Recommendations for Improving 9-1-1 Call Center Operations

The following recommendations for improving Public Safety Answering Point (PSAP) call center operations were discussed during the 9-1-1 Call Center Operations and Next Generation 9-1-1 Technologies Summit, February 6, 2008.

Summit Participants
Opening Remarks: Derek Poarch, Chief, Public Safety and Homeland Security Bureau (PSHSB) Moderator: Jeffery Goldthorp, Division Chief, Communications Systems Analysis Division, PSHSB
Panel 1: Public Safety Answering Points (PSAPs) Use of Technology Today	Panel 2: Next Generation 9-1-1
Gil Bailey Deputy Director, Harrison (MS) County Emergency Communications Commission John D. Crawford Commander, Arlington County (VA) Emergency Public Safety Communications Center Sheri Farinha-Mutti Chair, E911 Access Stakeholder Council, Telecommunications for the Deaf and Hard of Hearing, Inc. (TDI) Steve Marzolf Integrated Services Director, Virginia Information Technologies Agency Richard Taylor Executive Director, North Carolina 911 Board	Paul Delorimiere Executive Director, Emergency Communications Products and Services, Verizon Laurie Flaherty Program Analyst, Office of EMS, U.S. Department of Transportation, National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) Roger Hixson Technical Issues Director, 911 National Emergency Number Association (NENA) Jim Kohlenberger Executive Director, The Voice on the Net (VON) Coalition Martial Manfre Senior Manager, Process and Implementation, National Customer Activation; Repair, Comcast

Recommendations for Improving

Public Safety Answering Point (PSAP) Call Center Operations

PSAPs should develop comprehensive plans to address day-to-day operations, emergencies, and mutual aid with other PSAPs and jurisdictions.

Pre-plan and involve both PSAP call centers and communications providers. It is critical to plan properly and obtain a commitment from communications providers. Arlington County and others in the Northern Virginia region or partners have done tabletop exercises, developed plans, and put procedures into place to address large-scale disasters that disrupt communications.

Plan for all types of events, both those that result in large-scale loss of communications infrastructure and those for which communications is largely left intact. Large-scale loss of communications infrastructure will require network restoration and repair. Communications largely left intact will result in higher PSAP call volumes.

Plan for increased call volumes. Catastrophes and large-scale disasters result in increased call volume. PSAPs should ensure that they have adequate facilities, functional equipment, and the appropriate amount of personnel to handle massive call volume. PSAPs should also have re-routing plans in place to handle overflow situations.

Develop mutual aid plans over large geographical areas. When a catastrophic disaster occurs, it has a regional impact. PSAPs should develop mutual aid plans to ensure an adequate response and to provide coverage of all affected areas.

Plan backup capability in the event of a PSAP outage. PSAPs that provide reverse 9-1-1 capabilities and emergency alert announcements (e.g., evacuation instructions) should plan for alternate capabilities in the event of a total loss of the PSAP.

PSAP plans and procedures should be routinely practiced and updated to include lessons learned. Training exercises should be realistic and challenge the comprehensiveness of the emergency plan.

Practice implementing emergency plans. Practice the plan jointly with communications providers and PSAPs. Obtain written commitments from communications providers that describe what they will provide, points of contact, and the staging points.

PSAP equipment and procedures should be standardized at local, state, regional, and federal levels, to facilitate mutual aid and emergency backup.

PSAP staff from other areas could relieve the understaffed PSAP. The National Emergency Number Association (NENA) and Association of Public Safety Communications Officials (APCO) are working together on the Telecommunicator Emergency Response Team (TERT). TERT is a program that includes assistance to individual states in developing programs to establish predetermined and selected trained teams who can mobilize quickly and deploy to assist communications centers during disasters.

PSAP operators should develop a standardized checklist to respond to emergencies. This checklist should include provisions to address the special needs of the deaf and hard of hearing.

PSAPs should ensure that 9-1-1 services are accessible to all people, including those with hearing and speech disabilities.

PSAPs should be able to handle Telecommunications Relay Service (TRS) calls to provide support to people with hearing and speech disabilities.

PSAPs should develop checklists of standard operating procedures to improve accessibility to people with hearing and speech disabilities.

PSAPs should learn from best practices of industry call centers and communication hubs.

Commercial companies that operate large call centers have sophisticated strategies for sharing call load. PSAPs can learn from commercial companies that achieve skillful load balancing among multiple call centers.