Rethinking Emergency Services

Yesterday afternoon, I called 911. I observed an emergency unfolding, and figured it would be easy and fast to report on it.

I was wrong. The local 911 operator put me on hold for more than five minutes. I’m not sure how long I would have been on hold for, since I hung up.

And while muzak wasn’t playing, it might as well have been. In an emergency, every minute counts, and there’s no excuses in 2009 for putting 911 callers on hold.

A Better 911 Call Procedure

As soon as my call connects to the emergency hotline, I should hear three words:

“What’s your emergency?”

Until the caller can be connected to a live human, the call will be recorded and analyzed - both based on sound and on semantics - to estimate the priority level of the call. If loud noises or the sounds of screaming or certain trigger words are recognized, then the priority level is increased.

These changes wouldn’t just help people in emergencies, but also observers who would like a quick, efficient way to do their civic duty.