Health

City of Atlanta announces plans to improve 911 hotline response times

(ATLANTA, Ga.) — There is an upgrade on the way for Atlanta 911.

It is updating its VIPER system, the technology it uses to answer 911 calls — a change it is certain will decrease the time it takes for someone to answer your emergency call.

“We are getting a lot of great new features that will improve our service to the city,” said Deputy Director of Atlanta E-911 Ryan Solis.

“You can expect a quicker call answer time when you’re dialing 911 for a true emergency,” said Solis. With this update, it will make it easier for Atlanta 911 to prioritize calls.

“We will now be able to place 911 calls on hold, where previously we were not able to. We are able to place those on hold so we can continue through the call-taking process with other true emergencies, then return to those and service those citizens,” explained Solis.

Solis said the current system, sends all 911 calls and non-emergency calls to dispatchers. It ties up operators who could be helping someone whose life is on the line. But this will change with this upgrade.

“When they dial our 10-digit number that we often advertise and ask for people to use for non-emergencies, they will receive an auto-attendant, more often we call that a recording.”

The change is crucial. Right now, Atlanta E-911 has an average call answer time of 31 seconds. That’s more than double the national standard of answering 90% of calls in 15 seconds or less.

“We have a way to go but we are constantly striving towards that standard,” added Solis. The upgrade is expected in the coming weeks.

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