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Last week we heard a story of a woman who was on the phone with her aunt when she overheard shattering glass and a man’s voice shouting in the background before the call went silent. Her aunt was unresponsive, and this woman realized she needed to dial 9-1-1. The problem was, she was located in Dallas and her aunt was living in Washington state, and she was unsure of how to reach the local authorities.

If you have family living out of state, this scenario may have crossed your mind, and the helplessness of the situation may seem a little overwhelming. But there is something you can do.

The majority of police departments or sheriff’s offices have 10-digit numbers that still go into the 9-1-1 emergency communications center (ECC). You can find a list of the 10-digit numbers within the NCT9-1-1 region here. These lines are answered by the telecommunicators who also answer 9-1-1 calls and not by administrators, which is a common misconception. We advise all of our citizens to look up their local 10-digit number and save it into their phone and to write it down in a place where everyone in the household has access, like on the refrigerator. This is only a precaution, as dialing 9-1-1 during an emergency is always the best way to get help quickly.

However, if you have family members living out of state, like your grandmother in Florida, you can also write down the local 10-digit number for their police department or sheriff’s office. Save this number in your phone in case you need to contact local authorities for an emergency or welfare check. You can also dial 9-1-1 and explain the situation to the call taker, who can then look up the 10-digit number of your family member’s location.

Whether you’re contacting emergency services through 9-1-1 or the 10-digit number, remember to always give the location of the emergency first, and then to follow all instructions, answer all questions, and stay on the line.

You can learn more about 10-digit numbers here.

The scariest night of the year is just around the corner, and it’s not because of the goblins and ghouls that will be roaming the streets. It’s the regular every-day safety concerns that are escalated on October 31^st that has most people worried. We’ve put together some of our favorite Halloween safety tips to help you and your family have a fun and safe night!

Make sure your child’s costume is safe

We might not think of a costume being dangerous, but there are a handful of considerations we think every parent should be aware of. Make sure any masks don’t obstruct their vision, especially if they’re going trick or treating and may be crossing busy streets. Also include something that makes your child visible in darkness, like reflective tape on their costume or candy bags or deck them out in glow sticks.

Teach your child how to cross the street

This sounds like an easy one. Look both ways before crossing is the standard advice, but we suggest an extra effort on Halloween when there are a lot of kids outside and just as many drivers who may not be paying attention to the young trick or treaters. Remind your kids to be aware of their surroundings, which means putting down the phone for the older ones, and to stay on the sidewalk whenever possible. If it’s not possible to walk on the sidewalk, remind them to walk facing the direction of traffic so they can see what’s ahead of them.

Not trick or treating? Drive carefully.

Slow down in and around neighborhoods, just in case some of the trick or treaters aren’t considering our previous tips. If you have teenagers who drive and will be out and about on Halloween night, remind them about keeping an eye out for young kids crossing the road and to back up and park with caution. It may be a good idea to turn your headlights on earlier than usual too.

Trust your gut

Probably the most important Halloween safety tip we can give to anyone, both kids and adults. If something feels wrong or off, leave. Remind your kids that it’s okay to leave a situation that makes them feel uncomfortable, even if they can’t exactly say what it is that makes them feel that way. Better safe than sorry.

How does 9-1-1 know your exact location every time? Does 9-1-1 use GPS? Is it programmed into your phone? The short answer: Sometimes they don’t. You have to tell them. Especially if you’re calling on a cell phone.

You may have this vision of a 9-1-1 call taker who answers the phone, takes down the details of your emergency, and then pushes a button and sends an officer to the location that magically appears on screen. There are a small number of cases where something similar to this might be true, but the majority of the time things are a lot more complicated.

In order to understand how 9-1-1 knows your location, you have to understand how that information is collected and stored. And to understand that, you have to be introduced to our Geographic Information Systems (GIS) team. The GIS team at NCT9-1-1 is responsible for managing addressing information and location data, and their work is why a telecommunicator can better pinpoint your location.

What happens after I call 9-1-1?

You’ve been in a car accident, or someone is breaking into your house, or you are facing any number of emergencies that warrant calling 9-1-1. But after you finish dialing, what happens next? How does your call get to the correct police department? How does the call taker on the other end know where to send a response?

Well, that depends. It depends on whether you’re calling from a landline or a cell phone, and it depends on what kind of 9-1-1 infrastructure your local police department has.

