NENA Urges ‘Discretion’ in Placing Calls to 911

Following the Sept. 11 attacks on the World Trade Center towers in New York City and the Pentagon in Washington, D.C., the National Emergency Number Association, the agency that develops recommended operating standards for 911 services, issued a news advisory urging citizens to use "discretion in calling 911" in the next few days, "especially in the areas of the country in which these events have occurred." Dr. Bill Munn, a NENA emergency response expert, said, "What happens to 911 following an event such as the tragedy we are witnessing ... and the emergency response that follows, is an enormous challenge." In response to "major traged[ies]" such as yesterday's events, the volume of calls placed to 911 "traditionally spikes," as people call looking for "information and assurance" (NENA release, 9/11). Prior to yesterday's incidents, NENA was set to present a "first-of-its-kind" report to a Senate subcommittee outlining the difficulty faced by 911-call centers in "keep[ing] pace" with the number of emergency calls placed from cellular phones, the Washington Post reports. According to the report, 25% of the calls made to 911 in 1999 came from cellular phones, and NENA officials say by now, that percentage "may have increased" to as much as 40%. Call centers currently lack the technical capability to track wireless calls, and the report indicates that billions of dollars may be needed to upgrade the emergency system (Roig-Franzia, Washington Post, 9/11).