How The Number 3 Saves Lives
We’ve instilled in our children from a young age three significant numbers: 9–1–1. “In the event of an emergency,” we tell them “call this number, and they’ll come and help you.” There’s no doubt that this is good advice but some kids grow up to take it all a bit literally. On average, 911 receives about 250 million calls per year, and for every armed robbery, stabbing, or kidnapping there are a dozen (or 4) non-emergency calls made. These non-emergency calls are often civil related such as fallen trees, burst pipes, or loud parties. Essentially, these are scenarios that do not require the immediate attention of the police, fire, or medical first responders. So, what happens when we remove those calls from the 911 service? Lives are saved.
In 1997, the Federal Communication Commission (FCC) made available the phone number ‘311’ as a response to increased complaints that emergency services were being swamped by non-emergency calls. It was estimated that between 50%-90% of calls made to 911 were for non-emergency requests. With around 270,000 calls being made daily to 911 at the time, that means that anywhere from 140,000–230,000 calls made to 911 were completely unnecessary. Each of these hundreds of thousands of calls would have to be placed in a FIFO (first in, first out) queue, answered by an operator, determined not to be an emergency, and then either disconnected or routed to a different department. This process wastes hours of 911 dispatcher’s time while also delaying their ability to respond to emergencies.
Even crimes, such as robberies, fraud, or disturbing the peace may not warrant a call to 911. These situations, while criminal in nature, do not require an instantaneous response. If no one is injured and the suspect is no longer at the scene then calling 911 simply ensures that someone facing a genuinely life-threatening situation will take a back seat to you.
When Baltimore became one of the first cities in America to institute the 311 non-emergency number they saw almost immediate results. Emergency dispatchers were able to answer calls quicker, dealt with fewer non-emergency calls, and people calling into 911 spent less time on the phone. This led to a speedier response time for emergency services, lives saved as a result, and increased public perception of first responders.
Between 50%-90% of calls made to 911 were for non-emergency requests. With around 270,000 calls being made daily to 911 at the time (1996), that means that anywhere from 140,000–230,000 calls made to 911 were completely unnecessary
As Ed Harris, Emergency Communications Director for the Austin Police Department said, “It has been a godsend for us. The 311 system not only saved us from having our 911 system swamped but saved citizens who had true emergencies from getting a busy signal.”
The introduction of 311 not only gave way to a greatly relieved 911 but had some other unintended benefits as well. In New York City, Mayor Bloomberg celebrated a decade of 311 by pointing out those single three digits had replaced eleven entire pages of phone numbers of city services. Citizens found themselves having a far more streamlined reporting process and access to their city services.
Looking to the future, with the greater adoption of unlimited data and public wifi, smartphones, and smart cities we are quickly moving to a future where high-definition media, streaming video, and a more engaged public are the norm. This combination of advanced technology and increased civic activism means that it has never been more crucial for cities to implement and consolidate non-emergency reporting services.
Reporty technology, distributed by Carbyne Inc, gives governments and first responders an all in one, end to end solution that incorporates not only 911 but also 311. With users given a choice between emergency and non-emergency services, you begin to ease the burden on 911 dispatchers as fewer and fewer unnecessary calls are made. For those citizens who don’t know to call, or don’t know of, 311 services they become not only better informed of what assistances their government offers but they also do not need to call a second phone number.
For the past 49 years, 911 has been a staple of the American way of life. They’re the people we call when we have nowhere else to turn, and they’ve always got our back. It’s time for us to have theirs. 311 saves lives, money, and resources by removing the strain from overburdened emergency dispatchers. Reporty, which smoothly and seamlessly can connect users to either 311 or 911, is the future for smart cities. We know that by integrating 311 into a citizen’s muscle memory, we substantially reduce emergency response times thereby saving money and resources. It’s amazing how many lives we can save by pressing 3 instead of 9.