Landline

When you initially dial 9-1-1, your call is routed to a building called a central office, which houses information that is managed by the telephone carriers. The central office uses your phone number to send your call to the correct tandem office, which is divided by regions. Within the NCT9-1-1 region, which is a hybrid of the old system and a Next Generation 9-1-1 system, we utilize GIS to route calls after they have gone through a central office. Based on the information stored in the tandem office, your call is routed to the correct Emergency Communications Center (ECC). At the same time as your call is going to the ECC, a Database Management System is queried and matches your phone number with your address and displays this information (known as the ALI, or the Automatic Location Information) to the 9-1-1 telecommunicator.

All of this happens in a matter of seconds, and if your landline is registered to your current address, 9-1-1 should get your exact address every time. They won’t, however, be able to pinpoint your location within your house like the specific room or floor.

Wireless

On an Enhanced 9-1-1 system, calling 9-1-1 on a cell phone can yield different results. This is because the location information is provided by your cell phone carrier and each carrier is different. When you call on a cell phone, your location is determined by a combination of network triangulation and trilateration to gain an approximate location. By approximate location, we mean within 300 meters of the nearest cell phone tower. That’s about three football fields.

If your police department or sheriff’s office is on a Next Generation 9-1-1 network, which emphasizes more modern technology, and if they use device-based hybrid location accuracy, DBH, (technology similar to that used by ride-sharing apps), they may be able to pinpoint your location within 15 meters. All of the ECCs within the NCT9-1-1 region are equipped with DBH.

Android devices utilize Emergency Locations Services (ELS) to deliver DBH, and Apple devices utilize Hybridized Emergency Location (HELO).  DBH uses a combination of different location beacons to identify a caller’s location. These beacons include GPS, WiFi signals, and Bluetooth beacons.

How do they know my address?

The NCT9-1-1 region covers more than 10,000 square miles and is responsible for 9-1-1 services for 1.6 million people across North Texas. So how do we keep track of all of the addresses within our region and how do we update our system when new subdivisions or homes are built?

The NCT9-1-1 GIS team doesn’t work alone. They work closely with addressing coordinators on the county level throughout our region to help maintain their data and ensure it’s accurate. When a new subdivision is built, they will utilize hand drawn plats from the county addressing coordinator to address new roads, or even drive new roads with a GPS device. Recently, NCT9-1-1 has been utilizing drones to help speed this process up.

After new roads are addressed, NCT9-1-1 GIS updates the maps of the 9-1-1 telecommunicators within our region with the new information.

What does this mean for me?

Now you know a little bit more about how 9-1-1 works behind the scenes. Though the emergency number industry is always making new strides, and we’re constantly trying to meet citizens where they are in this brave new world of technology, it’s still important to know your location and to communicate it to the 9-1-1 telecommunicator. The fastest way for the call taker to know where you are is for you to tell them.

The North Central Texas Emergency Communications District celebrated the passing of House Bill 1090, which reclassifies them from clerical workers to first responders, with a First Responder Commencement Ceremony on Thursday, September 5.

Texas is the first state to reclassify its 9-1-1 telecommunicators and include them as first responders alongside peace officers, firefighters, and emergency medical personnel. Before HB 1090, 9-1-1 telecommunicators were classified as secretaries.

“From citizens requesting emergency services, to field units needing manpower or deployment resources during disasters, 9-1-1 Telecommunicators are true first responders,” said NCT9-1-1 Operations Manager Sherry Decker. “HB 1090 acknowledges the important role they play.”

Texas is also the only state that requires telecommunicators to be licensed, which holds them to the same standards as peace officers and jailers. The 9-1-1 First Responder Commencement Ceremony honored the more than 500 NCT9-1-1 telecommunicators and the 43 Public Safety Answer Points (PSAPs) they represent with a challenge coin and the ceremony included Christy Williams, the director of 9-1-1 at NCT9-1-1, and Ricky Rodriquez speaking on behalf of Congressman Ron Wright.

The keynote speaker was the winner of our speech contest, which called upon telecommunicators from the NCT9-1-1 region to submit a 3-5 minute speech on the significance of the first responder status. Our winner was Shawnna Davenport from Greenville Police and Fire, and you can watch her speech below.

Speech Transcript

Good afternoon, ladies and gentlemen. It is good to be here today because today is historic. Today we have gathered together to celebrate the reclassification of telecommunicators as first responders. Why is that significant? Why is that so important? In order to answer those questions, you must first understand what a 9-1-1 telecommunicator is. Many of you have heard the cliche quotes “The thin gold line” or “The guardians of the three,” etc. However, what is it that makes this job so unique? What is it that makes these people so passionate about what they do? Why do so many feel it is as much a “calling” as a profession?

