WASHINGTON — You’re going to be able to show 911 dispatchers your emergency in the near future.
“The transmittal of the videos and the still photographs are one of the key features of the next generation of 911,” said Fairfax County 911 Director Steve Souder.
Referred to as “NG911” for Next Generation 911, the system will also allow law enforcement and the public to better communicate using text messages, according to the International Association of Chiefs of Police.
Currently, four local jurisdictions let people alert 911 with a text message: Frederick, Loudoun, Arlington and Fairfax counties.
Fairfax County’s upgrade to accommodate NG911 will be ready by or before early 2017, Souder said. But the region’s 911 network still needs an upgrade to be able to transmit additional data.
Right now, the network as provided by Verizon is “voice-centric” and what you might equate to a one-lane information highway. A network being planned by and for the D.C. region will be a multilane superhighway for information.
Commonly referred to as ESInet, which stands for Emergency Services internet Network, Souder says it’s a collaborative effort of local governments. ESInet will allow 911 calls of the future to be transmitted in ways similar to how email is transmitted today.
“But that network will be far more robust and secure than is the traditional email that you and I use routinely,” Soudor said. “To support all of the communities in the national capital region.”
A vendor to build the D.C. area ESInet could be chosen by early 2017 with an up-and-running date possible by late 2017 or early 2018.
