We need Next Generation 911 to save lives

Every Second Counts—written for the News Tribune

April 11, 2009

Nothing is more heartbreaking to a critical care nurse than sharing a family's pain when we remove life support because a child, parent or spouse suffered brain death from a lack of oxygen.

Yet few things are more wonderful than sharing a family's joy when a loved one wakes up from a coma, able to go home whole and lead a productive life.

Mere seconds are often the difference between tears of pain and tears of joy in an intensive care unit, because every second counts when responding to a heart attack, stroke, poisoning, severe bleeding or other emergency. That is why lawmakers should quickly pass House Bill 2029 and bring Next Generation 911 to Washington.

Many people don't realize that our emergency communications system still relies on1960s technology. This equipment has been jury-rigged to handle cell phones and some modern phone systems like Voice Over Internet Protocol, but it can't match digital speeds. That means seconds lost with every call, and seconds lost can mean lives lost.

Even worse, the old technology can't handle today's fastest-growing methods of communication, including text messaging, picture phones and video phones. Fixing these gaps would save lives.

In the Virginia Tech massacre, for example, dozens of students--who couldn't talk because of the gunman--tried to send text messages to 911. Sadly, the messages couldn't get through and were found on cell phones after the shooting spree. We'll never know how many of these students would be alive today if the 911 system worked with text.

We do know that a great many lives could be saved if pictures and videos and precise GPS locations could be sent to 911 in emergencies.

Imagine dispatchers using cell-phone pictures to instantly make accurate decisions on who to send to an accident or crime scene. Or imagine these pictures being relayed to emergency responders, who could save precious minutes preparing equipment in advance.

The amazing thing is how little these and other technological advances to 911 would cost. HB 2029 would add a mere 25 cents a month to the taxes on phone lines. And 20 of the 25 cents would only be raised at the option of participating counties!

Unfortunately, since the bill authorizes a nickel increase for the state's portion of the 911 system, it needs a two-thirds vote to pass the Legislature. But this requirement has allowed a rigid minority in Olympia to block the life-saving improvements. They claim any revenue hike is too much, even to save lives, and they insist the state budget should pay for upgrading to Next Generation 911.

Excuse me? The people of Washington long ago decided to fund 911 by modest state and county taxes on phone lines. In fact, a supermajority public vote created the current 20-cent state tax and 50-cent county tax on phone lines for 911. That amount has never been increased since the original vote in 1991.

But now we must modernize the system. New national standards for Next Generation 911 were set just last year. Lawmakers should pass HB 2029 immediately, so we can move forward.

Would 25 additional cents be too much if it was your life, or the life of a loved one, that hung in the balance as seconds or minutes ticked by?

Our firefighters, police and emergency room professionals deserve a fighting chance to save lives. As Tacoma Police Chief Don Ramsdell, Pierce County Sheriff Paul Pastor and others wrote to lawmakers recently: "HB 2029 is vital to making sure that the citizens of Pierce County receive the very best 911 service … Seconds can mean the difference between life and death when answering a 911 call."

The clock is ticking.

Dawn Morrell represents the 25th District in the House of Representatives and is a critical care nurse at Good Samaritan Hospital in Puyallup.