LEXINGTON, Ky. (LEX NEWS) — Lexington has transitioned its Enhanced 911 Center to Next Generation 911, becoming the 23rd center in Kentucky to make the switch.
Amy Hess, the executive director of Kentucky's Office of Homeland Security, was in Lexington on Thursday for the transition.
"Essentially, we can get the right calls to the right places in the right time in order to save lives," Hess told LEX News.
Hess called the Next General 911 upgrade a landmark moment for the state.
"The Next Generation 911 initiative is really, probably one of the most significant public safety technology upgrades in the history of Kentucky," she said.
Until now, Lexington's emergency calls traveled through copper wire and analog systems. The new infrastructure is digital and IP-based.
"Now what we're doing is upgrading to a digital, IP-based infrastructure. So what that does, it brings security, brings better networking, so we don't have these risks of catastrophic failure like we did with legacy systems," said Hess.
The upgrade was funded through a combination of a $5 million legislative appropriation and state 911 surcharge fees.
The digital system includes sharper mapping and the ability to receive texts, videos, and photos from callers. Centers that have already made the switch are reporting improvements in how emergency services respond.
"They're reporting fewer spoofed calls. They're reporting higher quality of calls, and they're reporting really better location accuracy," Hess said.
Every 911 center in Kentucky is expected to complete the transition by 2027.
