Public Safety Services Bureau
Governors to the Rescue on E9-1-1
From Massachusetts to Montana and from Vermont to Virginia, states are responding to the challenges of new wireless technology by implementing the lifesaving technology service known as enhanced 911, or E9-1-1. As Congress looks at possible legislation that would accelerate states' implementation and funding of E911, a recent NGA Center for Best Practices issue brief provides an overview of several strategies that governors are using to meet E9-1-1 service delivery goals.
Of the 150 million emergency calls made to 911 nationwide in 2001, nearly a third were dialed from a wireless phone. Within five years, a majority of Americans will use cellular phones to call 911. States are playing a critical role in coordinating the deployment of wireless enhanced 911, or E9-1-1. The technology, now operational in several states, automatically directs cellular calls to the appropriate local or regional 911 call center and instantly identifies a caller's geographic location in an emergency.
Currently, when an emergency call is made from a cellular phone, the caller must identify their location. With E9-1-1, however, the technology allows emergency operators to determine a cell caller's location automatically. Thanks to a 1996 FCC-imposed deadline, wireless carriers, beginning January 1, 2006, will be required to include location software in their new wireless handsets. Many of the nation's more than 6,000 state and local emergency call centers, however, will not be in a position to use the location information. As the deadline approaches, many of these 911 dispatch centers are struggling to keep up with the advances in technology created by cellular technology.
To help ensure a smooth transition to E9-1-1, the nation's governors are spearheading efforts to ensure each state develops and implements coordinated statewide E9-1-1 deployment plans. Several states - California, Montana and Virginia, to name a few - have developed innovative strategies designed to meet E9-1-1 service delivery goals, and, in the meantime, have become models for other states looking to follow suit.
While difficult, coordination between an array of stakeholders - local and regional call centers, wireless carriers, state and local public safety agencies, and federal regulatory agencies - is key to implementing wireless E9-1-1. A successful implementation, complete with upgrades in network infrastructure and new equipment, requires proper training and education, as well as adequate funding at all levels of the program. The General Accounting Office (GAO) has said it is critical for the stakeholders to come together to devise the means to fund more than $8 billion in estimated deployment costs. Governors have heeded this call.
The National Governors Association Center for Best Practices has examined several successful states' efforts to implement and efficiently fund E9-1-1. The NGA's latest issue brief, "State Strategies for Accelerating Enhanced 9-1-1 Implementation" demonstrates several different strategies and policy options, employed by governors, to meet the goals of the FCC and the needs of wireless consumers. While the FCC has not mandated states and localities to deploy E911, governors have taken the lead in providing the valuable service to their citizens.
By designating a statewide coordinator for E911, several governors have been able to better manage and organize effective implementation while enhancing their ability to pool statewide resources to the project. In California, for example, a 911 Emergency Communication Office coordinates all 911-system implementation statewide, including authorizing and approving local implementation, and the state 911 Advisory Board promotes communications between local call centers and the California 911 Emergency Communications Office.
Other states have concentrated on determining exactly what resources are needed to complete E9-1-1. To establish a baseline of needs, Massachusetts created an advisory board to oversee and establish technical and operational standards for dispatchers that utilize enhance 911 network features. With these standards identified, the state will have a more accurate assessment of each call center's progress.
Given the critical shortfall in funds in most states, some have begun to develop built-in safeguards to ensure funds earmarked for E9-1-1 are not used for other purposes. In Montana, for instance, a statewide public safety initiative pools resources into a centralized fund thus giving the state greater purchasing power with vendors. By using a centralized approach, the initiative also forces the state to spend its resources more efficiently. In addition, Montana's emergency call centers can only receive funds if they have filed a plan for implementation of E9-1-1 service.
To assist with implementation of E9-1-1, many states have dedicated resources to provide education and outreach to emergency call centers. Virginia has provided funding to emergency centers for project management, consulting and training. In addition, the Virginia Information Technologies Agency produced a wireless E9-1-1 implementation guide to assist localities with everything from contracts to ordinances. Meanwhile, the E9-1-1 Unit of the Emergency Management Division in Washington works with counties and communications companies to ensure the state's E9-1-1 system is operational and available to all the citizens.
We feel your readers would benefit in learning more about what states are doing to meet the needs of its citizens and keep up with the ever-changing advancements in these life-saving technologies. Though most consumers are generally unaware of the current limitations of 911, governors are nonetheless working hard to make the service available. For more information on this topic, or to speak with one of NGA's expert analysts, contact NGA's Office of Communications at 202-624-5334.
Printed from the NGA web site.
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