How we can prevent 911 calls going unanswered

It has been a tough couple of months for 911 call centers. In at least seven states, callers in need of help in March were placed on hold or simply couldn’t reach a dispatch center. More alarming was a denial of service attack, launched by a teenager that nearly took out 911 call centers in at least a dozen states. Regardless of the cause, the result was the same — those in an emergency were unable to reach first responders. 

Those incidents are indicative of challenges across the state emergency communications ecosystem, which — in addition to 911 call centers — includes land mobile radio  (LMR) communications and broadband networks. In many ways, the emergency communications ecosystem is only as strong as its weakest link.

{mosads}Demands on broadband networks will increase as states increasingly adopt next generation 911 or NG911, which will allow citizens to send messages via text, picture or video. Without sufficient broadband capacity for public safety, dispatch centers would be unable to transmit that critical data over a secure and reliable network to first responders.

Even with NG911 and a broadband network, the LMR systems that allow first responders to communicate are in need of upgrading, thereby affecting their ability to coordinate across jurisdictions and, ultimately, to assist callers in need. 

Certainly, funding remains a challenge in many jurisdictions when it comes to building a highly functioning emergency communications ecosystem. However, often overlooked is the importance of strong governance for emergency communications. Strong governance, through established bodies, facilitates greater capability and interoperability among these technologies by coordinating planning and response, which are often fragmented across agencies and levels of government.

Last year, the National Governors Association’s Center for Best Practices and the U.S. Department of Homeland Security’s Office of Emergency Communications launched a project to assist a class of participants from five states with identifying challenges and solutions to improving governance of their state’s emergency communications ecosystem.

Governor-appointed teams from Alaska, Hawaii, Illinois, Utah and West Virginia participated in the Policy Academy on Enhancing Emergency Communications Interoperability.

The NGA Center and OEC recently published three key findings that can help other jurisdictions strengthen their ecosystem and the ability of first responders to save lives.

First, state officials responsible for overseeing a state’s LMR interoperability—statewide interoperability coordinators or SWICs–must be empowered to facilitate coordination among their broadband and 911 counterparts. A strong and empowered partnership among these individuals will further ensure that priorities are aligned to maximize expenditures. 

LMR, broadband and 911 are the backbone to responding to everyday emergencies and for communicating across public safety entities. Without these tools, the millions of first responders across the nation would be unable to do their jobs.

It is our responsibility, and duty, to make the best tools available to the men and women who put their lives at risk every day to save others. 

Second, states should prioritize sustaining an active governance body to coordinate and support all emergency communications. Since these tools are used by several agencies and localities, it is necessary to bring these stakeholders together to unify support around common goals and objectives.

Third, officials should revitalize the statewide communication interoperability plan, or SCIP, and inform executive decision makers. This plan is the strategy that guides states’ efforts to improving their emergency communications, but tends not to get the attention it deserves. State officials should emphasize the plan’s importance and garner support for its operation.

Lastly, and in line with the third lesson learned, lawmakers and legislatures must be engaged to promote support for the SCIP and identify long-term sustainability solutions.

Implementing these recommendations will require leadership. No one is better positioned to lead such efforts than the governor. With authority over state agencies and the ability to convene key stakeholders, they can set priorities, build consensus. and ensure state agencies are coordinated — when emergencies happen.

The time to act is now. Lives depend on it.

Jeff McLeod is the director of the Homeland Security and Public Safety Division at the National Governors Association’s Center for Best Practices. Ronald Hewitt (Rear Admiral,USCG ret) is the director of the Office of Emergency Communications in the U.S. Department of Homeland Security.

The views of contributors are their own and not the views of The Hill.