- Leon County is working to install a Next Generation 911 system by next summer.
- The system is designed to adapt to and accommodate current and future communication technology.
- Watch the video to see what the new upgrades could mean for the community.
BROADCAST TRANSCRIPT:
Leon County's 911 system is getting an upgrade.
It's called Next Generation 911.
ABC 27’s Brieanna Smith talked to Emergency Management Director Kevin Peters who says it's designed to adapt to current and future technologies.
“Currently we operate off of technology that uses some of the old wire line technology and merges it with wireless technologies. As we move into the Next Generation phase, all of the technologies that people use to communicate through telephone or cell phone will be seamless into one system,” he said.
That means new capabilities for dispatchers.
Dispatchers can transfer calls and caller data from one call center to the next.
“All of the callers, call attributes will also transfer from call center to call center, if that ever becomes necessary,” Peters said.
The system also brings new capabilities for callers, according to the National 911 Program.
Callers will be able to text, send photos and live video, and it will ensure all calls are answered during power outages, call overloads or natural disasters.
Neighbors like Mikayla Bell tell me it's a good idea.
“Previously, we could only make phone calls, but now, more and more people are getting tech-savvy and a lot of people feel more comfortable texting anyway and sometimes people aren't really comfortable with making calls in general, so it's good you're evolving with the times,” Bell said.
The cost of the new system will be just under $4 million, according to Peters.
He says it's already paid for through 911 surcharges; a fee callers see on their phone bills.
But the State is giving Leon County a $2.2 million grant, which is designed to push eventually all regions in Florida to install the new system.
"This is really where the FCC wants all public safety communication centers to be, is in this Next Generation to work more seamlessly with all of the advances we're seeing with personal communications. We've advanced so far beyond the old, old timey landline phones,” he said.
The 9-1-1 system installation will happen in two phases: first, installing the hardware and then, servicing and maintaining the system for the first five years.
They hope the system will go live by next summer.
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