Wireless 911

The Future of Emergency Communications/9-1-1

North Dakota reached a major milestone in 9-1-1 public safety on May 31, 2005, when the final 9-1-1 jurisdiction in North Dakota went live with Phase II wireless service. North Dakota became the 6th State in the nation to accomplish this statewide goal. This achievement means most cell phone callers dialing 9-1-1 will be located by GPS (global positioning system), greatly aiding dispatchers and emergency responders in locating individuals in emergency situations.

The dynamic nature of communication technology however has made it evident that this was just the first step in what has been termed “Next Generation 9-1-1” or often just "NG911". Very simply, NG 911 is the careful migration of the current (30-year old) infrastructure used for 9-1-1 calling to a flexible and secure broadband infrastructure that can carry a much broader range of communication signals – some of which cannot currently reach a public safety dispatcher directly.

The North Dakota Legislature established the Emergency Services Communications Coordinating Committee (ESCCC) to “coordinate plans for implementing” NextGen 911. This Committee is also charged with recommending “changes to the operating standards for emergency services communications”, and “developing guidelines regarding the allowable uses of the fee revenue” collected for 9-1-1 systems.

ESCCC agendas, minutes, and meeting materials have been posted below to facilitate their dissemination.

Next Generation 9-1-1 Documents

ESC3 MEETING MATERIALS - August 23, 2010
ESC3 Agenda & Notice August 23, 2010
ESC3 Meeting Minutes July 1, 2010 - Draft
4a. Red Sky Next Generation Diagram
4b. Minnesota NG911 “Fact Sheet” (August 2010)
4c. Montana NG911 RFP Summary
4d. Massachusetts Consultant RFP (Sept. 2009)
4e. Colorado System RFP (August 2010)
4f. Comments Regarding NG911 Implementation
4g. FCC/NHTSA Task Force meeting update
4h. NENA NG911 Standards Status