WASHINGTON, D.C. – Today, U.S. Senators John Barrasso (R-Wyo.) and Angus King (I-Maine) introduced legislation to update 911 emergency call centers inside the National Park System (NPS).
The Making National Parks Safer Act directs the U.S. Department of the Interior to develop a plan to upgrade NPS 911 call centers with Next Generation 911 (NG911) technology. This technology will enable call centers to receive text messages, images, and video submissions in addition to traditional phone calls. This capability will improve the speed and accuracy of emergency responders in locating and assisting callers in need of emergency aid.
Additionally, in the event of any natural disaster or technical issue, the updated call centers would be equipped to forward 911 calls and messages to any working call center until they become operational again.
“Our country’s national parks receive hundreds of millions of visitors every year. Our public safety technology needs improvements and resources to ensure that visitors can continue to enjoy our national parks without worry,” said Senator Barrasso. “This bipartisan bill updates and modernizes 911 call centers and ensures visitors who may need assistance can be reached in an accurate and timely manner. These much-needed updates will improve our national parks and protect the safety of visitors.”
“People travel from every corner of the world to connect with America’s incredible natural beauty and to make memories that last a lifetime,” said Senator King. “However, when natural disaster strikes or an unexpected emergency occurs, we need to make sure that our visitors to the parks are safe. The bipartisan Making National Parks Safer Act would improve emergency reporting and responding by upgrading the technology at National Park Service-operated emergency call centers. This legislation is an important step forward in improving the visitor experience at our public lands and serves as a proud reminder that stewardship of these lands is not a partisan issue.”
Co-sponsors of this legislation include U.S. Senators John Hickenlooper (D-Colo.) and Cindy Hyde-Smith (R-Miss.).
This legislation is supported by the Wyoming Office of Homeland Security, Public Safety Next Generation 911 Coalition, National Emergency Number Association (NENA), and the Association of Public-Safety Communications Officials (APCO).
“National Parks are becoming increasingly popular with tourists often visiting areas that are unfamiliar to them. It is vitally important that we do everything we can to ensure the safety of those visitors as they enjoy our wonderful parks. Due to the rural nature of Wyoming coordination between the Park Service and local public safety answering points (PSAPs) is essential. We believe that this study will be a step in the right direction to evaluate and implement the NG911 system across the nation, starting with our National Parks.” – Lynn Budd, Director, Wyoming Office of Homeland Security
The Making National Parks Safer Act will direct the U.S. Department of Interior to:
• Complete an assessment of current call centers at national parks and the estimated cost of implementing NG911 technology across the National Park System.
• Develop a plan based on the assessment to install NG911 systems at identified points in the National Park System. This plan must include consultation with state and local emergency operations and stakeholders, as well as relevant federal agencies to ensure its successful implementation.
Full text of the legislation can be found here.
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