Next Gen 911 debuts in Nebraska, aims to improve emergency response

Why can an Uber driver pinpoint your exact location to pick you up but a 911 dispatcher has to ask where you’re at?

Public Safety Answering Points, or PSAPs, have used a copper wire system for nearly 60 years, but the technology has peaked. Some PSAPs are now turning to a Next Gen 911 system, which runs on a secure IP network. Officials think it’s the foundation for making emergency response surpass the Uber response.

“We’re starting with a brand new, like I said, like a brand new highway," Buffalo County Sheriff Neil Miller said. "We’re going to start stacking things on there. It’s just the base for how we get to bringing all those things in.”

Buffalo County Sheriff Neil Miller is referencing the potential for geospatial routing. Just last week, authorities in southeast Nebraska searched for three hours before finding an accident in which the victim couldn’t describe their location. Next Gen 9-1-1 could prevent those situations.

“Even in those areas that maybe only have one cell tower for a very large geographic area, it will give us a better opportunity to pinpoint where people are calling from,” Miller said.

The south central and panhandle area is the first PSAP region set up with Next Gen 911. The process started with the legislature adopting the 911 Service System Act in 2016. The Public Service Commission entered into a five-year, $2.6 million contract with Lumen to build out the new system.

“This foundation that the state is implementing today is designed to be flexible and integrate to new solutions as they’re made available,” Lumen National Sales Director Jim Carlson said.

More solutions include the possibility of people sending in photos, videos, or even live streaming video to 911 centers… a game-changer for first responders.

“Knowing what they’re coming up against ahead of time can help them have a better response," Miller said. "I think there are just a lot of different things - and some of it, we don’t even know what’s going to come out of this yet.”

The Public Service Commission hopes Nebraska’s six other PSAP regions will be switched over to the Next Gen 911 system by the end of the year. There’s no specific timetable for adding the enhanced location or media services.