Emergency Responders From Four Disciplines Discuss Needs for Future 9-1-1 System
COEUR D’ALENE, ID – August 30, 2011 – Today the
Transportation Safety Advancement Group (TSAG), a multidisciplinary forum promoting
technology for public safety and providing guidance to the U.S. Department of
Transportation Intelligent Transportation Systems Joint Program Office,
announced the release of the NG9-1-1 What’s Next Forum Report, a series of
white papers created by stakeholders in four emergency response disciplines—law
enforcement, fire-rescue, emergency medical services and
transportation—addressing the future of the Next Generation 9-1-1 system.
Next Generation 9-1-1 (NG9-1-1), the migration of the
emergency response system from the traditional analog to an IP-based system,
will significantly change the quality and amount of information available to
first responders. Officials described the Report as a critical step for
emergency responders planning to organize, share and use all of the digital
data available in the next generation of 9-1-1.
“To date, much of the discussion
about NG9‑1‑1 has taken place in the technical arena,” said Dia Gainor, chair
of TSAG and executive director of the National Association of State EMS
Officials. “The NG9-1-1 What’s Next project begins the discussion about
how NG9-1-1 can help emergency response groups achieve their mission and
addresses the cultural, organizational and operational environments in which
the new system will be implemented.”
The report, released at the National Rural ITS Conference in
Coeur d’Alene, ID, is the result of the NG9‑1‑1
What’s Next Forum, held in Washington, D.C., September 23 and
24, 2010. At the Forum, panelists from the four disciplines were
separated into respective groups by discipline. Each group was asked to
identify major challenges facing their professions and to discuss ways in which
NG9‑1‑1 could help them fulfill their missions as emergency responders.
The resulting discussions identified background issues
relevant to each field, consensus points for future collaboration on NG9‑1‑1,
potential obstacles to NG9‑1‑1 within each discipline, desired benefits,
potential data points/capabilities to be prioritized, and a suggested process
for moving forward. The groups also developed a comprehensive set of sample
scenarios to illustrate the potential for NG9‑1‑1 to support their respective
missions.
The four groups collaborated
independently; however, a number of common concerns emerged in their
discussions. These include, in no particular order, safety,
interoperability, prioritization of response-related data, consideration of
hearing impaired citizens, funding, stakeholder education, implementation in
rural areas and continued collaboration for acceptance and implementation of
NG9-1-1.
The What’s Next Report is an
important first step in the collaboration across disciplines in addressing the
new issues and opportunities presented through NG9-1-1.
“This report is not a
step-by-step recipe for implementing NG9-1-1,” said Gainor. “Rather, it
is a catalyst to facilitate discussion of the process and involvement of ERGs
and agencies in the planning stages of the conversion to NG9-1-1.”
Moving forward, each of the four groups expressed a desire
to continue collaborating on solutions and standards to leverage the benefits
of NG9-1-1. The groups recommended convening a national forum to continue
the conversation, prioritizing data and discussing the opportunities and
challenges involved in the adoption of NG9-1-1.
Additionally, communication and outreach efforts led by TSAG
will inform interested individuals and associations of the results of the
What’s Next? forum discussions and conclusions. The findings will be shared
with the U.S. Department of Justice, the Federal Communications Commission, the
Department of Transportation and other stakeholders.
To download and read the report,
visit www.tsag-its.org.
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