Moving Forward With Next Generation 911

| 8/14/2012

Counties in North Dakota are taking steps to advance the technology used in emergency response. The North Dakota Association of Counties (NDACo) are working to provide digital 911 services, also known as Next Generation 911.

According to NDACo, the upgrade is needed to support new forms of digital communication.

"Not only has our current 911 system reached its technical capacity to communicate with the public, it`s getting more and more difficult to find parts and personnel to support it," says Terry Traynor, NDACo`s Assistant Director of Policy and Programs.

NDACo adds that the current system is largely built around decades-old communication technology.

Part of the upgrade is the establishment of a secure and private network that will be used to support all forms of 911 communication from a variety of devices.

"The problem we are presently faced with is that 911 dispatchers can only receive voice calls, but the public has adapted many other ways of communicating," said NG911 Program Manager Jason Horning. "We need a system that matches the public`s habits, such as texting." Horning adds that that the new system will allow sending digital photos and video, which can help a dispatcher get a better understanding of an emergency.

Horning will be meeting with individual counties over the coming months to assist them in moving forward toward the next stage of development, and he will also work with the North Dakota Emergency Services Communications Coordinating Committee and state legislators.

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