MOUNT VERNON — When Laura Webster joined 911, dispatchers did not have maps, computers, or a plethora of technology-based cell phones.
Thirty-one years later, Webster’s last project as operations director is implementing Next Generation 911, the latest technology for safety services.
The dispatch center launched Next Gen on July 30. Webster retires on July 31.
“When I started, we did not have computer-aided dispatch system. We had a typewriter that we would type all of the call log in,” Webster said.
“We had a map on the wall, so we had to memorize areas for the fire departments, areas for law enforcement.”
Knox County joined the 911 system in 1994, initially with land-line only tracking.
“It was called Phase 1, which meant you had a land line. You would get a location; an address would come up on the screen,” Webster said.
There weren’t many cell phones back then, and calls would only hit off the tower.
“The location it gave was the location of the tower it hit off, which could be nowhere near the location of the caller,” Webster said. “You had to get your information from the caller and hope they could give it to you.
“Also, it wasn’t interfaced with any kind of mapping system.”
In 2002, the dispatch center moved to Phase 2, which enabled dispatchers to get cell phone locations.
Emergency medical dispatching, where dispatchers give pre-arrival instructions, arrived in 2005.
The Mount Vernon Police Department and Knox County Sheriff’s Office consolidated operations in 2014.
“Then we really started getting into the technology. We already had a CAD system by that point,” Webster said. “So then you move into today, and we are getting ready to go with this Next Gen 911, which really enhances different things.”
Better data means faster response
One significant enhancement is texting, although Webster cautioned callers should only text if they cannot call.
“Calling is always the best, but if you’re hearing impaired, or you’re in a situation where you cannot call in, then this texting is available. So it’s a great option,” she said.
Webster said Delaware County does not get that many text to 911 calls. However, she believes it is still a significant upgrade.
“Although you don’t get that many, I think it was an important project because we do have some hearing impaired,” she said. “If there are other situations where someone can’t talk, we at least have the ability to be able to do that, especially with the state willing to fund most of it.”
Another key upgrade is more precise location identification, resulting in better call routing and response time.
Previously, calls hitting a tower in a neighboring county would route there first, requiring a transfer back to Knox County and adding delay.
Under the current system, when a 911 call comes in that belongs to another county, Knox County dispatchers cannot see it on their map.
“Now if we’re transferring to another center that has Next Gen, we’re going to be able to see exactly where it is in that county where that call came from.”
“Our pilot counties have taken nearly 100,000 calls to date through the new system, and the reduction in transfers is saving critical time during emergencies,” said Kathleen C. Madden, director of the Ohio Department of Administrative Services (DAS).
“We look forward to assisting additional counties as part of this vitally important project that is already transforming Ohio’s emergency response capabilities.”
$62 million investment in safety
Knox County is the 22nd county to go live with NG9-1-1 technology.
“The most important function of government is to protect its citizens, and Next Generation 9-1-1 is a critical investment to protect the safety of Ohioans and help our local law enforcement agencies,” said Gov. Mike DeWine. “When Ohioans are experiencing an emergency, they deserve to know that help is on the way quickly, and that’s exactly what Next Generation 9-1-1 does.”
Knox County 911 launched Next Generation 911 on Thursday. However, the texting option will not be available until dispatchers complete the training. 911 will notify the community when the texting option is available.
The state has invested $62 million over two budget cycles into the system’s infrastructure and county onboarding.
Since the new system is digital, county 911 can cut costs by removing eight analog trunk lines.
Incoming operations director Rick Lanuzza estimates the improved routing capability will save at least one minute.
“Usually if someone’s not getting CPR within six minutes, they’re not going to survive statistically,” he said. “That one minute really makes a huge difference there.”
What’s next for 911 technology?
The Office of First Responder Communications Initiatives within DAS is managing the state’s long-term strategy for migration to NG9-1-1.
DAS is actively working with 34 additional counties to bring them on board. Ohio’s remaining counties that have yet to migrate to the system have five years to do so.
Webster said Knox County’s IT and map departments put in a lot of up-front work in preparation for the Next Gen launch.
That included plugging in boundary layers for fire/EMS and law enforcement and updating Bright Speed’s Master Street Address Guide.
Webster said Knox County is fortunate to have a map department that can do it; other counties, such as Morrow County, do not.
“They are at the mercy of someone else to do all of their mapping, so they contracted out,” Webster said.
As far as what comes after Next Gen, Webster does not know.
“We haven’t gotten there yet,” she said. “The first phase lasted quite a long time, but technology just seems to move so fast. It will be interesting to watch.
“It’s definitely been interesting through my career to go through experience and learn those change as I went through because it is so different now . … Six weeks, I was trained and cut loose to work on my own. Now, it takes six to eight months to train someone, and that’s mainly due to the technology they have to learn.”
