Computer system delays 911 response
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A computer problem that could delay life-saving emergency services has Victoria officials scrambling to fix the problem.
“Because it affects police, fire and EMS response times, on a scale of 1 to 10 this in an 11,” Police Chief Bruce Ure said. “We’re not able to provide the best level of service possible to our citizens and that’s why we consider it an absolute emergency.”
A computer has been ordered to solve the problem, but it could be another week or two before it arrives and is installed, Ure said.
The telecommunications operators will override the current computer system for now when necessary to avert problems, he said.
The dispatchers at the 911 center use the software to determine which ambulances, fire trucks and police officers to send to an emergency. But the software is outdated and no longer supported by the maker.
The software was updated about two weeks ago, but it used so much of the computer’s resources that it delayed dispatchers by up to 45 seconds on emergency calls, Ure said.
That might not sound like a long time, but Ure said it can be critical and is unacceptable. A patient who has stopped breathing begins to have brain cell deterioration after four minutes.
“If somebody calls in and reports somebody not breathing, it generally takes 60 seconds from when tones notify the fire station and units rolls out,” he said. “If we take another 45 seconds just for the computer, we’ve lost 50 percent of our window.”
Fire Chief Vance Riley said he also considers the problem serious.
“Our goal is to have a call processing time no greater than 60 seconds from the time a dispatcher picks up the 911 phone and the units are alerted to respond,” he said. “The 45-second delay is a very significant problem.”
Ure said New World Systems, which provided the software update, never indicated to the city the new software would be a problem. He said he’s since been alerting other departments that might experience the same problem.
Al Bennett, a vice president for the New World Systems company that provides the software, did not return the Advocate’s calls.
Until the new computer is in and running, Riley said residents can help. Too often people call 911 to report everything from barking dogs to people illegally parked in a handicapped parking space.
“It would be really helpful until this technical problem is resolved for citizens to really be diligent and use the 911 system to only report emergencies,” he said. “911 is designed strictly for life and death and property emergencies.”
The non-emergency line is 361-573-3221.
David Tewes is a reporter for the Advocate. Contact him at 361-580-6515 or dtewes@vicad.com.
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Good software providers establish partnerships with their clients. A soulution to the needs of this city includes the software to be compatible with the existing or new hardware. A software company with integrity and the customers best interest in mind would have seen the potential issues with substandard hardware and worked toward a resoluton prior to going live with it. The victoria police department is a community oriented department. There is now way that they would have implimented a system, knowingly, that proved so dangerous. A software company cannot allow there product to be deployed in a substandard, mission critical environment.
August 3, 2008 at 9:25 a.m.to conquestcs:
How long have you been working for New World Systems?
July 15, 2008 at 12:55 p.m.I am not a resident and therefore am not familiar with your local government. I AM, however, familiar with New World Systems. New World has been in business for 30 years, and is an outstanding, employee owned company that has NEVER had a layoff, acquisition or merger. Quite a feat for a relatively small company. They invest heavily in their product and have some of the most talented employees in the industry. It sounds to me as though the problem lies in the infrastructure (servers, networking, etc) on which the software was installed. I know for a fact that New World would have advised these municipalities that an equipment upgrade was essential to the proper functionality of their product. Perhaps instead of casting a negative light on New World in this article, the focus needs to be on the obviously outdated hardware. You wouldn't build a new home on a crumbling foundation would you? If you are truly concerned about your citizens and the emergency response times, invest in the foundation of your IT system. I guarantee you that the New World product will respond accordingly.
July 12, 2008 at 11:56 a.m.digital,
July 11, 2008 at 7:37 p.m.you are a nitwit! the story covers how the city officials are experiencing problems due to software problems. if they "dropped the ball" like you say, then that is because they refused to acknowledge the problem. at least they accept responsibility and into the light, "on their own," not by someone else. i think your finger and thumb to your head is a good idea, idiot!
Hans