By EMS1 Staff
WASHINGTON — As 911 systems across the nation continue efforts toward Next Generation 911 and optimal 911 services, the collection and use of 911 statistics and NG911 progress data remains an important tool for the 911 industry. The National 911 Program announced the availability of the “2015 National 911 Progress Report,” which provides detailed reporting and analysis of the most recent collection of 911 statistics from 42 states and territories.
Available at 911.gov, the report collates the data gathered from the participating states and territories with the support of the National Association of State 911 Administrators. The 2015 National Progress Report, the most comprehensive national 911 data collection to date, provides the segmented information state 911 leaders, legislators and policy makers need to make informed decisions about 911 services in their jurisdictions.
While releasing this report, the National 911 Program also announced that it plans to coordinate with the Federal Communications Commission on the timing of this year’s collection of 911 data from states.
“This data is important for both national and state 911 leaders,” said Laurie Flaherty, Coordinator for the National 911 Program. “And at the request of the states, we’ve joined with the FCC to each ask for data from the state and local 911 authorities at the same one time during the year.”
This will be the fourth year that data, such as call volume by type, annual revenue and costs for 911 authorities as well as progress benchmarks toward NG911 is collected for the 911 Profile Database. A project support team is available to provide technical and data aggregation assistance as requested by the states.
The FCC data collection effort, which is mandated by Congress and is in its seventh year, gathers information about how states and jurisdictions collect and spend 911 fees.
“The annual data collection effort gives the 911 community an opportunity to better understand, through accurate and timely data, the progress toward Next Generation 911 at both the national and individual state level,” said Harriet Miller-Brown, president of NASNA and 911 administrator for the State of Michigan. “The data can have a significant impact on a state’s ability to make the case for additional funding, legislative changes and more.”
Highlights from the 2015 911 Progress Report The state-by-state reporting format allows for the comparison of data to understand how states are similar in terms of call volume, governance and other demographics. Key findings from the report include:
- 76 percent of 911 calls are received from cellular phones, an increase from 70 percent since the 2014 Progress Report.
- 32 reporting states provide Enhanced 911 to 100 percent of its population, compared to 28 states since the last data collection effort.
- 19 states and territories have adopted a statewide NG911 plan, an increase from 15 states and territories over last year’s report.
- Among reporting states, 14 percent had fully operational NG911 systems.
The most complete picture of the nation’s progress toward NG911 is available through a combined dataset between the National 911 Profile Database and the National Emergency Number Association’s NG911 database. The data reflects progress toward fully implementing NG911 at both the state and sub-state, or county, level.