Webinar Shows NG9-1-1 Lessons Learned

June 24, 2014

Source: EMR-ISAC

During the most recent “State of 9-1-1” webinar on May 7, the executive director of the Tennessee Emergency Communications Board presented lessons learned and best practices of the state’s funding and development of its NG9-1-1.

Tennessee has been working on funding since they passed a law allowing them to put money directly into a fund for NG9-1-1 instead of having it go into the general fund. This prevented the fund from being raided for other non-9-1-1 initiatives. The state also adjusted fees over the years to compensate for the diminishing use of landlines, ensuring funds would keep up with their goals.

The state’s NG9-1-1 infrastructure has no network connection to the outside internet, and PSAPs are required to sign an agreement prohibiting them from doing so for security reasons. They also developed a Network Operations Center, open all the time, which monitors every glitch. This enables the PSAPs and the state to have only one phone call to make in the event of a problem instead of trying to track down the correct contact.

If you missed this or any of the other State of 9-1-1 webinars, the recordings and slides are available on the 911.gov web site. The Tennessee Emergency Communications Board also lists numerous district, industry, and consumer resources.

The next “State of 9-1-1” webinar is July 9. Click here for details and registration.