On September 17, 2024, the Public Safety Next Generation 9-1-1 Coalition, consisting of the nation’s leading national public safety associations, held a summit on Capitol Hill demonstrating the urgency for Congress to fully fund the transition to NG9-1-1.
Senator Amy Klobuchar (D-MN), co-chair of the NG9-1-1 Caucus, offered remarks in support of modernizing our nation’s aging and vulnerable 9-1-1 networks to a modern, secure, interoperable and innovative NG9-1-1 system throughout the United States.
During the program, public safety officials showed how full deployment of NG9-1-1 would lead to more efficient and effective emergency response, saving lives. Paul McCallister, Assistant Director of Operations with the Metro Nashville Department of Emergency Communications, highlighted how the art of the possible in a fully deployed NG9-1-1 environment may have significantly reduced the response timeline to the Covenant School shooting in Nashville, TN.
A panel of public safety professionals further discussed the benefits of NG9-1-1, including enabling emergency communications centers (ECCs) to better withstand the increasing number of network outages that impact the public’s ability to reach 9-1-1 and improving interoperability between ECCs and among first responders.
“Achieving Next Generation 9-1-1 throughout the country is a national security priority and each day that passes without the implementation of fully funded Next Generation 9-1-1 legislation leaves our communities and our first responders at risk,” said Mel Maier, coalition leader and CEO and Executive Director of APCO International. Maier continued, “Our NG9-1-1 bill enjoys widespread bipartisan support, and we urge Congress to enact legislation that fully funds the transition to NG9-1-1 through any available legislative vehicle.”
Public safety professionals who participated in the summit offered the following quotes:
Paul McCallister, Assistant Director, Operations, Metro Nashville Department of Emergency Communications:
“Next Generation 9-1-1 is needed to bring modern technologies directly into the 9-1-1 center, such as multimedia capabilities, enhanced mapping and AI-powered alerts. These capabilities will allow our 9-1-1 professionals to receive real-time, actionable information, improving situational awareness and helping us respond more efficiently and effectively to emergencies.”
Doug Campbell, Director, Metro Washington Airport Authority:
“Next Generation 9-1-1 will enable seamless interoperability between both the 9-1-1 centers and field responders, ensuring critical information flows smoothly across agencies. These capabilities will allow us to respond faster and more effectively, ultimately improving outcomes in emergency situations.”
Sheriff Patti Cole-Tindall, King County, Washington:
“As King County, Washington, continues to grow, so does the need for modern, resilient emergency services that can meet the demands of our community. Like all communities, we face increasing challenges in public safety communications, such as the rise of swatting calls and cybersecurity attacks. It is crucial that we equip our 9-1-1 systems with the tools and resources they need to respond effectively. By investing in state and local Next Generation 9-1-1 capabilities, the federal government can ensure faster, more reliable emergency responses, improve coordination across jurisdictions, and save lives. Modernizing these critical services is not only an investment in technology, but in the safety and well-being of every American.”
Assistant Chief Chris Lombard, Seattle (WA) Fire Department:
“Transitioning our over 50-year-old 9-1-1 national system to Next Generation 9-1-1 would provide immense benefits to Fire and Emergency Medical Services. Having oversight of 9-1-1 centers, I know firsthand how critical the influx of information is and the importance of ultimately getting it into the hands of the responders. As first responders, we can save more lives if we can better understand the incidents we are responding to. Next Generation 9-1-1 will begin to save lives the minute it is deployed. I urge Congress to support the direly needed transition of our 9-1-1 systems to Next Generation 9-1-1.”
Presentation materials and other information from the summit can be found here. Questions can be directed to Jeff Cohen, Chief Counsel, APCO International, at [email protected].
