Improvements on the way for Burke's 911 system

Earlier this summer, the Federal Communications Commission (FCC) announced new rules to ensure the nation’s 911 system expedites its move to Next Generation 911 service.

Burke County was already way ahead of the curve.

The county has been operating under the Next Generation (NG911) system since 2020. Burke Assistant Co-Director of Operations Chris White explained North Carolina has been a national leader in making the switch.

White said NG911 enhances efficiency and keeps the network safe from hacking because it’s an Internet Protocol (IP)-based infrastructure — a closed system.

“It’s highly resilient and very reliable, because instead of working on a server system here on site, now we’re able to operate off two servers, so if one goes down, it will route through another location and the calls will never fail.”

“It’s designed to improve emergency response times by providing more information.”

White said all 100 counties in the state have already transitioned their 911 emergency lines to NG911. The state network is called ESInet — Emergency Services Interoperability.

“The ESInet never touches the internet,” White said. “It is a closed infrastructure, so it takes the risk of hacking out of it.”

The network allows the public to contact 911 through voice, text, photos, and video. 

White said about half the state’s administrative (admin) 911 lines are part of the system, and Burke’s soon will be. 

Burke’s admin lines will be up and running on ESInet the first of October, he said. Workers from AT&T were on site earlier this week building out the network, which will include a new phone system. All the funding comes from the federal government.

Since alarm calls (medical, fire) come through on admin lines, White said it’s important to get admin lines on the system. 

White said the Next Generation 911 system has worked “great” statewide. It has allowed PSAPs (Public Safety Answering Points) to connect and cooperate in the most efficient manner possible.

If one system is overwhelmed by calls, another can easily pick up the slack.

“If we have a hurricane in Carteret County, they could take their telecommunicators out of harm’s way, put them in Iredell County, and route the 911 traffic there, and they can dispatch it over the state’s Viper Network and they’re able to seamlessly do their jobs,” White said.

Burke has a Memorandum of Understanding (MOA) with Catawba County, so overflow calls at one location automatically roll over to the other.

White said NG911 has enabled telecommunicators to respond more quickly to text messages. He said that’s especially helpful for incidents of domestic violence, when a victim has to alert 911 quietly.

The upgraded system will also permit callers to allow telecommunicators to access their phones (with the caller’s permission) to transmit live video. “It’s right around the corner,” White said, adding the capability should be part of the October upgrades to admin lines.

“A lot of the calls we get, you draw a picture in your head, but it’s an imaginary picture,” said White. “Now, you’re going to have facts. You’re going to be able to see exactly what’s happening.”

He said it’s all part of making Burke Countians — and North Carolinians — safer.

“North Carolina as a whole is light-years ahead of the rest of the nation,” White said. “It’s all about pre-planning, and the state 911 board does a great job of pre-planning.”