Technology, Training Key To 911 Future, Official Says

With 911 technology going from operators using rotary dial telephones to now using GPS pinpointing locations, dispatchers must have the skills to face a changing world, the director of the Jonesboro E-911 system told state legislators Wednesday.

Jeff Presley spoke to members of the state House and state Senate committees on Agriculture, Forestry and Economic Development, as well as a legislative blue ribbon committee looking into the 911 system around the state during a joint committee meeting in Jonesboro.

Presley, who has served as director since 2006, said the 911 system in the United States is over 50 years old. With that, the funding stream has remained the same.

“The funding, it is based on 1960s standards,” Presley told legislators. “I am not knocking anyone and I definitely appreciate the committee. But in most communities, the 911 system is under the police department. The police and fire departments (budgets) grow, but the 911 system stays below. You need to grow with the agency.”

TECHNOLOGY
Presley told legislators about several projects that the city of Jonesboro has worked on in recent years to help build a strong foundation for the system.

One of the projects involves Nixle. The system is an email based program that sends out alerts free of charge to people who have signed up. For instance, a person could receive an alert about a tornado warning or a missing child within minutes of police receiving the information.

Presley said another project, called Smart 911, allows people to save vital information, like next of kin and medical history on a cell phone about themselves.

State Rep. Mary Broadaway, D-Paragould, who is a member of the committee, said the system could be used by children with special needs or who may not be able to talk.

Arkansas Department of Emergency Management deputy director Tina Owens told the committee that her agency will be working with the Arkansas Department of Education on a project involving Smart 911. School officials will be sending out information on the system during the first week of school, Owens said.

TRAINING
Presley told legislators that the training for dispatchers around the state needs to be uniform.

In Jonesboro, dispatchers go through at least three months of training. The dispatchers are also taught how to deal with certain emergencies and how to deal with the stress of it all.

Jonesboro police deal with at least a dozen car accidents every afternoon, Presley said, noting the department has its own traffic section to handle wrecks. However, the manpower issue is difficult for rural, sometimes volunteer fire departments, Presley said.

“It is tough for them to get recruits,” Presley said.

Presley suggested to the committee that the state should dedicate broadband coverage to public safety, work with mapping systems, create a minimum standard training for dispatchers and work to upgrade cell phone coverage around the state.

The committee will meet again at 10 a.m. Thursday at the Delta Center for Economic Development on the ASU campus. The meeting Thursday will feature a discussion on regional economic development as well as a look at agri-tourism in Northeast Arkansas.