9-1-1 Industry Alliance to Host National Workshop on 9-1-1 Overload

Date: 2011-06-27

9IA Issues Call for Speakers and Papers

The 9-1-1 Industry Alliance (9IA)  will host a national workshop on 9-1-1 overload on October 4-5, 2011, at the Georgetown University Hotel and Conference Center in Washington, D.C. Public safety decision-makers and government officials are being invited to engage in a national dialog on this important problem, which affects people in need of help due to incidents ranging from routine emergencies to major disasters.

Several prominent industry associations are supporting the workshop to include sponsorship from CTIA-The Wireless Association® and co-hosting by the National Emergency Number Association (NENA), the Association of Public-Safety Communications Officials – International (APCO), the E9-1-1 Institute and the National Association of State 9-1-1 Administrators (NASNA). The workshop will feature prominent speakers, working sessions and panel discussions intended to drive a national dialog that will help alleviate 9-1-1 overload situations.

“Increasingly, during routine emergencies, major weather events, natural disasters, mass shootings and other incidents, our nation’s 9-1-1 centers are being overwhelmed with more phone calls than they can reasonably handle in a given period of time,” said Reid French, vice chairman of 9IA. “The unfortunate result in these situations is that some 9-1-1 calls go unanswered. Consequently, 9IA believes a national workshop is needed to address this growing problem.” 

According to 9IA, more than 260 million calls are made to 9-1-1 each year. A significant reason for the large volume of calls 9-1-1 centers are receiving can be attributed to natural disasters and weather-related events, along with the increasing number of people who call for help using mobile phones, often to report a traffic accident. According to the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA), more than five million driving accidents take place in the United States each year. Meanwhile, The Annual Disaster Statistical Review 2009, published by the International Disaster Database, reported that between 2000 and 2008 there was an average of 392 natural disasters annually, affecting more than 230 million people each year worldwide.

More information can be found at www.911alliance.org

- People, Places & Things/9-1-1magazine.com (via 9-1-1 Industry Alliance, 6/1/11)