Public Safety Answering Points (PSAPs)

The national emergency number in the United States and Canada is 911. Dialing 911 will connect the caller with a Public Safety Answering Point (PSAP). The mission of the PSAP is to receive 911 calls from citizens who are in need of emergency assistance and route that call to the appropriate local emergency service for response. These services include emergency medical, fire, and law enforcement agencies.

The Wireless Communications and Public Safety Act of 1999 (911 Act) took effect on October 26, 1999. The purpose of the 911 Act is to improve public safety by encouraging and facilitating the prompt deployment of a nationwide, seamless communications infrastructure for emergency services. One provision of the 911 Act directs the FCC to make 911 the universal emergency number for all telephone services. http://www.fcc.gov/Bureaus/Wireless/News_Releases/2000/nrwl0029.html

The Enhanced-911 (E911) telephone network is an important and integral part of our nation's emergency response and disaster preparedness system. The deployment of E911 requires the development of new technologies and upgrades to local 911 PSAPs, as well as coordination among public safety agencies, wireless carriers, technology vendors, equipment manufacturers, and local wireline carriers.

The 911 Center operated by the Richmond Police Department Division of Emergency Communications is the legally recognized Public Safety Answering Point for the City of Richmond. The Center uses high end technology and several integrated information systems to deliver emergency response to the community. This page discusses several of the information systems used by many PSAPs. For additional information about 911 go to http://www.fcc.gov/911/

View the numbers of emergency calls to the Public Safety Answering Point for the City of Richmond in 2005.

Computer Aided Dispatch Systems

The ComputerAidedDispatch, or CAD, system is the nexus of the emergency dispatch process. Calls for emergency services are received by a 911 call taker and keyed into the CAD system. The CAD routes the entry to the appropriate radio dispatch position(s) so that first responders can be dispatched to the scene of the emergency.

Voice Logging Systems

911 centers are required by law to record certain activities conducted in the communications center. VoiceLoggingSystems are used to capture and record voice data from both the telephone and radio systems. In Virginia, these recordings are maintained for a minimum of 60 days as required by General Schedule #108 of the Records Retention and Disposition Schedule. http://www.lva.lib.va.us/whatwedo/records/sched_state/gs108.htm

Emergency Notification Systems

Sometimes referred to as reverse 911, EmergencyNotificationSystems (ENS) are used to rapidly distribute emergency and non-emergency messages to targeted groups. These systems involve computer management of a database of telephone numbers along with automated message delivery. Messages can be delivered to pre-determined distribution lists or, using GIS tools, can be delivered to geographic areas.

Mobile Data Computers

In a public safety environment MobileDataComputers (MDCs) are computer systems that are integrated with the computer aided dispatch system (CAD). MDCs can be installed as either stationary or portable devices but their main feature is that they reside inside of a police cruiser or fire apparatus. The amount of air space available to make voice transmissions over radio frequencies is finite and MDCs make voiceless dispatch possible. -- LindaSamuel - 26 Jun 2005

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