Photo Gert Zoutendijk/Photo Illustration Liliana Estep

9-1-1 technologies have evolved immensely from the original basic design, and the technology continues to develop and change faster than 9-1-1 public safety answering points (PSAPs) can implement the changes. In 1986 when I began my career as a telecommunicator, our agency had no computer-aided dispatch (CAD) system or 9-1-1 trunk lines, and there was no such thing as a cell phone. Life was simple. Fast forward to 2011.

Over the past 24 years, there have been many technological changes and advancements in the communications world. Each change has affected the PSAP in some way, with the biggest impact occurring in the realm of the wireless device and voice over Internet protocol (VoIP) technology.

Wireless devices and VoIP are largely unregulated technologies that leave many PSAP managers feeling they’re trying to keep up with a runaway train and leaving the telecommunicator frustrated while attempting to keep up with ever-changing operations.

PSAPs have had to make leaps and bounds into these new technologies. In an attempt to keep up, managers have had to invest several thousands of dollars in telephony, mapping and CAD systems, which are designed to help locate callers who now choose to use these newly created forms of communication more and more.

Telecommunicators have had to adjust to this changing field by attempting to take advantage of various resources, new equipment in the PSAP and creative thinking.

The glorious World Wide Web is a vast tool that, when used correctly, can help immensely. It can aid in the search for network operation center contacts (for that new cell or VoIP phone provider that seemed to have been born overnight), or to locate the local public safety agency for that family who brought their VoIP phone on vacation with them, but failed to change the routing information on their account.

Many factors affect cell service — as we all know. Weather-related reception problems, in-building coverage issues or too few cell towers in remote areas to provide an accurate relay of information can all present difficulties under the headset.

Location Issues
Wireless device challenges begin with locating them. There are two types of locating technology: GPS and triangulation. Both have limitations the customer may or may not be aware of, but a telecommunicator should have an understanding of. I won’t take sides regarding which locating technology is the best; however, I can say the effectiveness of either type of technology depends on the area of coverage provided by each wireless network.

Generally speaking, GPS-based handsets provide a latitude and longitude, giving the device a much more accurate plot on the horizontal plane (map), and thus a greater predictor of the location of that particular handset. Triangulation relies on several tower sites that are employed to aid with the device’s location. However, neither form of tech­nology takes into account vertical height, for example, the 14th floor of a high-rise building.

Expectations
A major issue is evolving that needs to be addressed. With all of this tech­nology being developed and made available to the general public, there is a public expectation that this tech­nology is already present in PSAPs. Have you ever received several calls at a busy intersection or at a large gathering? Seems like everyone has a phone and wants to or does call 9-1-1. They may not know a thing about what is going on, where they are or if anyone is injured, but they do call, and each call needs to be processed and verified.

There is a public perception that the calltaker knows already where the caller is located. On many large incidents, these calls flood 9-1-1 trunk lines, tying up all of the trunk lines and, possibly, leaving callers with a busy signal or with the overflow calls transferring to nearby PSAPs. Some of these calls may go to abandoned status, which will require a follow-up inquiry.

Often, the wireless caller does not know where they are (which will require the efforts of the telecommunicator to attempt to find their location), which can be expected with out-of-area travelers, but one might be surprised by how many local drivers just don’t pay attention to where they are until they’re forced back into reality.

Silent Calls & Other Annoyances
Who has not had to deal with the infamous “butt-dialer”? Generally, this occurs with an open-faced phone carried in the caller’s back or hip pocket without the keypad locked. This can expose an array of telephone conversations that can become quite embarrassing for the caller, who is completely unaware. It never seems to fail to occur at a time when the telecommunicator has several other serious issues going on. Nevertheless, these require follow up.

Another noticeable trait with wireless callers is a “lackadaisical attitude” when it comes to dispensing the much needed information to the calltaker. As the caller hems and haws at the telecommunicator’s questions (all while the telecommunicator is attempting to quickly gain that necessary information about the incident), other calls keep coming in. This is notably different than dealing with calls from a landline, where the caller generally gets right to the point.

Historically, cell callers are more casual when dialing 9-1-1, and more likely to be third party, due to the plethora of cell phones in different types of arenas where the caller can potentially have no emotional attachment to the emergency at hand. Wireless calls can be loaded with static and possess extremely low volume when compared with a landline call.

Rural areas present more of an issue, especially when exposed to the great potential for a lack of abundant cell towers. Digital calls can be problematic when presented with static and/or low volume, which can lead to them being dropped; whereas analog calls go static.

