While Impactful, 988 Mental Health Hotline Needs to Be Integrated with 911 to Realize Its Full Potential
Several weeks ago, 988, the Suicide and Crisis Lifeline, went live.
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Several weeks ago, 988, the Suicide and Crisis Lifeline, went live.
Recently, we explored short-term and medium-term trends pertaining to computer-aided dispatch (CAD) systems.
Twenty years ago, communications interoperability in the emergency response sector was thought of solely in terms of two-way voice communications delivered by land mobile radio (LMR) systems.
Since MCP’s inception more than a dozen years ago, our subject-matter experts (SMEs) have conducted hundreds of assessments pertaining to our clients’ facilities, technologies, operations, staffing, information technology practices, cybersecurity postures, and governance. Like our clients, we constantly strive to up our game. That’s why we launched the Model for Advancing Public Safety® (MAPS®) three years ago.
A previous blog explored several short-term trends regarding computer-aided dispatch (CAD) of which emergency communications officials should be aware. These include:
Computer-aided dispatch (CAD) systems are the lifeblood of every emergency communications center (ECC) — without them, providing law enforcement, fire/rescue, and emergency medical response, while possible, would be much more challenging. Given the importance of CAD systems, every ECC manager should be aware of the following short-term trends.
The “cloud” still seems to be a thing of mystery to many in the public sector. To help unravel the mystery, MCP created three podcasts, which can be found on our website, SoundCloud, and Spotify.
Dutch folklore recounts the story of a little boy who plugs a hole that formed in a dike, using only his finger, to keep his town from flooding — he stays in place through the night despite the cold and becomes a hero. If this story were applied to today’s 911 community, the boy would need to use multiple digits or would need a few of his pals to help out.
For more than a half century, the 911 system in the United States has performed admirably, saving countless lives in the process. But today it needs some work. A migration to Next Generation 911, which represents a quantum leap forward in terms of capabilities compared with the legacy 911 system, is what we hear about most often. But several other key aspects require equally rapt attention.
Recently I participated in a podcast with Laurie Flaherty, the recently retired coordinator of the National 911 Program, and John Chiaramonte, president of Mission Critical Partners' consulting business, in which a few of the most pressing needs were discussed. (Click here to view the podcast, or view it as video here.)
A problem long has existed in the 911 community, which is that telecommunicators working in emergency communications centers (ECCs) from coast to coast are wrongly classified by the federal government. This has a profoundly negative effect on their self-esteem, compensation, and career development.
The National 911 Program created a toolkit, with Mission Critical Partners’ help, to address this. More on that soon — but first a little history.
Next generation 911 (NG911) networks represent a huge leap forward compared with legacy 911 systems. They locate emergency callers more efficiently and accurately because they leverage geospatial routing. Because they are broadband-enabled, they can transport incredibly large files, e.g., video, that would choke legacy systems. And because they are Internet Protocol (IP)-based, they enable seamless shifting of a 911 center’s operations to another center in a bug-out situation.
On Friday, December 17, Laurie Flaherty, the longtime coordinator of the National 911 Program, will retire. That will be a sad day for the 911 community and for me personally. I first got to know Laurie when I was editor-in-chief of Urgent Communications. Our paths crossed often over the years at conferences, usually when I was covering an educational session where she was speaking. Inevitably, I would make a beeline to her as soon as the session ended, at which time she would patiently answer every question that I had, generously giving me all of the time that I needed.
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