911 Centers In Central Oklahoma Getting Upgrades To Improve Response Times

Nearly two dozen 911 centers in Central Oklahoma are getting technology upgrades that could lead to faster and more effective responses.

The Association of Central Oklahoma Governments (ACOG) is working to install Next Generation 911 (NG911) systems at 22 emergency communication centers (ECC) in Canadian, Cleveland, Logan, and Oklahoma Counties. The ECCs getting the upgrades include the centers in Edmond, Moore, Mustang, Norman, and Yukon, among other places. Meanwhile, Oklahoma City has its own system and will not be getting the NG911 upgrades.

Once the upgrades are implemented, dispatchers will know where 911 callers are located with greater accuracy. "The FCC's current mandate for accuracy is within 50 meters or 164 feet. That's a huge variance. With this technology, we will be able to locate the caller within 8 feet," said Brent Hawkinson, director of 911 and public safety at ACOG.

The upgrades will also allow for more effective tracking of the caller's location, should the caller be on the move. The current 911 system allows the caller's location to be updated every 22 seconds. "(With the new system), it updates every five seconds, so we have a constant idea of where this caller is coming from," said Robin Murray, the programs manager at ACOG's 911 Institute of Oklahoma.

In addition, NG911 will allow dispatchers to determine the elevation of the 911 caller. "If you think of your child who's at a dorm at OU and they call 911 right now if they can't tell us where they are, we have to search the whole building," Murray said. When we move to NextGen, we're going to know what floor they're on. We're going to know what corner of the floor they're on."

Furthermore, when NG911 is in place, victims will not only be able to text 911 for help. They'll be able to send photos and videos as well. 

Plus, if a 911 dispatcher ends a call, the dispatcher will still be able to reconnect with the caller later on to check on the person. The current 911 system does not allow that.

Service fees from landline and wireless phone users are being used to fund the upgrades, ACOG said. Their full implementation is expected by the first quarter of 2025.