Category: Press Release

Arlington, TX, June 22, 2020 –  The North Central Texas Emergency Communications District launched its “Safe to Save Your Life Campaign” this week in response to the community’s hesitation to dial 9-1-1 during a medical emergency. Due to the coronavirus pandemic, citizens who are experiencing life-threatening medical emergencies such as a heart attack or stroke won’t dial 9-1-1 in fear of contracting COVID-19. This has led to 54% more patients pronounced dead on scene by North Texas EMS crews when compared to 2019, according to MedStar.

The campaign includes local resources from health care providers, emergency medical services, and more. Citizens are encouraged to visit the NCT9-1-1 resource page for a better understanding of how emergency providers are preventing the spread of COVID-19. Videos, fact sheets, and additional links to more resources are available.

“We are concerned that the fear of contracting COVID-19 is preventing citizens in our region from utilizing the resources designed to help them,” said Director of 9-1-1 Christy Williams. “We hope providing education on what precautions have been taken will show citizens that it is safe to dial 9-1-1.”

North Texas citizens experiencing a life-threatening emergency such as a heart attack or stroke are encouraged to seek medical assistance by dialing 9-1-1 or visiting an emergency room. Hesitating to dial 9-1-1 due to fear of contracting COVID-19 could cost citizens their lives.

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About the North Central Texas Emergency Communications District (NCT9-1-1)

The North Central Texas Emergency Communications District (NCT9-1-1) is responsible for 40 plus Public Safety Answering Points (PSAPs) in the 13 counties surrounding the Dallas-Fort Worth Metroplex. The district supports these PSAPs through maintaining and upgrading 9-1-1 equipment, providing up-to-date mapping information, training 9-1-1 telecommunicators, educating the public on the proper use of 9-1-1, and monitoring PSAP functionality and compliances. NCT9-1-1 serves a population of 1.7 million and 10,000+ square miles.

ARLINGTON, Texas, January 28, 2020 — The North Central Texas Emergency Communications District (NCT9-1-1) will graduate 16 9-1-1 telecommunicators from its Regional Telecommunicator Academy (RTA) Class #009 on January 31 in Arlington. This class includes recruits from 12 different agencies, including Dallas ISD, the Mineral Wells Police Department, and the Ellis County Sheriff’s Office, among others.

The graduating recruits will have completed a rigorous four-week program that teaches equipment use, state mandates and regulations, how to handle emergency communications situations such as activeshootings, and more. Texas is the only state in the country that requires its telecommunicators to be licensed alongside peace officers and jailers, and NCT9-1-1 hosts the only 9-1-1 telecommunicator academy in the state. The district welcomes recruits from outside its region to participate and this year includes participants from Dallas ISD.

“At the academy, we’re not just training people to fill positions,” said NCT9-1-1 Training Coordinator Bret Batchelor. “We’re building a community of resiliency and comradery with our recruits. I want them to walk away with the skills to not only be successful at their new jobs, but to build a lifelong career as a 9-1-1 telecommunicator and to one day pass on their experiences to the next generation of dispatchers.” 

The program has graduated recruits from all over Texas and Arkansas since its inception in February of 2016 and continues to grow with classes held twice a year in the winter and summer.    

What: Graduation Ceremony for Regional Telecommunicator Academy Class #009 

Where: 600 Six Flags Drive Suite 226, Arlington, TX 76011 

When: January 31, 1:00 PM

Why: Celebrate the graduation of 16 new telecommunicators in North Texas

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About the North Central Texas Emergency Communications District

The North Central Texas Emergency Communications District (NCT9-1-1) is responsible for 40 plus Public Safety Answering Points (PSAPs) in the 13 counties surrounding the Dallas-Fort Worth Metroplex. The district supports these PSAPs through maintaining and upgrading 9-1-1 equipment, providing up-to-date mapping information, training 9-1 telecommunicators, educating the public on the proper use of 9-1-1, and monitoring PSAP functionality and compliances. NCT9-1-1 serves a population of 1.7 million and 10,000+ square miles.

Wise County, TX – The Wise County Sheriff’s Office was able to pinpoint the exact location of 4 children, 2 of whom were locked in a dog kennel according to Wise County officials, with Next Generation 9-1-1 location accuracy technology developed by RapidSOS. The North Central Texas Emergency Communications District (NCT9-1-1), who provides 9-1-1 services to the sheriff’s office, was instrumental to the development and deployment of the technology.

The 9-1-1 call was a domestic violence complaint from a caller who did not know his address. The original location provided by the cell phone carrier would have placed the deputies 1.3 miles out of the way of the incident. The dispatcher was able to utilize the RapidSOS location to give the exact location of the caller, which allowed them to hear the cries of the children nearby.

“This shows what this can do, and people need to realize how important this is and start to get on board,” said Jessica Anderson, the 9-1-1 telecommunicator who answered the call. She’s been dispatching for over 2 years.

Wise County is part of the NCT9-1-1 region, who played an active role in the development of this technology. Today, the FCC requires cell phone carriers to provide an accurate location within 100 – 150 meters 75% of the time for 9-1-1 calls. During a pilot conducted with RapidSOS last year in the NCT9-1-1 region, the location provided by RapidSOS was accurate within 50 meters 97% of the time.

“We founded RapidSOS to provide public safety agencies with the best possible tools to save lives. There’s no greater reward for our team than to learn of scenarios where our technology helped make a difference for hardworking emergency services professionals and the constituents they serve,” RapidSOS CEO Michael Martin said. “It is an honor to see technology that we originally piloted with NCT9-1-1 in use today with thousands of public safety agencies across the country.”

Accurate location information for wireless calls is the future of 9-1-1. All 43 of the public safety answering points (PSAPs) in the NCT9-1-1 region are equipped with this technology, and NCT9-1-1 advocates for its adoption in PSAPs nationwide.

“I’m thankful for continuous improvement in technology, and in our partnership with NCT9-1-1 and for a team that never quits,” said Wise County 9-1-1 Communications Manager Susan Gomez. “I know that twenty years ago when I started, we would not have had the same outcome.”

A more accurate RapidSOS location, represented by the yellow bullseye. The red circle shows the location provided by the carrier.

The deputies would have been 1.3 miles out of the way from the correct location.