Blogs
Oct 05, 2026
"i3 compliant" gets used to describe a lot of things that are not actually i3 compliant.
Every PSAP director has seen the term in an RFP response, a vendor slide deck, or a state grant application. It sounds like a fixed checkbox: either a s...
"i3 compliant" gets used to describe a lot of things that are not actually i3 compliant.
Every PSAP director has seen the term in an RFP response, a vendor slide deck, or a state grant application. It sounds like a fixed checkbox: either a system is i3 compliant or it isn't. In practice, i3 compliance is a layered set of technical behaviors, and a system can satisfy some of them while still routing calls the old way underneath.
This piece breaks down what NENA's i3 standard act...
Sep 28, 2026
A call handling system is the one piece of technology a telecommunicator touches on every single call, so getting the evaluation right matters more than almost any other 911 procurement decision.
A call handling system (CHS) typically stays...
A call handling system is the one piece of technology a telecommunicator touches on every single call, so getting the evaluation right matters more than almost any other 911 procurement decision.
A call handling system (CHS) typically stays in place for many years, which means the choice made this cycle will carry a PSAP through several technology generations, several vendor mergers, and whatever comes after the current wave of NG911 rollouts. That is a long time to live with the wrong...
Sep 23, 2026
An EIDO, or Emergency Incident Data Object, is a standardized JSON package that
carries everything one system currently knows about a single emergency incident, and hands it
to another system in a format both sides understand. NENA's own glossary d...
An EIDO, or Emergency Incident Data Object, is a standardized JSON package that
carries everything one system currently knows about a single emergency incident, and hands it
to another system in a format both sides understand. NENA's own glossary defines it as "a JSON- based object that is used to share emergency incident information between and among
authorized entities and systems." In plain operational terms, the EIDO replaces the old serial
cable between call handling equipment and dispa...
Sep 18, 2026
Short answer: when a phone with satellite emergency messaging cannot find a cell tower, it
sends a compressed emergency text through a satellite instead. That session reaches your
center one of two ways. If your PSAP accepts text, it arrives throug...
Short answer: when a phone with satellite emergency messaging cannot find a cell tower, it
sends a compressed emergency text through a satellite instead. That session reaches your
center one of two ways. If your PSAP accepts text, it arrives through your existing Text Control
Center like any other text-to-911 conversation.
If your PSAP is voice only, an emergency relay center texts the caller, then calls you on a regular 911 trunk with the caller's number and location in the usual A...
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 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...