Hacking 911... maybe?

NYC's 911 System Crashes for 3rd Time in 3 Days: Sources

Without computers, operators had to write notes on paper, then hand those notes to runners, who took them to dispatchers

By Andrew Siff

| Friday, May 31, 2013 | Updated 1:39 PM EDT

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NYC's New 911 System
Crashes Twice in 2 Days:...




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New York City's new 911 system crashed again Friday, the third time in three days that the emergency network has failed, law enforcement sources tell NBC 4 New York.


Each time the system crashes, phone operators have to scribble emergency information from callers on slips of paper that are then run to dispatchers, officials said. The system crashed for 16 minutes on Wednesday, and then again for six minutes the next day, Police Commissioner Ray Kelly said Thursday.


The NYPD did not immediately comment on the latest outage. It was not clear how long it went down.


Speaking about the first two outages, Kelly said all 911 calls were received, but "it was the link between the call takers and the dispatchers that had a problem."


"They thought they had it fixed at 3 a.m. this morning and then obviously this happened again so it has to be thoroughly examined," Kelly said.


The new computer system has been tested for six months, Kelly said, and Wednesday was its first day fully in operation.


Kelly said New Yorkers were not in danger during the outages.


The Bloomberg administration commissioned a $2 billion upgrade of the city's 911 communications system several years ago.


The overhaul included a new $680 million call center that combined the operations of police, fire and medical dispatchers. City officials have said the update improved response times, eliminated inefficiencies and reduced confusion for callers.


A consultant's report last year, however, indicated the system was troubled by delays and errors that could leave callers without help for crucial seconds in an emergency, and said the FDNY and NYPD weren't prepared for the surge in calls that would come with a massive crisis such as a terrorist attack.

http://www.nbcnewyork.com/news/local...209682251.html

When seconds count, Cops are minutes (or hours) away!

911 Keeps Crashing, So Try Not To Have An Emergency Today

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Bloomberg at one of the new call centers last year. (nycmayorsoffice's flickr).
911, the last system you ever want to have technical problems, is having technical problems. A newly implemented, computerized emergency response program reportedly crashed on Wednesday afternoon for several unfortunate minutes, forcing call-takers to write down emergencies on slips of paper and rush them by runners to NYPD and EMS radio rooms like email-less Neanderthals. Then it happened again. And again!
“We were told this new system would never go down,” a 911 worker told the Daily News, “and it crashes on the first day, when there’s not even a big call volume.”
The system crashed for 16 minutes on Wednesday, and again for six minutes on Thursday, Police Commissioner Ray Kelly told reporters yesterday.
"They thought they had it fixed at 3 a.m. this morning and then obviously this happened again so it has to be thoroughly examined," Kelly said, right before the system blinked out for the third time for a duration of 15 minutes.
The $2 billion system has endured a lengthy history of setbacks, and has been criticized for its persistent bugginess and high price tag.