More than half a century ago, the first 911 call was made in Haleyville, Alabama. This universal emergency number was created so that anyone in the United States could quickly dial public safety for help. Today, the 911 system provides critical access to public safety and first responders.
Since that first 911 call, our communications systems have become increasingly digital. The use of texts, photos, videos and Voice over Internet Protocol (VoIP) are on the rise. But the 911 systems used by public safety professionals continue to rely on obsolete and unserviceable technology. Public safety and industry leaders agree that upgrading to Next Generation 911 (NG911) will ensure emergency help best meets the needs of the public and first responders.
NG911 systems are a big leap forward for emergency response in the United States. They are Internet Protocol (IP)-based and broadband-enabled. This means 911 communicators and first responders can receive voice calls and data about an emergency. First responders will have better real-time information. This leads to faster response, more lives saved and more property protected.
State-of-the-art network design to aid 911 calls is also part of NG911. When call centers experience high volumes or technical programs, NG911 helps call rerouting. This is a significant improvement over legacy 911 systems.
NG911 will allow the nation's 911 systems to:
- Meet the communication needs and expectations of Oregonians
- Deliver reliable, resilient, redundant emergency communication services to communities
- Enable seamless integration with the Nationwide Public Safety Broadband Network (NPSBN) - which is being implemented under the auspices of the First Responder Network Authority (FirstNet) - creating a unified digital public safety communications ecosystem.
Oregon's 911 program is managed by the Oregon Office of Emergency Management (OEM) with assistance from Oregon Statewide Interoperability Executive Council, the Statewide Interoperability Program and Enterprise Information Services. For more information on the NG911 program, visit
OEM's program website.
A strategic plan to move towards implementing NG-911 within Oregon was identified as a priority within the 2020 State Communicaitons Interoperability Plan (SCIP). The SCIP identified the creation of an NG-911 Working Group as a key objective. The NG-911 Working Group was chartered in late 2020. The charter is availible on this page.