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In recent times, school safety has become a top priority across Texas, prompting the passage of critical bills to improve emergency response in educational institutions.  

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We had the privilege of interviewing Christy Williams, Director of NCT911, to unpack the evolution of school safety in Texas, and explore how 911 agencies are adapting to new legislation and technology.  

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The interview provides insight into the impact of HB 3 bill and SB 838 on school safety, outlines the changes expected in Texas, and demonstrates how RapidDeploy is helping to enhance emergency response with the data and applications that can make a difference in our schools today.

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RD: How is 911 adapting to new school safety measures?

CW: NCT911 is actively collaborating with local Independent School Districts (ISDs) and Emergency Communications Centers (ECCs) to enhance emergency response and school safety.  

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The recent HB 3 bill requires districts to share detailed maps and floor plans of each campus with law enforcement and emergency responders. NCT911 has been working on a school floor plan project with ISDs and is continuing this effort by capturing and maintaining indoor mapping information, including floor plans, for schools in the region. This data will be integrated into Radius Mapping used in over 40 911 centers in North Central Texas.

SB 838, commonly known as Alyssa's Law, mandates the provision of silent panic alert buttons in each classroom, enabling teachers to have immediate contact with emergency services agencies. NCT911 is actively working to educate superintendents on the implementation of this requirement and address potential technological challenges.

By fostering a strong loop of communication among schools, ECCs, and NCT911, accurate information can be efficiently routed to 911 ECCs, ensuring a swift and coordinated response to emergencies.

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RD: What changes do you expect to see across Texas, and how can 911 be prepared to satisfy new requirements?

CW: While implementing new safety measures on a large scale takes time, administrators are eager to effect positive change and promptly adhere to new requirements. The rollout of panic buttons in schools is expected to be among the first significant changes for 911 centers, though challenges may arise due to the variety of potential service providers and information delivery methods.

To prepare for these changes, 911 agencies must focus on building strong partnerships with vendors and technology providers. NCT911, for example, has leveraged its existing partnership with RapidDeploy to gain valuable insights into various service providers for panic buttons, indoor floor plans, and live feeds from school security cameras. Additionally, agencies must prioritize training for telecommunicators and develop new Standard Operating Procedures (SOPs) to handle incoming panic alerts effectively.

The legislative mandate for accurate floor plan data is expected to improve emergency response by enhancing situational awareness for both telecommunicators and field responders. Collaborative efforts between NCT911 and RapidDeploy could visualize floor plans and incorporate panic buttons and video into Radius Mapping, providing 911 telecommunicators with invaluable location-based data, critical information, and triggered alerts, all of which have not been previously available.

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RD: What should 911 agencies across Texas be looking for as they enhance their centers for school safety?

CW: 911 agencies must embrace technological solutions to address evolving safety challenges effectively. By integrating a range of critical data and modern communication applications into their systems, agencies can substantially improve school safety measures, and enhance the workflow to better protect the public they serve. This will require close collaboration with technology vendors to create awareness, training, and new procedures that align with the role of the telecommunicator and with the 911 workflow.

Furthermore, 911 centers must make the transition to Next Generation 9-1-1 (NG911) to accommodate additional data through IP-based systems. Building strong relationships between ECCs and ISDs is crucial for effective communication and understanding the specific needs of schools. Regular visits from schools to ECCs can foster better understanding and enable more efficient responses during emergencies.

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RD: How will emergency response teams, including telecommunicators and first responders, benefit from the new school safety measures?

CW: The integration of floor plans and panic buttons provides emergency response teams with invaluable situational awareness during school-related emergencies. Having access to detailed school layouts allows for quicker and more accurate responses. Additionally, effective communication among 911 callers, telecommunicators, and first responders is facilitated, facilitating more coordinated and efficient response.

Utilizing advanced technology and additional data display on core 911 systems and mapping platforms enhances the overall safety of schools and first responders. Partnering with innovative companies like RapidDeploy enables agencies to save lives and make a significant difference in emergency response efforts.

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As a partner in NCT911’s transition to Next Generation 911 solutions, RapidDeploy is committed to supporting agencies in their efforts to implement cutting-edge solutions, such as panic buttons, floorplan integration, CCTV, and the real-time visualization of information and GIS data to protect our children, teachers, and administrators. Together with NCT911 and our valued partners, RapidDeploy can further its mission of saving lives by reducing response times.  

