911 upgrade may increase load on dispatchers

Bedford County Communications Center director Cathy Mathis says that a new state program to upgrade all com centers to digital technology is a good thing, but it may also pose some challenges for centers to implement.

"I think it's going to be a major learning curve," said Mathis.

The Tennessee Emergency Communications Board voted to adopt a funding plan which will provide each emergency communications district in Tennessee with at least $120,000, plus an additional amount based on population, to upgrade to digital technologies in what is called the Next Generation 911, or NG 911, project. A total of $25 million will be distributed statewide.

"These funds will allow local ECDs to purchase the necessary equipment for the NG 911 upgrade," said Lynn Questell, executive director of TECB, in a news release. "We're moving ahead with our plans to convert 911 in Tennessee to a digital system."

Info overload?

Among the capabilities of the new system will be that 911 centers will be able to receive text messages and photos from cellular phones. That's potentially useful, and State Rep. Pat Marsh sponsored House Joint Resolution 746, which is now making its way through the House, urging com centers to upgrade their technologies to be able to accept such information. But it's also a potential distraction, said Mathis, who imagines a number of passers-by sending in photos of the same motor vehicle accident, for example.

"We'll be overwhelmed," said Mathis.

She said it's still not clear exactly how this new information will be displayed or integrated with existing 911 information, such as the caller's location, or how it will be archived.

"The concern at this point is how is that information going to be documented, how is it going to be recorded," said Mathis.

Call transfers

The new system will also allow easier transfers of calls from one 911 center to another, said Mathis. Not only the call itself but the supporting information, such as the caller's address, will be transferable. That could save time and help prevent errors in an emergency, such as a fire or accident near a county line which is reported by someone from the adjoining county.

"This is a big project that will have significant benefits for Tennesseans," Questell said. "While we're distributing funds to districts for the purchase of necessary equipment, we're also building a statewide digital 911 infrastructure.

"We need NG 911 to handle emerging technologies like Internet phone service (VoIP) and the many capabilities of today's cell phones."

The TECB expects to begin deployment of NG 911 by early 2011, according to a news release.

Mathis notes, however, that the increasing complexity of 911 technology creates staffing issues.

"The more technology we have to do here," she said, "the harder it's going to be to get dispatchers on a technical level to do that."

Funding

The local communications center is managed by the Emergency Communications District board. It operates on a dual funding mechanism. Funding for the operation of the com center itself comes through the county general fund, under the control of county government, while funding for enhanced 911 technology is paid for by telephone surcharges and is overseen by the state and by the local Emergency Communications District board. The state limits the functions or expenses towards which that surcharge funding can be applied, which can be frustrating to county officials facing tight budgets. For example, the surcharge money can't pay for dispatchers, who are county employees.

At the Financial Management Committee meeting on Tuesday, committee members discussed the possibility of the county charging rent to the Emergency Communications District for its use of the com center.