WASHINGTON -- Nearly all of the nation's 911 call centers say they can continue to provide enhanced emergency services -- like pinpointing where a person is calling from -- after the end of the year date change.
The latest survey from the National Emergency Number Association indicates more than 98.5 percent of the centers say their equipment is now Y2K ready.Those numbers represent a marked increase from the earlier White House report on Y2K preparedness, which said that only half of America's 911 call centers had confirmed that they were ready.
Public safety officials say 911 call centers have stepped up both their compliance and reporting efforts.
"In the interim period, we believe that the vast majority of (public safety answering points) and telephone companies have taken steps to bring their systems up to Y2K compliance," said Joe Hanna, president of the Association of Public-Safety Communications Officials.
The emergency number association also has made additional queries about Y2K readiness, even phoning individual sites, garnering responses from 96 percent of the more than 4,360 call centers nationwide.
"Sometimes there is a reluctance just to fill out another survey," said Mark Adams, executive director of association. In other cases, centers didn't complete their Y2K compliance efforts until the second half of the year.
All of the 911 call centers say they will be able to perform basic services, like answering calls and dispatching emergency response teams, according to Adams' group.
Centers that did not report being Y2K ready may not have fully fixed problems with "a piece of recording equipment or a mapping program that's helpful but not necessary," Adams said.
In those instances, callers may have to tell the operator their address instead of the computer immediately spotting it.
Public safety officials say the 911 problems that could arise over the New Year's weekend may have nothing to do with computer or phone systems. Rather, they may result from people wanting to test the emergency system or too many people picking up their phones to make calls at once.
"What everyone is concerned about is that people continue to use 911 responsibly, realizing that it's for true emergencies," Adams said.
Experts also recommend that people keep on hand direct numbers for fire and police departments, and other emergency services in their area.
"It's important that people remember there are direct ways of reaching emergency personnel," said Marsha MacBride, one of the point people for the Federal Communications Commission's Y2K effort.