Recent announcements that several major carriers will be launching national-level solutions for sending SMS texts to 9-1-1 have created a lot of excitement and trepidation in our industry. Technology improvements and changes often have that effect. We are excited to move forward and do “new things,” but at the same time we are concerned about the operational impact that new technologies will have on our PSAPs and personnel. The concept of sending text calls to 9-1-1 is not new. The reality that this capability is now around the corner, however, is hitting home with many agencies. Does your PSAP have a game plan for how to manage non-voice calls from the general public? Even if you will not be accepting text calls in the immediate future, your PSAP needs to start planning for it now.

The concerns that we express when we consider the operational impact of text calls is very similar to what many PSAPs experienced when they first considered offering emergency medical dispatch (EMD) during their call-handling process. EMD and medical pre-arrival instructions have helped save lives on many occasions. EMD provides a valuable service to the public. It can also extend the amount of time that a telecommunicator spends on a call before they are able to disconnect and focus on the next call or task. The question is not so much about how we can offer a potentially valuable service, but how can we do so and not risk consequences. The answer: We cannot. Everything we do in public safety involves risk and consequences. This portion of our business is not avoidable. But risk can be minimized.

Proper training is the best way to minimize risk and negative impact to our PSAPs and personnel. There are several methods by which text calls can be received, and a thorough assessment of the methods is necessary to ensure that the appropriate level of technical and operational training is provided.

Many PSAPs have systems that allow them to do varying degrees of call-handling analysis, statistics and quality assurance. Some PSAPs are also able to combine call-handling statistics with incident analysis to further track performance patterns. A solid analysis program is a critical component of the text-to-9-1-1 game plan. For those PSAPs that don’t currently track call-answering statistics or that don’t perform regular quality control, now is a good time to start. Beginning this process after the PSAP starts receiving text calls will not allow for before-and-after comparison studies to be done. If a PSAP plans to accept text calls via a Web interface that’s external to the automatic call distribution (ACD) system, it’s critical to identify how statistics will be gathered before you proceed. These are a few examples of analysis routines that can be performed:

• Average time to answer incoming emergency calls before and after SMS calls are accepted;
• Average overall call duration before and after text calls are accepted;
• Average voice call duration by incident type;
• Average text call duration by incident type;
• Average overall voice call duration; and
• Average overall text call duration.

It’s easy to assume that SMS 9-1-1 calls will result in multiple impacts on PSAPs. A solid game plan that measures PSAP call-handling performance and incorporates ongoing quality assurance will provide your staff with objective data on the impact. Management decisions must be driven by objective data to ensure that resulting changes to operational procedures, staffing and scheduling are sound and logical. Early implementers of text to 9-1-1 are encouraged to share their analysis plans and lessons learned with all APCO members via PSConnect.

Kathy McMahon is technical services manager for APCO International. Contact her via e-mail.

This article originally appeared in August 2012 Public Safety Communications.