I started my career in 1983 with Hood County Sheriff’s office in Granbury, Texas. I was seventeen years old. I knew very little about the job and had no idea it would become my life’s work. In 1983 there was no 9-1-1 in our county. When someone called for help, they had to call the police or fire department telephone numbers directly. People used to keep those numbers posted on their refrigerator or next to their telephones, which were still connected to the wall! Home addresses were also posted so children & babysitters could find it in the event of an emergency.

As a child, my two favorite TV shows were Adam 12 and Emergency. Like many of my generation, Paramedics Gage and Desoto or Officers Maloy and Reed were my heroes. They were helping people and saving lives. I gave no thought to the voice in the background that sent these heroes on their missions. The calm professional voice that gave the call details, that relayed the updates, that gave the warnings or that sent additional help when they needed it. The voice with no face, the voice with no name, the voice with no importance or so it seemed. No one wanted to be that voice, after all they were “just a dispatcher.” Little did I know then that I would become that voice and it is so much more.

Many things have changed in emergency services since 1983. Our phones are mobile and no longer attached to the wall. Landlines and payphones have become obsolete. We Google and text as much as we call or speak face to face. We have a national 9-1-1 number system. Nearly everyone in the United States knows when there is an emergency, they should call 9-1-1. We have enhanced 9-1-1 and Next Gen systems to help us locate those that call for help. We can even text to 9-1-1. What has remained the same? Working nights, weekends, and holidays. Rotating shifts, 16-hour shifts with short turn arounds, high stress, employee turnover, and work overload. The 9-1-1 telecommunicator is the first contact in an emergency. This first responder must get the location of the emergency from an often panicked or upset person who may have no idea where they actually are. They must pull the information out of injured or uncooperative callers while remaining alert to any background noises that may indicate there is more to the situation than the caller is saying. They ask a series of questions to determine the nature of the emergency often while typing into the CAD, speaking on the radio, or toning out units at the same time. They must “triage” the call for the priority of response or route the call to the appropriate agency, all within seconds. Most 9-1-1 calls last only a few minutes, yet in that time, the 9-1-1 telecommunicator has gotten the vital information needed to send the caller lifesaving assistance, accessed for possible threats, determined the nature of the fire, gotten vehicle or suspect descriptions, etc. That is, when things go right. However, often things don’t go right.

Telecommunicators must be adaptable, knowledgeable, patient, caring, and yet professional during the most horrific of situations. We are the first contact made, the lifeline for the public as well as those we work with. On the phone or the radio, telecommunicators ARE there. Trying to locate callers who cannot or will not give their location. While listening to the depressed teenager threatening to commit suicide. While giving CPR instructions to the panicked mother of a choking child. While keeping an injured accident victim awake until medics arrive. While whispering to the terrified woman hiding in the closet from an intruder. While sending aid to a wounded officer begging for help. Our ears see what our eyes cannot and it is not easy.  Telecommunicators were there when a tornado ravaged the school trapping children and their teacher in debris. Telecommunicators were there taking messages for loved ones as the twin towers burned & fell. Telecommunicators were there as passengers fought to take back the plane from hijackers and as it plummeted to the ground. Telecommunicators were there as a shooter targeted their own officers outside their own building, leaving several dead. Before the officers, the medics or the firefighters, we were there for every tragedy or disaster. We sheltered in place during hurricanes, while our own homes were destroyed. We stayed until relieved, sometimes for days without electricity or water. We have come home broken hearted and beaten down, only to go back to do it all again the next day. It is not just a job, it is a group of dedicated & skilled individuals, willing to do more than they ever expected to when they first sat down at a console. Gage and Desoto are still my childhood heroes, but now I know it took a telecommunicator to get them there.

Thank you so much to all those who worked diligently to make this happen. We have always known we were first responders and because of your efforts, so does everyone else.  I am proud to be a part of this amazing profession. I am proud of those before me & for those yet to come.  We are the calm in the chaos, the thin gold line, and the protector of the three. We are part of the brother and sisterhood of emergency services personnel. We are the headsets & the call takers.  We are the first contact & the final call. We are as we have always been, we are the voice, and yet we are so much more. We are 9-1-1 telecommunicators and we ARE First Responders!