By Steven Allen Adams, The Parkersburg News and Sentinel
CHARLESTON, W.Va. — Telecommunicators from county 911 centers around West Virginia gathered in Charleston Tuesday to hear about state and federal efforts to support their work.
The inaugural 911 Emerging Technologies Symposium at the Four Points by Sheraton Hotel in downtown Charleston was put on by the West Virginia National Emergency Number Association (NENA), the West Virginia Association of Public-Safety Communications Officials (APCO) and the West Virginia Enhanced 911 Council.
The brand-new event had 19 vendors showcasing new equipment, software and technologies to improve 911 systems. Counties in West Virginia use enhanced 911 – or E911 – which tries to tie locations to incoming phone calls to direct first responders in an emergency.
But now the transition has begun to Next Generation 911 (NG911), which includes pinpoint location accuracy and faster call-answering times.
West Virginia NENA Chapter President Russell Emrick said that five counties have begun upgrading to NG911, while several others have initiated the procurement process to start upgrading.
“Next Generation 911 is long overdue, but it’s an important improvement,” Emrick said. “Imagine … how many rooms are inside this hotel. If we’re trying to send someone to help you in an emergency or medical crisis, we don’t need to be searching room-by-room trying to find you. So, Next Generation 911 does pinpoint location accuracy, the same as when you order food or order a taxi or an Uber or Lyft. It also is faster. There’s no setup time for the phone calls.”
Emrick also said 70% of counties are now capable of receiving text-to-911, with the goal of have all 55 counties capable by next year.
