Mission Critical Partners, Amazon collaborating to support 911

STATE COLLEGE, Pa.—Mission Critical Partners (MCP) announced that it will collaborate with Amazon Web Services (AWS) to drive implementation of Amazon Connect into emergency communications centers (ECCs), also known as public safety answering points (PSAPs) and 911 centers, across the United States.

MCP noted that an acute staffing shortage is afflicting ECCs from coast to coast. According to the International Association of Emergency Dispatch (IAED), the average vacancy rate is about 25 percent.

Adding to this challenge is that ECCs handle about 240 million calls annually, and many of them are placed on 10-digit administrative lines and do not involve emergencies. Rather, they are placed to report incidents like trees felled by a major storm and traffic lights that aren’t working or to get information about local events. Regardless of how they arrive at an ECC, telecommunicators must field these calls, which wastes precious time and prevents telecommunicators from doing what they have been trained to do.

By working with AWS, MCP aims to significantly increase and enhance the deployment of Amazon Connect across a broader spectrum of ECCs, ensuring more widespread adoption. Currently, 17 early-adopter ECCs have deployed Amazon Connect and are using it in this manner. The results have been astounding, with a 20 percent to 50 percent reduction in nonemergency administrative calls being answered by telecommunicators.

“Bringing Amazon Connect to the 911 community represents a watershed moment for public safety and emergency response,” said Darrin Reilly, MCP’s president and chief executive officer. “Anything that prevents a telecommunicator or a 911 trunk from being tied up needlessly is a great outcome. We’re thrilled to work with AWS and look forward to bringing Amazon Connect into as many ECCs as possible nationwide.”

By working with AWS, MCP will provide project management services with the goal of accelerating the ECC’s implementation process and assuring it aligns with the ECC’s goals. Today, the average implementation process is approximately six months. MCP will provide the following implementation services to help shorten that timeframe:

• Amazon Connect setup configuration
• Data analysis
• Workflow identification and implementation
• Evaluation and fine-tuning of workflows for optimal success

The way that Amazon Connect works is that when someone dials a nonemergency number, they immediately enter an interactive exchange with a chatbot, which leverages interactive voice response to “listen” to the caller and then formulate responses based on what it “hears.”

The ECC, now with MCP’s support, will preprogram those responses based on specific keywords and custom workflows — Amazon Connect is completely configurable. The caller will receive the information they’re seeking or instructions regarding what to do next, which might include a link that will transport the caller to the entity best suited to assist them.

It's important to note that if someone dials a nonemergency number to report an actual emergency, Amazon Connect will transfer the call to a telecommunicator immediately when it recognizes specific keywords.

Additional information is available at www.MissionCriticalPartners.com.