The first deployment of geospatial 911 call routing for a special event on North Carolina’s Next Generation 911 network was successfully conducted in Richmond County on April 14, ahead of the NASCAR race at Rockingham Motor Speedway on April 18–19.
The trial was staged through the partnership of Richmond County Emergency Services, the N.C. 911 Board, AT&T, Intrado and GeoComm and demonstrates the potential of Next Generation 911 technology statewide.
The technology allowed 911 calls made within the defined boundary of the event to be automatically routed to specific positions within Richmond County’s 911 public safety answering point (PSAP). This enabled telecommunicators to quickly identify and prioritize calls originating from within the event area and separate them from standard countywide 911 traffic.
The innovative solution helps efficiently handle emergency calls during mass events with potentially high call volume and supports event-specific emergency response teams, including law enforcement, fire and EMS personnel on-site.
“This shows how call routing even within the PSAP to an assigned telecommunicator can be a game changer when seconds count,” said Pokey Harris, N.C. 911 Board Executive Director.
“Next Generation 911 can deliver precision and speed when it matters most — keeping people safe while the action is high, and the stakes are even higher,” said Teena Piccione, NCDIT Secretary and N.C. 911 Board Chair.