“911 is definitely evolving,” he says. “The call-delivery technology we were using was from the 1970s and 1980s. These systems are now moving from analog to IP. When I started 30 years ago, there was one type of technology: the analog landline call.”
When such a call came in, Schneider says, dispatchers had the caller’s physical address and knew exactly where to send the responding unit. Then came wireless in the late ’90s, followed by Voice over IP. While location information is provided with these technologies as well, some data may not be as accurate as a physical address, so 911 telecommunicators often need to gather additional information from the caller to determine a dispatchable location.
Schneider says Bexar Metro 911 plans to connect the facility directly to cameras operated by the Texas Department of Transportation, so dispatchers can view traffic on major San Antonio thoroughfares. It’s also preparing for the delivery of multimedia, including video, in next-generation 911 systems.
“The biggest thing in the future will be the ability for callers to send video of an accident or event as it’s happening, so our call takers and dispatchers can view it in near-real time,” he says. “This will allow the PSAP to provide the responding emergency units the information they need to formulate a quality response. It’s imperative as an industry that we continue to evolve in step with technology.”
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Minnesota Agencies Use Common Radio Communication System
In Washington County, Minn., a community of 250,000 residents east of St. Paul, the consolidated PSAP supports nine law enforcement agencies, 14 fire departments and nine emergency medical services, says Darlene Pankonie, communications manager for the Washington County Sheriff’s Office.
Like their counterparts in San Antonio, dispatchers in Washington County sit at consoles facing multiple screens — in this case, a 42-inch display flanked on either side by 26- and 19-inch monitors.
Pankonie says operators run upward of 10 pieces of software at a time, including mapping applications, the national crime database for wanted persons, mass notification systems, freeway cameras and alarm systems for local businesses.
But Washington County has something not found at most 911 centers: a statewide radio communications system. The Allied Radio Matrix for Emergency Response was first launched in the Twin Cities in 2002, gradually adding more communities until it became complete as of 2018 with 99 percent of towers on the air across the state.