Washington and Monroe counties are the first in Ohio to fully implement Next Generation 9-1-1 (NextGen 911), which will help improve emergency response times and save lives.
“Every second counts when we are talking about saving lives,” said Gov. Mike DeWine. “Next Generation 9-1-1 makes emergency services more efficient, especially in the rural areas of Ohio where it is critical to have strong and reliable communication infrastructure.”
NextGen 911 technology gives citizens advanced communication capabilities when calling for emergency services, such as text messaging. NG9-1-1 technology also supports more efficient emergency management by reducing the number of call transfers between 9-1-1 call centers with more precise identification of the location of callers using cell phones.
In a press release, the governor’s office touted early data from Washington County, which shows the benefit of the new system in counties with multiple 9-1-1 call centers. From Dec. 18 through 22, 37 percent of calls were routed directly to the 9-1-1 center servicing location, eliminating the need for call transfers.
In addition to Washington and Monroe counties, eight other counties are joining the initial migration to NextGen911, including Athens, Carroll, Champaign, Columbiana, Hardin, Harrison, Morgan, and Union counties.
Ohio’s Fiscal Year 2024-2025 operating budget funded $46 million in infrastructure costs for NextGen 911. The Ohio 9-1-1 Program office, within the Ohio Department of Administrative Services (DAS), coordinates communication concerning 9-1-1 issues among state, federal, regional, and local public safety officials and manages the state’s long-term strategy for migration to NextGen 911.
“The DeWine Administration’s leadership was critical to getting this migration moving, and we’ve been incredibly pleased to work with our partners to start bringing Next Generation 9-1-1 to life in Ohio,” said DAS Director Kathleen C. Madden.
The statewide system is expected to be operational in the spring of 2025. Once it is fully operational, any counties that have yet to migrate to the system have five years to do so.
