees to perform the new procedures that come with NG 911.

A few scenarios look likely, however. Some people will use text, rather than voice, to report emergencies. Images transmitted from cell phones and surveillance cameras will help call-takers assess what's going on at an incident, and dispatchers might relay those images to first responders heading to the scene. PSAPs in different locations, linked by an IP network, will relay calls to balance their workload or take over if another center breaks down. Onboard data systems will send PSAPs detailed information about vehicular accidents immediately after they occur.

“Certainly, one of the concerns is information overload,” Merklinger said, referring to the crash notification. As call centers introduce this and other next-generation applications, they will need to establish business rules for managing the incoming flood of information. Moreover, they will have to train staff on a slew of new functions, features and procedures. “The way we do business on some things today will change, I'm sure,” he said.

In Vermont, telecommunicators already have experienced the first of those changes. In February 2007, Vermont implemented a statewide, IP-based 911 system — the first such deployment of NG 911 in the country. Vermont's Enhanced 911 Board operates eight PSAPs across the state. Each is responsible for a specific geographic area, but now that they are linked via a single IP network, they can field calls for one another, and managers can change the way calls are routed as needed.

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