“Ask Fairfax” Online Chat about 9-1-1 this Afternoon at 2 p.m.

Updated: 3:30 p.m.

Read the transcript from this afternoon’s online chat about 9-1-1.

Original Post

Join us this afternoon, Monday, April 29, at 2 p.m. for an “Ask Fairfax” online chat discussing the importance of 9-1-1.

Steve Souder, director, Department of Public Safety Communications (the 9-1-1 center) will answer your questions. This is a great opportunity to learn about 9-1-1, how it works and what the next generation of 9-1-1 will provide.

Feel free to submit questions prior to the chat.

National Public Safety Telecommunications Week (April 14-20)

Posted at 4:10 p.m.

The MPSTOC Operations floor is home for the Fairfax County 9-1-1 Center.

Some of the first calls for help in incidents like yesterday’s explosions at the Boston Marathon or six years ago today during Virginia Tech were handled by 9-1-1 operators from those jurisdictions. The public safety telecommunications staff from our Department of Public Safety Communications (9-1-1 Center) are the first of the first responders, there 24/7, 365 days a year to help you during emergencies.

This week, April 14-20, is National Public Safety Telecommunications Week, as well as being officially proclaimed as such in Virginia by Governor Bob McDonnell and designated Public Safety Telecommunications Week in Fairfax County by the Board of Supervisors.

It is designated as a time for residents to be able to thank the men and women of public safety communications who respond to emergency calls and dispatch emergency professionals and equipment during times of crisis.

In the video below, Steve Souder, director of the county’s 9-1-1 Center explains the week and the importance of the county’s 9-1-1 Center and its staff.

Remember, 9-1-1 is only for emergencies. If you need emergency services, here are some simple tips to remember when dialing 9-1-1.

For routine questions or non-emergency situations in Fairfax County, dial 703-691-2131. To report road hazards or ask road-related question, 24/7, call 1-800-FOR-ROAD (800-367-7623).

Fairfax County Responds to the FCC Report on the Derecho-related 9-1-1 Outages

The Federal Communications Commission today announced plans to launch a rulemaking to strengthen the reliability and resiliency nationwide of 9-1-1 communications networks during major disasters.

The widespread outages and disruptions to 9-1-1 services in the Midwest and mid-Atlantic regions  as a result of the 2012 derecho storm impacted more than 3.6 million people and led to the in-depth FCC inquiry into what went wrong, and what steps should be taken to better ensure public safety. This inquiry included an in-depth investigation, public comment and analysis culminating in the report, “The Impact of the June 2012 Derecho on Communications and Services: Report and Recommendations.”

“… the derecho provided a snapshot of the reliability and readiness of a portion of the nation’s communications infrastructure in the face of unanticipated disasters – and it revealed considerable flaws in the resiliency planning and implementation of the primary 9-1-1 network providers in the affected region,” according to the report.

“Here’s the bottom line,” said FCC Chairman Julius Genachowski. “We can’t prevent disasters from happening, but we can work relentlessly to make sure Americans can connect with emergency responders when they need to most.”

Fairfax County Response to the Report

The June 29 derecho storm hit our community hard. From 7:36 a.m. until 3 p.m. on June 30, 9-1-1 service was completely out; for the next three days, service was sporadic. As a result of this critical outage, Fairfax County submitted official comments to the FCC investigation detailing what happened, suggestions for Verizon to improve its service and exhibits to show supporting documentation/actions.

“This report validates Fairfax County’s strong concerns about Verizon’s performance following last year’s derecho,” said Sharon Bulova, chairman of the Fairfax County Board of Supervisors. “It is essential that public safety communications services function at the highest level without interruption. The kind of breakdown that the FCC report addresses must never happen again.”

“Fairfax County is pleased that the FCC so quickly investigated this event and issued its report a short six months later,” said Steve Souder, director of the Department of Public Safety Communications, Fairfax County’s 9-1-1 Center. “A person may only need to call 9-1-1 once, but it could be the most important call of their life. 9-1-1 must be available to all residents at all times regardless of weather conditions. The inability of our residents to be able to contact 9-1-1 for emergency services is unacceptable.”

About Fairfax County 9-1-1

The Department of Public Safety Communications (DPSC), also known as Fairfax County 9-1-1, is a nationally recognized public safety communications center, the largest in the commonwealth of Virginia and one of the 10 largest in the United States. DPSC receives approximately 1 million calls requesting public safety service per year and dispatches units of the Fairfax County Police Department, Fire and Rescue Department and Sheriff’s Office. In addition to Fairfax County, DPSC is the designated 9-1-1 public safety answering point (PSAP) for the towns of Herndon and Vienna and the city of Fairfax.

Approximately 30 percent of 9-1-1 calls are received from traditional wire line phones, 69 percent from wireless/cellular telephones and 1 percent by Voice Over Internet Protocol (VoIP) telephones. Fairfax County 9-1-1 is an accredited 9-1-1 center for emergency medical dispatch with the Virginia Office of Emergency Medical Services and is a National Center for Missing and Exploited Children (NCMEC) 9-1-1 Call Center Partner. Learn more at www.fairfaxcounty.gov/911/.

Update: Non-emergency Lines

Posted at 2:35 p.m.

Fairfax County’s Department of Public Safety Communications reports that the previous difficulty with the non-emergency telephone number provided by Verizon has been resolved. Residents can resume calling the non-emergency telephone line 703-691-2131.

The temporary number that had been used during the outage, 571-350-1951, will NO longer be answered.

9-1-1 lines continue to function properly and residents needing emergency services should continue to call 9-1-1.

Non-emergency Lines Not Currently Working

Posted at 1:44 p.m.

Fairfax County reports difficulty with the non-emergency telephone number provided by Verizon. Residents needing to contact the non-emergency telephone line should call 571-350-1951.

The 9-1-1 lines are functioning properly and residents needing emergency 9-1-1 should continue to call 9-1-1.