Press Releases & Publications
Aug 25, 2026
There is a line item on almost every phone bill in America that most people never read.
It might say 911 surcharge, emergency communications fee, or E911 assessment. It is usually
less than a dollar. Multiply it across hundreds of millions...
There is a line item on almost every phone bill in America that most people never read.
It might say 911 surcharge, emergency communications fee, or E911 assessment. It is usually
less than a dollar. Multiply it across hundreds of millions of phone lines, wireless devices, and
voice over IP connections, and it becomes the financial foundation of the entire emergency
communications system in the United States.
For the people who run that system, understanding where those doll...
Aug 10, 2026
Every 911 center is one bad day away from finding out how good its continuity plan really is.
A wildfire jumps a ridge line and the evacuation zone now includes your dispatch floor. A hurricane takes down the fiber path feeding your building...
Every 911 center is one bad day away from finding out how good its continuity plan really is.
A wildfire jumps a ridge line and the evacuation zone now includes your dispatch floor. A hurricane takes down the fiber path feeding your building. A water main breaks two floors
above the comm center. A ransomware incident locks up the county network on a Friday
afternoon. None of these scenarios are hypothetical, and none of them care whether your continuity of operations plan is current....
Jul 25, 2026
QUEZON CITY, Philippines (Jul 2026) — Getting help during a crisis should not depend on what language you speak. This is especially true in a country that sees up to 500,000 tourists every month and hosts about 133,000 expats living here semi-permane...
QUEZON CITY, Philippines (Jul 2026) — Getting help during a crisis should not depend on what language you speak. This is especially true in a country that sees up to 500,000 tourists every month and hosts about 133,000 expats living here semi-permanently.
Jul 19, 2026
Command stations relied on voice-only radio frequencies prior to the Bureau of Fire Protection (BFP) implementing the Unified Platform for Communications & Dispatch (UPCAD) system of Unified 911 for emergency response. These frequencies were hindered...
Command stations relied on voice-only radio frequencies prior to the Bureau of Fire Protection (BFP) implementing the Unified Platform for Communications & Dispatch (UPCAD) system of Unified 911 for emergency response. These frequencies were hindered by poor signals, dead zones, and congested telephone lines.
Dispatchers relied on inaccurate, scared verbal descriptions from callers and were "completely blind" to what was actually happening at the emergency scene. The incidents' exact locations...
Jul 15, 2026
Every day, over 240 million calls are placed to 911 centers across the United States each year.
But here’s a number that might surprise you: a significant portion of those calls are not true
emergencies. Storm damage reports, graffiti complaints, t...
Every day, over 240 million calls are placed to 911 centers across the United States each year.
But here’s a number that might surprise you: a significant portion of those calls are not true
emergencies. Storm damage reports, graffiti complaints, towing inquiries, noise complaints, and
general information requests flood Public Safety Answering Points (PSAPs), pulling trained
telecommunicators away from the calls that truly require their expertise and urgency.
At the same time, Ameri...
Jul 15, 2026
Picture this: a single-car accident on a rural highway late at night. The driver is unconscious.
There are no witnesses. No bystanders to call 911. In a legacy emergency system, help would
not arrive until someone happened to drive past the scene,...
Picture this: a single-car accident on a rural highway late at night. The driver is unconscious.
There are no witnesses. No bystanders to call 911. In a legacy emergency system, help would
not arrive until someone happened to drive past the scene, sometimes minutes or even hours
Later.
Now imagine the same scenario with a connected vehicle. The moment of impact, the car's
onboard sensors detect the crash. Within seconds, the vehicle automatically transmits data to a
911 center: the...
Jul 15, 2026
The transition to Next Generation 911 (NG911) is moving faster in 2026 than at any point in the history of emergency communications. The FCC's NG911 rules are driving carriers through Phase 1 SIP connections, state programs are accelerating their dep...
The transition to Next Generation 911 (NG911) is moving faster in 2026 than at any point in the history of emergency communications. The FCC's NG911 rules are driving carriers through Phase 1 SIP connections, state programs are accelerating their deployment timelines, and the industry is tackling complex challenges around GIS data quality, cybersecurity, and workforce development.
At NGA, our mission is to support public safety professionals with trusted guidance and tools for
implemen...
Jul 15, 2026
When a 911 call comes in, the person on the other end of the line makes split-second decisions that can mean the difference between life and death. They talk panicking callers through CPR,
guide parents through choking emergencies, coordinate multi-...
When a 911 call comes in, the person on the other end of the line makes split-second decisions that can mean the difference between life and death. They talk panicking callers through CPR,
guide parents through choking emergencies, coordinate multi-agency responses to active
threats, and relay critical information to officers, firefighters, and paramedics racing to the scene.
Yet according to the federal government, these professionals are classified the same way as data entry clerks...
Jul 04, 2026
“By placing command centers closer to the people and ensuring that emergency telecommunicators speak the local language, we remove barriers during the moments when every second counts. This is how we make emergency assistance faster, more accessible,...
“By placing command centers closer to the people and ensuring that emergency telecommunicators speak the local language, we remove barriers during the moments when every second counts. This is how we make emergency assistance faster, more accessible, and truly nationwide.” Fire Chief Inspector Espiridion Ganibe, head of the BARMM 911 Satellite Command Center, said the ability to communicate in Maranao, Iranun, Maguindanao, Tausug, Yakan, and other local languages enables callers to explain emerg...
Jul 02, 2026
In the Philippines, response time is everything. Whether it is responding to a medical crisis in a congested metropolitan area, deploying rescue teams during a severe typhoon, or handling peace and order incidents, our local dispatchers and emergency...
In the Philippines, response time is everything. Whether it is responding to a medical crisis in a congested metropolitan area, deploying rescue teams during a severe typhoon, or handling peace and order incidents, our local dispatchers and emergency responders are the unserved heroes of public safety.
Currently, emergency response in the country is fragmented. While we have the national Emergency Hotline 911 managed by the DILG, many Filipinos still rely directly on local government unit (LGU)...