PORTSMOUTH, Va. — 911 calls in Portsmouth have gone unanswered, at least according to some citizens. Now, the city's hoping to change that with technology upgrades.
Portsmouth resident Crystal Johnson said in December, her 11-month-old son had a medical emergency. That emergency quickly turned into a mother's nightmare.
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'They're not answering:' Portsmouth families finding delays when calling 911
"I received a call from my mom that my son was unresponsive," said Johnson. "I said, 'Well mom, call 911.' And she said, 'I called them. I called them and they're not answering.'"
She said she and her mother called 911 roughly 10 times with no answer.
"I was then trying to think of the closest hospital," said Johnson. "I drove him as fast as I could and during the ride, I could have caused so many accidents but all I could think of was to get him the help he needed."
She said she was not alone with the issue.
"I had numerous people saying that this happened to them," said Johnson. "Saying that they called 911 and no one was answering. I have not been calm here [in Portsmouth] since."
The city's emergency call center reported it took 81,000 emergency calls and 77,000 non-emergency calls last year.
911 calls are taking roughly 20 minutes from when a dispatcher takes a call to when they send police, according to Councilman Mark Hugel.
But it is not that simple, city officials said. Calls are triaged based on priority, so some are responded to more quickly.
"One of the challenges of 911 centers are many, many calls coming in," said Cliff Hayes, chief information officer with the City of Portsmouth.
Now, city organizations are upgrading the old analog system, built around home landlines, and replacing it with a digital one that caters to current technology.
"For instance, if a person were to text 911, once we complete this, that message will literally go to the 911 center for operators to see," said Hayes. "All in one platform, a text message, or call in or send video messages, images. [They will] even have the ability to communicate directly with a 911 operator via live feed and video."
Richard Long, with the city of Portsmouth, said the roughly 40 dispatchers in the city will train with the new system and "next gen. technology" later this month. City officials say the new system is set to increase call capacity, transcribe and map calls, and employ an automated call-back system. Another perk, officials said, is improved location services.
But will calls be answered?
"We'll have automated call distribution," said Shane Bullock, quality assurance and improvement trainer for the emergency communication center. "So, there won't be someone hitting an answer button. If there's a call the call will get answered. There will be no more just ringing. If there's no one available there will be a recording. So that citizens know we're there, we're busy but we'll get to them as soon as we can."
"I just hope that it is proficient," ," said Johnson. "I hope that it works. I hope that they are able to really get it working and make sure someone is able to answer the phone."
Johnson's son was able to get care at the hospital.
Phase One of the new system, call-handling improvement, is expected to go live in the first week of September. Once that's live, new recording technology will be put in place for Phase Two. Hayes said the recording upgrades will help dispatchers categorize incoming calls.
"So this technology is going to make us more efficient in addressing emergency calls, prioritizing those calls, while at the same time addressing appropriately some of the other calls that come in," said Hayes.
In the meantime, if you have a non-emergency question for the city you can call 311. Officials said if you're having an emergency but can't get through to 911 on the phone, text 911 and dispatchers will see it.