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At NENA 2023, Steve Raucher, RapidDeploy CEO and Co-founder, joined Jacob Saur, Arlington ECC Director on stage to discuss challenges faced in recruiting and retaining telecommunicators, the path to embracing technology, and the potential of remote call-taking with the transformative power of technology in today’s PSAPs.  

Here are some of the key topics and learnings from the lively session.

‍Staffing Shortages and Recruitment Challenges:

The industry is grappling with an average staffing shortage of 30%. The following factors are contributing to the difficulties in recruiting and retaining telecommunicators:

1. Stress: The high-stress nature of the job poses challenges for attracting and retaining talent. ‍
2. Low pay: Compensation levels often fail to compete with other sectors, making it challenging to attract skilled professionals. ‍
3. Workload and Shiftwork: Long hours and shift work impact work-life balance, leading to higher turnover rates. ‍
4. Tech Limitations: Outdated software and a lack of familiar features hamper productivity and frustrate employees. ‍
5. Inflexibility: The requirement to work solely within the PSAP limits flexibility and may deter potential candidates.

‍Remote Call Taking - A Retention Tactic:

Jacob shared how Alexandria’s 911 center has addressed remote call taking as a strategy for employee retention. Over the years, increasing workloads and the introduction of new tools have extended training times, with almost three years required for training at their center. Arlington ECC implemented 12 remote call-taking stations in dispatch and two in remote fire dispatch.  

Key highlights of their approach include:

1. Scalability: In the event of a mass incident, additional call-takers can be easily added remotely, reducing travel time and ensuring a safer response. ‍
2. Post-Pandemic Utilization: Following the pandemic, remote call-taking stations were repurposed for overtime shifts while employees returned to the center for regular shifts. ‍
3. Enhanced Technology: Upgrades to equipment will enable employees to work regular shifts from home, utilizing tools like Amazon Connect and Microsoft Teams for collaboration. ‍
4. Transcription and Analysis: Arlington is testing AWS transcription services to analyze non-emergency calls and gain valuable insights. ‍
5. Shared Standard Operating Procedures (SOPs): ECC Arlington is willing to share SOPs to facilitate the implementation of remote call-taking solutions in other PSAPs.

Overcoming Challenges with Technology:

Steve emphasized the need to use technology to solve problems, including staffing, operations and performance. In addition to cloud-native mapping and analytics, RapidDeploy recently announced RapidONE, a new browser-based call-handling solution that will further enhance the emergency response workflow, simplify operations and create more flexible and portable working environments. The discussion with Jake and Steve highlighted the need to embrace technology to:

• Provide the 911 support to communities from anywhere
• the number of screens and workspace needed to effectively and efficiently communicate with callers and dispatch with accuracy
• Improve the emergency response working experience by offering staff greater flexibility in high-stress, demanding jobs  

By adopting flexible work arrangements and leveraging advanced tools, ECCs and PSAPs can address staffing issues, improve efficiency, and enhance emergency response services.  

It is crucial for the industry to embrace innovation and adapt to the changing landscape to create a more resilient and effective emergency communication system.

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^{Photo: Critical Response Group and RapidDeploy’s Radius Mapping visualizing indoor mapping to support school safety measures}

Accurate and accessible indoor floor plans are essential for school safety. Florida Senate Bill 212 now requires communities to provide human-verified indoor floor plans and mandates that these maps are accessible by 911 for improved public safety.

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RapidDeploy is proud to partner with companies like Critical Response Group (CRG) to improve school safety and ready to support Florida Senate Bill 212. By integrating school floor plans directly into RapidDeploy Radius Mapping, call takers have instant awareness of a caller inside or near the school, and can automatically see the location of the caller inside the building—all within an accurate and digitized floor plan.

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When moments matter, having a single unified view of all available data is essential to support the school safety workflow. Our curated and robust partner network includes data and applications that integrate directly within Radius Mapping to support school safety, including indoor mapping, panic buttons, CCTV, and real-time visualization of information on authoritative GIS.

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Powered by the cloud, Radius Mapping integrates floor plans into agency authoritative and commercially available GIS data and automatically plots the location of 911 caller, giving call takers and dispatchers the situational awareness they need to route emergency services effectively and efficiently.

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Once the call or signal is initiated from a landline, mobile device, or panic button, the location appears on the live map, showing the exact caller location, within the school, in real-time. Instant access to critical location information and floor plan intelligence enables more effective communication with the caller and first responders.

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Leveraging technology that integrates accurate floor plans and emergency calls, and visualizes it in a single screen significantly enhances school safety measures and can improve outcomes.

