E911: Don't worry, we know where you are

  • Published
  • By Airman 1st Class Kyla Gifford
  • 100th Air Refueling Wing Public Affairs
RAF MILDENHALL, England --  To improve safety, emergency facilities here recently installed an enhanced emergency call system.

Three emergency responders use the system: the 100th Civil Engineer Squadron Fire Department, 100th Security Forces Squadron and the 48th Medical Group at RAF Lakenheath, England.

"The first responders E911 emergency call-taking system at RAF Mildenhall was recently upgraded as part of a Department of Defense initiative," said Joe Navarro, a project manager overseeing the installation from Port Hueneme, Calif.

"The initiative requires Air Force bases to have public safety answering points on installations before Dec. 31, 2014, that are capable of responding to 'on base' emergency 911 calls and mapping the location of the caller," Navarro explained.

"The system includes E911 intelligent workstations, emergency dispatch positions at the fire station and security forces, and a stand-alone automatic location identification database," Navarro said.

The implementation of the system took place over a six-week period.

"We had to build the telephones and program the telephone switch between (RAF) Lakenheath and (RAF) Mildenhall," said Dave Slattery, 100th Communications Squadron lead telephone switch technician from Nampa, Idaho.

"When somebody calls 911, the system receives the phone number and looks it up in the database and says 'Ok, that phone number is in this building and this room,' and then pulls it up on the map for those taking the call," Slattery said. "This is intended to enhance the function of emergency services and reduce time trying to find the destination."

The previous 911 system did not provide these details.

"If there was an active shooter situation and people phoning in couldn't tell us where they were, now with the help of the system, if you ring us and leave an abandoned call, we can see (where) that's going on and we can actually hear background noise through sensitive microphones in the headsets," said Paul Charland-Marlow, 100th CES Fire Department lead dispatcher from Beck Row, England.

When a person makes a phone call, it reaches all three organizations at the same time. All emergency responders are prepared to react dependent upon the emergency, but the fire station is the lead organization to answer the call. The system requires one dispatcher to operate. To become a dispatcher, the individual goes through a three-week training course.

"If somebody is new to the installation, or has a new job, they might not know the building they are located in and at a time of emergency that becomes even more difficult to figure out," said Master Sgt. Kenneth Wobse, 100th CES deputy fire chief from St. Paul, Minn. "So for us to have the capability to look at a screen and say 'calm down we know where you're at', enhances our ability to serve the community."