A Special Report by DISPATCH Monthly Magazine
We've received a copy of National Emergency Number Association's (NENA) long-awaited, 24-page "Report Card To The Nation," and have combed it for interesting details. It seems primarily intended as an introduction to 911 for legislators, to offer basic analysis of the current systems, and as a method for promoting Congressional action on several issues. The report was comissioned in early 2000 and was originally scheduled for release on last year's National 911 Day. NENA will be presenting the report to Congress, and says they'll release the full, longer report later this year. updated
Download an Acrobat (pdf) copy of the Congressional
summary (2.5 Mb), and check this additional
material posted by NENA, including the newly-released "9-1-1 System Survey and Resource Guide."
On Nov. 30, 2001 NENA announced the upcoing publication of a Status Report and Resource Guide with additional material for the RCN. It is available by mail order only right now for $275. [Web site not updated]
The report gave an overall grade of "B" to the nation's 911 system, and also assigns grades for:
Quality of Service.........................
Availability....................................
Public Education & Awareness.....
Wireless........................................
Tomorrow.....................................A-
B
B
Incomplete
D
The report is a "Congressional Summary," and includes many statements urging Congress to take action, including:
Among the RCN's facts and figures:
The polling company Harris Interactive surveyed 2,003 adults in July 2000 and found what appears to be very high satisfaction levels for the nation's 911 system and dispatcher performance.
Perhaps the most interesting question asked by Harris Interactive, and the one with the most implications for Phase II, was:
"Do you believe the 9-1-1 operator can automatically identify your address/location when you call 9-1-1 on...?"
Apparently a very large portion of the public (85%) <does> understand that the 911 system <cannot> locate their wireless phone--and this was back in July 2000, before the popular press began publishing stories explaining Phase II and wireless E911. No doubt, now even <more> than 85% of Americans realize they can't be located when dialing 911.
The report says only that "many" wireless E911 callers don't know their specific location--the report does not estimate or give a firm figure for how often callers cannot describe their location to the E911 calltaker.
The report was particularly critical of 911's future, saying the analog technology typically used in most 911 systems is slow and can't handle the amount of data required by advanced services (Phase II, ACN, number portability, VoIP, etc.). The report also noted that 911 databases should be improved to allow storage of more than text, and allow real-time management and updates.
"The ability of 9-1-1 to continue to perform under it current level is severely threatened by a number of technological advances," the report stated, including wireless phones, the growing telecommunications industry and non-traditional technologies.
Nov. 30, 2001
To 9-1-1 & Public Safety Organizations:
NENA's 9-1-1 Status Report and Resource Guide will be utilized by members of the public safety industry to aid in the management of 9-1-1 systems. The report will be published in December 2001, and will offer:
Within the report, there will be a resource section listing all entities affiliated with the 9-1-1 industry. Those category listings include (but are not limited to):
