The New York State 9-1-1 Coordinators Association is an active group of 9-1-1 Professionals representing 62 Counties dedicated to the excellence of 911 services in New York State.
In December of 2013, the New York State Association of Counties (NYSAC) issued a report entitled “Funding 9-1-1 Services in New York State.” The report outlines concerns that NYSAC has regarding the funding and future of 9-1-1 in New York State. The 9-1-1 Coordinators are in agreement with NYSAC on this issue and support their efforts to ensure that citizens of this State have a 9-1-1 system that provides an ability to deliver emergency services in an appropriate manner.
The 9-1-1 Coordinators are alarmed that as New York maintains its stagnant 9-1-1 service, other States are steadfastly improving their 9-1-1 systems to provide its 9-1-1 call takers with capabilities that a basic smart phone user has:
-Numerous States have or are quickly working to provide Text to 9-1-1 capabilityproviding the speech and hearing impaired a direct method to request 9-1-1 services. In addition, Texting functionality would be available to all callers to use when a voice 9-1-1 call is not possible or appropriate. New York has no State plan in place to provide this basic 9-1-1 capability to its citizens and except in very limited locations is the ability to Text 9-1-1 present in the State.
-Several States have begun deploying 9-1-1 networksthat will allow 9-1-1 callers to easily send pictures and videos of crimes in progress to 9-1-1 centers. New York has no plan in place to provide this functionality that has become a staple of smart phone users. In a world where criminals use smart phones to further their criminal activities, it is necessary for New York to arm its 9-1-1 centers and its first responders with the same capability.
-Many States and municipalities have implemented systems that allow persons with pre-existing medical conditions to enter critical information into a database that can provide life saving information to emergency responders in the event of an emergency. Though several municipalities in the State have deployed these systems, without State involvement a caller’s medical information would not be readily available if that person is not in their home municipality.
-Numerous States a program in place to deploy 9-1-1 call takers in other communities when disaster strikes. In fact, numerous States have sent call takers outside of their home State to assist other communities. Although several counties in the State are active in this type of program, lack of State involvement greatly hinders the deployment of such resources.
-Recent history has indicated to all that the sharing of information between agencies is critical in managing both man-made and natural events. Yet, New York has no unified system in place for 9-1-1 centers to share information in real time beyond a phone call. A State led initiative to allow 9-1-1 centers to share real time information is desperately needed.
-States across the country are planning to deploy9-1-1 systems that are designed to handle our increasingly mobile population and deliver a 9-1-1 call to the right center so that the right emergency services are dispatched immediately avoiding unnecessary delays in dispatch of emergency services. Planning is necessary at the State level to provide this capability and eliminate unnecessary delays caused by transfers of calls from one 9-1-1 center to another.
New York State has historically had one of the finest 9-1-1 systems in the country, but without support and leadership from the State government our 9-1-1 system is at risk of becoming obsolete. The New York State 9-1-1 Coordinators have reached out to State government and asked for the State to work with the counties to develop the next generation 9-1-1 system in New York that will be positioned to protect our citizens in an ever changing world. By creating a partnership between the State and the counties, the New York State 9-1-1 Coordinators are confident that New York can move forward its 9-1-1 service to a new level while sharing resources and maximizing limited funding.