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If your agency is currently working to understand how to visualize current or future floor plans or panic button data within your 9-1-1 systems, RapidDeploy can help.

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Get in touch with us to learn more.

You can also visit Critical Response Group for more information.

Next Generation 911 technology is improving outcomes - RapidDeploy Radius Mapping pinpointed the caller’s location, when other solutions like their CHE and other tools were not able to locate the caller

• Blount County E-911 received a distressed call from a mobile device, reporting that a group of hikers were lost, injured, and had very little water and food
• Leveraging commercial and statewide authoritative GIS data and location technology with Radius Mapping, they were able to see that the hikers transversed to another trail and state entirely - and were not on the path they believed they were on

Blount County in Tennessee contacted Graham County in North Carolina to let them know where to find the missing hikers, who were long overdue. “Without the help of RapidDeploy, we would not have been able to obtain the hikers GPS coordinates and contact Graham County 911. “

James B. Long, Blount County E-911

NG911 solutions provide critical information and the technology integrations needed to drive better outcomes. Today, RapidDeploy Radius Mapping solution is leveraged by 1,500+ emergency communications centers for:

• Location Accuracy: Mobile location data to pinpoint callers using mobile location

• GIS Data: NG9-1-1 GIS platform leverages Esri Geospatial Cloud and authoritative GIS data
• Situational Awareness: Unified map for all data sources built to save lives

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Courtesy of Fox10 News, Walton County Florida

Next Generation 911 Technology is Improving Outcomes – The power of RapidDeploy’s location accuracy and video technology supports a lifesaving rescue mission

Leveraging modern communications and critical data provided by our partners, Walton County Dispatcher, Heather Mayo was able to provide life-saving support in the moments that mattered most during a recent boating incident.  

• Dispatch received a distressed call from a mobile device, expressing that her husband had fallen overboard and was drifting away
• The integrated video feeds and accuracy of RapidLocate enabled the dispatcher to provide real-time, critical information so that the wife could successfully reach her husband and pull him back onboard the boat
• RapidDeploy’s Radius Mapping solution instantly acquired the call details, including the exact location of the boat in the Choctawhatchee Bay
• Leveraging RapidVideo, Radius Mapping captured live video footage from the mobile device, which helped them to coach the wife in getting the boat started so that she could reach her husband in time to save his life
• According to Mayo, “It definitely helps our responders to be able to see what they see”
• Specific data, ‘breadcrumbs’, plotted the exact coordinates of the boat in real-time, giving the dispatcher clarity of the direction the boat was headed

“This technology is critical in situations where we need to see what the caller is seeing. The bay was choppy that afternoon and had we not been able to walk her through this situation, she may not have been able to retrieve her husband from the water. Every second matters when it comes to saving lives. Streamlined access to life-saving data can make all the difference. Heather Mayo was calm in a chaotic situation and was able to guide the caller throughout the entire situation.”

- Sheriff Michael Adkinson, Walton County Florida.

NG911 solutions provide critical information and the technology integrations needed to drive better outcomes. Today, RapidDeploy Radius Mapping solution is leveraged by 1,500+ emergency communications centers for:

• Location Accuracy: Mobile location data to pinpoint callers using mobile location

• Situational Awareness: Unified map for all data sources built to save lives and improve responder safety
• Modern Communications: Tools and interoperability built for communication in a digital and mobile-supported era

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RapidDeploy is proud to participate in National Public Safety Telecommunicators Week (NPSTW) — a weeklong celebration that recognizes the commitment of  Telecommunicators and the life-saving work that they do every day.

Telecommunicators are the first First Responders — Thank you for your dedication and immeasurable impact on saving lives. We are so lucky to get to work with such amazing individuals who make a difference every day.

In case you missed it, here’s a recap of the special messages and acknowledgments from RapidDeploy. While we know April 9-15 is a special week, we recognize the work you do is 24/7/365.

A Special Thanks from Steve Raucher, CEO and Co-founder:

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An incredible story highlighting Walton County, who shared their amazing lifesaving rescue using RapidDeploy:

In partnership with Alexandria Emergency and Customer Communications team and Radford City Police Department, we captured thoughts on the importance of NPSTW:

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Our Customer Success team, many of who are former Telecommunicators, give their personal message to Telecommunicators everywhere:

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As we close this week, we applaud Telecommunicators everywhere and thank you for your support in our mission to save lives by reducing response times.  

We hope everyone had a great week!

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