Throughout the course of history, the introduction of new technology has often brought with it unintended consequences. Skyscrapers, for example, made efficient use of land, but put people out of reach of aerial ladders. The increased use of pre-fabricated lightweight trusses, while profitable for builders, created problems for the fire service not found in conventional construction. And hybrid and electric cars, while beneficial to the environment, generated new challenges at the extrication scene.
Impact of NG 9-1-1
The negative results of other advancements may not be so discernable, though. Next Generation 9-1-1 is a case in point. Next Generation, or NG 9-1-1, is a near wholesale replacement of our present emergency reporting system. Here in the digital decade, our current network and hardware is largely a relic of the analog age. In fact, our current network and hardware date back to 1968—and were designed years before that—meaning few could argue that we aren’t due for an update.
Not only have electronic devices become much more complex than the rotary dial phones around which 9-1-1 was originally blueprinted, but consumers have also become more technically savvy. As a result, many expect to be able to access and utilize functions, such as texting, streaming video and photographic attachments, when reporting an emergency, just as they do in everyday conversation with their friends.
It’s easy to see the advantages of all these enhancements, especially the benefit of texting for the deaf and hard-of-hearing community. But just because the downsides have not stolen the spotlight doesn’t mean they don’t exist. For starters, there are legislative issues. What will be the retention and release procedure concerning all the new forms of information? Are there expectations that agencies censor or pixilate victims’ faces and license plates prior to release to third parties or the media? Are state-specific protections that currently accompany 9-1-1 calls automatically transferred to attached materials? If not, what then are the rules? Will new laws be required to deal with these differences? One only has to look at the issues currently surrounding the management of police body cameras to grasp the potential for controversy.
Further, consider the mechanisms required to manage all this data. Currently, most dispatch centers are tasked with maintaining radio and telephone audio, computer-aided dispatch (CAD) incident reports, and other text-based files. Due to their increased size, the addition of photo and video retention and access significantly expands electronic storage needs. Some means of organizing a number of different mediums is also required, as a true record of an event, will only be available through viewing, listening to and reading documents in a variety of formats.
Because information should never be dead-ended at dispatch, improvements will be needed both in the telephone system there and in communications networks in the field. To be effective, visual images of the accident scene and fireground must be delivered not only to 9-1-1, but also to all first responders in order to assist with pre-arrival size-up. This means increased workloads on existing mobile data terminal (MDT) networks, and upgrade or replacement of others.
Communications center procedures will need to be developed to deal with the changes that accompany Next Gen 9-1-1. Most current policies are written around voice-only scenarios. Take interface with interpretation services, for example. In our multi-cultural society, a growing number of reports come from non-English-speaking callers. While some public safety answering points (PSAPs) rely on bilingual in-house employees, many opt to contract with nationwide providers who cover dozens of dialects. It’s a relatively common practice to establish a three-way voice bridge, but how will this translate to text? And speaking of translation, how will personnel deal with the non-standard language of texting itself? Misunderstanding an abbreviation could have dire consequences.
Further issues exist when using Emergency Fire Dispatch (EFD) and Emergency Medical Dispatch (EMD) protocol cards. According to Toni Dunne, former chair of the National Emergency Number Association’s Accessibility Committee and longtime advocate for the deaf and hard-of-hearing community, “These protocols were created for voice, but we know in the future that we will have text, not only from the deaf but from everyone. Technology currently limits the number of characters you can send or receive via text, so can the same level of care be provided in a more concise or condensed format? We need to have this discussion.”
A perfect example of a challenge we can expect to face came from the Pulse nightclub shooting in Orlando, FL. At least one patron was video-chatting on social media when the assault began. Rapid gunfire can clearly be heard in the background. As of this writing, none of the footage released shows intimate details of the carnage, but increased use of current and emerging technology will bring these images to the dispatchers’ desktops.
Less than a week after the Orlando incident, an individual in Chicago was shot and killed while also streaming online, underscoring the growing potential for horrific incidents to be captured. What impact will visuals such as these have on our telecommunicators? More than one public servant has chosen a dispatch center career over life in the fire station in an attempt to avoid the potentially traumatic experiences of emergency scenes. Despite this, in 2012, a study published in the Journal of Traumatic Stress concluded that telecommunicators did indeed suffer the effects of post-traumatic stress. It can be safely assumed that these effects will not be lessened by the presentation of graphic live video of fire and accident victims on a daily basis.
In addition to the emotional impact on staff members, adjustments to staffing levels must also be considered. Non-verbal communication takes away the most important function of a dispatcher—the ability to interactively interrogate. Texting can’t be interrupted. A photograph can’t be asked to provide further details. And because mobile-based calls don’t deliver an exact address, even improved versions of these devices likely won’t rival the pinpoint accuracy afforded by conventional fixed telephones. While a picture may be worth a thousand words, they may not be the right words needed to get the right help to the right place, right now. The processing of emergency reports generated by NG 9-1-1 technologies will require new skills and take more time. The increased engagement of telecommunicators will potentially delay dispatch and decrease availability of personnel available to answer the next call.
Final thoughts
Steve Leese, operations program manager for the Association of Public-Safety Communications Officials (APCO), in an article on that organization’s website entitled Next Generation 9-1-1 Staffing, addressed this issue: “Tools and formulas such as Erlang and APCO Project RETAINS (Responsive Efforts to Assure Integral Needs in Staffing) exist today and are fairly comprehensive; however, they may not sufficiently address the additional data elements that are necessary to effectively consider future technological processes that affect staffing calculations …. Once we glean data from actual or simulated Next Generation 9-1-1 incident types, it will be necessary to identify a representative sample to justify inclusion into a new formula.”
Unfortunately, this data can only be gained from real-world experience. However, by thoroughly understanding the implications of our choices, we can be prepared for future challenges. Technology will always bring with it unintended consequences; being unprepared should not be one of them.
Barry Furey
BARRY FUREY, who is a Firehouse Contributing Editor, provides consulting and training services in emergency communications. He is the former director of the Raleigh-Wake Emergency Communications Center in North Carolina. During his 50-year public safety career, he has managed 9-1-1 centers and served as a volunteer fire officer in three other states. In 2005, Furey received a life membership in the Association of Public-Safety Communications Officials (APCO) International for his continued work in emergency communications. Furey was inducted into the Firehouse Hall of Fame in 2017.
