People in King County won't be able to send a text to 911 until the middle of 2017, even while residents of Kitsap and Snohomish counties have been able to do so since 2015.
King County 911’s program manager, Deb Flewelling, told KIRO 7 that the system, which is much larger than those in other counties, also has specific security requirements that have pushed back the timeline.
“Those counties are using different solutions with their texting,” she said, “and King County has a little bit of a difference in that we also have twelve 911 centers. So our solution has to not only meet the security standards of King County ... it also had to meet the expectations of our community members and the service we would provide from 12 911 centers.”
It was just over a year ago that the King County Auditor’s Office released an audit on the 911 program, recommending it hit the brakes on texting technology.
It said the system needed better governance and was on track to run out of money by 2018. KIRO 7 asked where funding stands currently.
“We have a sustainable budget for the biennium of 2017 and 2018,” Flewelling said. “There are concerns beyond that and right now that is in a strategic planning process. We'll be addressing that as we go forward.”
The funding will have to pay for the text-to-911 technology in all of the county’s 911 call centers, which include Seattle police and fire, the King County Sheriff’s Office, the Washington State Patrol, and Valley Com, south of Seattle.
Flewelling said initially, because they thought it would be easier to use and more secure, they tried to integrate texting into the current equipment. When they found that it did not meet their security standards, they started considering a web-based solution, which is what Kitsap and Snohomish counties use.
“We are confident that we will be able to complete this by July 1 of next year,” she said.
The audit also prompted King County 911 to put the texting project and a cybersecurity program through the county’s project review process.
“That in itself slowed them down,” she said, “but that was the right decision to make.”
The program is now spending about $700,000 a year on five new staffers, including a finance manager and an additional equipment administrator.
“That seems like a lot of money to be adding to a program,” KIRO 7 said.
“We were very understaffed,” Flewelling said. “This had been a longstanding request to bring in additional support from our technical team.”
“It sounds like you’re saying you’re spending this extra money to save more money in the long run,” KIRO 7 said.
“Not only to save more money,” Flewelling said, “but to complete the projects on time and effectively put the necessary equipment in place.”
She said nationwide, only about 10 percent of 911 centers are actually text capable. Flewelling stressed that people should always call 911 first if they can.
Cox Media Group
