Introduction

As Fall approaches, Public Safety Answering Points (PSAPs) typically see a surge in 9-1-1 calls for service. The return to school and work brings shifts in traffic patterns, increased public activity, and heightened demand for public safety responses especially from schools. As I reflect on my 15 years of experience as a Public Safety Telecommunicator, including roles as a call taker, dispatcher, and trainer in a busy urban call center, I’ve experienced how the nature of emergency calls increases the burden on emergency dispatchers. Fortunately, advancements in technology can help PSAPs manage the seasonal changes in call volume to enable faster, more accurate responses while making the telecommunicator more efficient.

Common Types of Calls PSAPs See During Fall

With schools back in session and more people returning to regular work schedules, PSAPs typically experience a spike in specific types of emergency calls:

1. Traffic Accidents: School zones, rush hour traffic, and inexperienced teen drivers often contribute to a rise in vehicular accidents.
2. Medical Emergencies: Injuries from fall sports and after-school activities, illnesses like the flu, and playground injuries contribute to an uptick in medical calls, especially involving children and adolescents.
3. School-Related Incidents: From fights on school grounds to safety issues during drop-offs and pick-ups, PSAPs frequently receive calls related to school environments.
4. Public Disturbances: More people out and about in public spaces, such as parks or shopping areas, means more incidents of disturbances or reports of suspicious activity.
5. Domestic Incidents: With families back to busier schedules and juggling lots of activities, conflicts and emergencies within households can lead to an increase in domestic-related calls.

How Technology Can Help Address These Calls

While the types of calls may differ, the key challenge for PSAPs is the volume and urgency of these incidents. Here’s how technology can help PSAPs better handle the most common types of calls during the Fall season.

Traffic Accident Responses

During the Fall, many PSAPs receive a surge in calls related to traffic incidents, particularly around school zones. Increased traffic congestion, inexperienced teen drivers, and the flurry of back-to-school commuters make roads more traveled and more dangerous.

Solution: Geolocation technology and automated traffic monitoring systems can immediately pinpoint where an incident has occurred and assess the severity of the situation using integrated traffic cameras or sensor data. Enhanced mapping systems can guide telecommunicators to provide precise information to first responders, so that emergency vehicles avoid congested areas and reach the scene faster.

Medical Emergencies in Schools and Public Spaces

Whether it’s a child falling on the playground, a sports injury, or flu-related complications, medical emergencies spike when schools reopen.

Solution: AI-driven triage systems can help mitigate the surge in non-medical calls such as traffic accidents, so that limited call-taking staff are freed up to focus on other medical, police, and fire incidents. Telecommunicators can rely on real-time decision support tools that provide post-dispatch and pre-arrival instructions based on the nature and severity of the incident, helping bystanders provide immediate care or scene control before emergency responders arrive.

Incidents on School Grounds

PSAPs may deal with a variety of calls from schools, ranging from physical altercations (kids and parents) to suspicious activity on or near campuses. Active assailant situations in our schools continue to be among the most challenging, critical and impactful incident types emergency dispatchers will handle.

Solution: Enhanced communication tools that allow instant access to school security systems, such as video feeds or panic alarms, can provide telecommunicators with real-time insights into incidents as they unfold. Integrated databases that connect with school safety protocols can also help dispatchers quickly assess whether law enforcement, medical, or fire services are required. For critical incidents like active assailants which challenge even the most experienced emergency dispatchers, the PSAP’s role in having access to surveillance cameras to track suspect and victim locations can mean critical intelligence for law enforcement even before they arrive on scene. Police calltaking protocols can also aid in allowing the emergency dispatcher to rapidly gather the most important information from callers so that it can be passed to responding officers.

Public Disturbances

The Fall season sees more people congregating in public spaces—at school events, parks and recreation spots, and workplaces. Public safety calls related to disturbances, including fights, potential threats, and nuisances often increase as a result.

Solution: Multi-agency coordination tools are essential in these scenarios. Advanced communication systems allow PSAPs to seamlessly connect with law enforcement, EMS, and even private security teams, so that the right resources are deployed without delay. Real-time data visualization tools can provide a comprehensive overview of the situation, allowing emergency dispatchers to prioritize and manage responses based on evolving circumstances.

Domestic Incidents

As family routines intensify during the Fall, domestic disputes and emergencies, as well as issues like domestic violence or mental health crises, become more frequent. This can be pronounced in communities where English is not the primary language of the caller or subjects involved, placing additional strains and challenges on law enforcement officers, emergency dispatchers, and specialized teams who handle mental health and family crises.

Solution: Call-handling systems equipped with AI-powered language translation services can help minimize the impact of language barriers by enabling PSAPs to better serve communities and international students where English is not the primary language. By leveraging enhanced communication platforms, PSAPs can connect these callers to the appropriate services more quickly, potentially preventing escalations before emergency responders arrive on the scene. Waiting for human translator vendors to come onto the line is quickly becoming a thing of the past. Moreover, responders can benefit from the technology by connecting to the PSAP to take advantage of AI translation instead of waiting for multilingual peers that may be distant or not available at all. This enables the entire public safety ecosystem to harness the power of AI in their communities in becoming more effective while reducing misunderstandings due to language barriers.

Preparing for the Fall Surge with Confidence

As PSAPs prepare for the annual back-to-school and back-to-work rush, leveraging the right technology can make all the difference in maintaining efficiency and providing high-quality service. Automated triage systems, real-time geolocation, multi-agency communication platforms, and advanced data integration tools all offer critical support to telecommunicators during the busiest times of the year.

While the challenges of the Fall surge are inevitable, with the right technological tools in place, PSAPs can continue to provide exceptional service to their communities—even during periods of peak demand.

Ryan Caiazzo is a Customer Success Manager and Training Specialist with 15 years of experience as a Public Safety Telecommunicator. He has worked in various roles including calltaker, dispatcher, and Communications Training Officer (CTO), and he has spoken at national industry conferences such as APCO and IAED.