New York’s 911 System: Safer and Faster

In early January, the City of New York announced the completion of its revamped 911 system which will allow police, fire and ambulances to respond more quickly to public safety threats, including car crashes, fires, illness and crime, keeping New Yorkers safer.

Some of the features of the new emergency system include:

•· Call takers and dispatchers from police, fire and medical dispatch services are located in the same place and operating on the same technology

•· The system could handle 50,000 calls per hour, more than 40 times the current daily volume of calls

•· Call takers have on-screen maps of the caller’s location

•· All call takers are using the same technology for the first time

•· The system provides directions and mapping so that responders can take the best route to the emergency

•· All emergency vehicles have locator software so that their locations are always visible to dispatchers

•· All calls are automatically recorded

The announcement, which was made by Mayor Bloomberg and leaders of the emergency services involved, represents the culmination of an eight year effort to streamline emergency call taking and dispatch operations.

The 911 system was first launched in 1968.

Source: The Yeshiva World News, “NYC: Overhaul Of 911 System Is Completed“, Jan. 5, 2012.

http://www.theyeshivaworld.com/news/General+News/113916/NYC%3A-Overhaul-Of-911-System-Is-Completed.html