Environmental issues, such as wind, location of caller, etc., can affect call quality. These calls can come in to the PSAP as an abandoned call, with no location identifier. Upon callback, owners may not answer if they recognize (or don’t) the incoming phone number.

Prepaid cell phones are another source of potential problems. Often, a prepaid phone has no account information to help locate an abandoned caller — and no regulation in place to mandate this.

Have you ever been faced with a caller who uses their cell phone instead of the residential telephone while inside the residence they are calling about? Callers use their cell phone instead of their landline phone for varying reasons: the caller may not be able to physically get to the landline telephone (non-ambulatory), or they’re told when they get the cell phone that it will work anywhere—“Go ahead and call 9-1-1 from it.”

How about 9-1-1 area codes? These cannot be called back, making them quite problematic.

Often, old cell phones that are no longer used by an adult are given to children as a toy to play with. Such organizations as Stop Domestic Violence are issuing non-activated cell phones to their clients for easy access to 9-1-1, leaving no way to obtain account information when the call is dropped or the caller hangs up.

A fairly recent new telephony product that continues to evolve is VoIP technology. This technology has introduced another path to receive emergency calls from the public, but it is not without its own faults. This technology (along with cellular calls) has a defined loss in voice quality. In a traditional landline call, a telecommunicator may be able to hear a faint sound in the background, such as a smoke detector, sounds of bullet casings as they bounce off the floor or crying. However, with cellular/VoIP calls, it has been documented that those faint sounds are dropped and will not be presented to the telecommunicator.

Has anyone experienced a VoIP 9-1-1 call received from across the country or the world? It can happen! It’s not at all impossible for a telecommunicator to be in Massachusetts and a VoIP caller to be on vacation in Nevada, because they forgot to update their information. Another probability: A caller temporarily in India on a business trip dials 9-1-1, and the call is routed to the PSAP in the individual’s home community. Surprise! They have a 9-1-1 emergency, and their current VoIP information routes the call to you, the telecommunicator. As Karl Malden used to say, “What will you do?”

If your PSAP doesn’t already have established guidelines and contact numbers, where will you get the seven-digit emergency number for the Las Vegas Fire, EMS or police departments? VoIP companies basically leave it up to the customer to keep their location and routing information up to date, but how many customers really understand the importance of that? How can that be enforced, other than with a well-informed customer? Maybe it’s time to have regulations put in place that mandate the VoIP provider to be responsible for the update of the ALI records for the customer.

NG9-1-1
What will Next Generation 9-1-1 (NG9-1-1) bring? With the potential for 9-1-1 texting, pictures and videos, a whole new frontier is on the horizon, one that will be interesting to see. Texting 9-1-1 has proved to be an unreliable form of communication.

Chris Pearson, president of 4G Americas, says, “While we understand the desire to use SMS [short message service] to contact 9-1-1, SMS has significant limitations and shortcomings that do not make SMS suitable for emergency communications, especially under life-threatening conditions.”

This has not stopped the general public from trying to use SMS to reach 9-1-1. In April 2007, Virginia Tech students and witnesses used texting, and all their messages went unanswered.

The general public has expectations and has stated that they would use e-mail, texting and social media sites to contact emergency services. How many agencies have a Facebook or Twitter page? Neither is a reliable way to reach emergency responders, but the public is expecting it to be.

Solutions Needed
The questions in the evolution of 9-1-1 are: What policies will need to be put in place for NG-9-1-1? Is your PSAP prepared? How will your PSAP handle the new technology implementation?

The public’s expectation is that we will be prepared, but are PSAPs really prepared to advance to the ever-evolving technology? Where is the funding coming from to provide the technology upgrade that is necessary to provide the expected service to the 9-1-1 customer?

Public education is a big factor, and setting up a program that allows you to assist and inform the public on the use of 9-1-1 and what to expect when calling will play a big role in the PSAP’s day-to-day operations. Ongoing training and updating the PSAP centers will be an essential tool for your telecommunicators and allow them to prepare for the variables that exist and will continue to evolve.

Information and resources that are available from the Internet can be an invaluable tool. Look for the programs and resources that are available and can assist the PSAP manager in developing a plan to deal with this ever-changing technology. Do not get to the point as a PSAP provider where you will need to dial 9-1-1 for help! Be proactive, and prepare accordingly for the future of 9-1-1.

About the Author
Craig Scholl is dispatcher trainer and a senior emergency communicator for Clinton County (N.Y.) Emergency Services. He is a member of the APCO International Editorial Advisory Committee. Contact him at [email protected].

Originally published in Public Safety Communications magazine, Vol. 77(6):38-41, June. 2011