Knox County 911 reports rising call volume, plans NextGen migration in May

Laura Webster, representing Knox County 911, told the Board of Commissioners on Feb. 12 that the 911 center is handling increased call activity and preparing a technology upgrade. "For January, we had 3,757 calls for service," Webster said, and reported separate tallies of 1,639 911 calls and 5,151 nonemergency administrative calls. She said the peak time for 911 calls was about 11 a.m. and the peak for nonemergency lines was 2 p.m.

Webster said landline-originated 911 calls continue to fall — "Only a half a percent" — and that the center completed its yearly maintenance on the battery-backup system. She announced a state-led migration to SCNET and NextGen 911, which will add text and video capability, and said, "We're preparing to go live on that in May." The change, she added, will be implemented in coordination with county IT and mapping staff.

On staffing, Webster said the center is "currently down 2" positions and continues to draw applications and conduct interviews. Commissioners asked about recruitment and were told there are applicants with some experience under consideration. Webster recommended continued community outreach and emphasized that call patterns change frequently.

The 911 briefing ended with Webster inviting commissioners to upcoming community presentations and noting routine, planned maintenance and the equipment upgrades intended to improve service reliability.