Enhanced 9-1-1 expands across state

A new fast, more efficient iteration of Virginia's 9-1-1 system is now active in about 20% of the state, including Henrico County. In total, the new system is serving about 43% of the state's population.

During the past four years, the Virginia Department of Emergency Management and the Virginia 9-1-1 Services Board have been working to transform Virginia’s 9-1-1 system into the Next Generation 9-1-1 (or NG9-1-1) system, which is based on a modern internet protocol network.  The move was funded by the board. NG9-1-1  securely delivers 9-1-1 calls to the appropriate 9-1-1 center faster, transfers 9-1-1 calls and associated data where needed, and interconnects with other public safety systems and databases, according to state officials.

NG9-1-1 also will provide future capabilities to receive multimedia communications, such as text, photos and videos.

In June 2020, Fairfax County was the first public safety answering point to cut over to the AT&T Emergency Services IP Network.  Today, the number of NG9-1-1 PSAPs in Virginia has increased to 25.

In addition to upgrading outdated technology, the NG9-1-1 system is designed to provide several benefits to citizens when they call 9-1-1, such as geospatially routed 9-1-1 calls and improved capability to transfer voice and data between PSAPs – saving time during emergencies.  The updated system also features improved capability to transfer calls across state boundaries.

Continued progress towards full NG9-1-1 deployment in the commonwealth can be viewed through the Virginia NG9-1-1 Dashboard.