The Federal Communications Commission will soon begin overhauling the nation’s 911 emergency services to allow people to use more technologically advanced devices, including text messaging, to report emergencies. The plan would allow people to notify officials of an emergency via text messages, videos or photos that could provide more detailed information that would allow emergency vehicles to respond more quickly and efficiently.
FCC Chairman Julius Genachowski, who made the announcement Tuesday at the Arlington County Emergency Communications Center, said the commission would begin reviewing the overhaul at its next meeting in December.
“Today’s 911 system doesn’t support the communication tools of tomorrow,” Genachowski said. “Many 911 call centers don’t even have broadband and some are in communities where broadband isn’t even available. That is unacceptable.”
The technological upgrades could help in situations like the 2007 shooting rampage at the Virginia Tech campus, when students and witnesses tried to contact 911 by sending text messages that never went through to the emergency dispatch system, Genachowski said.
Broadband service would have to be added to all local emergency response centers to accommodate the planned changes.
Eventually texting could allow mute or deaf callers to contact the authorities or let people quietly notify the police during a situation where talking on the phone could jeopardize their safety. Photos and video could also come from alternate sources, like traffic and security cameras, that could automatically contact 911 when an incident is detected.
It will take anywhere from two to four years to get local emergency response units prepared to handle texts and streaming video, said FCC spokesman Robert Kenny. Funding for the overhaul will be needed at both the federal and local levels, he said.
Once the new communication tools become available, the challenge will be funneling all that data to emergency responders and the public, said Arlington County Fire Chief Jim Schwartz.
