Tucson's largest 911 call center gets critical upgrade

TUCSON, Ariz. (KGUN) — Tucson’s Emergency Communications Center is the second-largest 911 call center in Arizona, on average receiving more than 40,000 calls per month. It relays calls to TPD, South Tucson Police and eight fire and EMS agencies.

This week, the center received a critical upgrade to help call takers and dispatchers now and in the future.

City of Tucson Public Safety Communications Administrator Geoff Kuhn helps coordinate all seven of Pima County’s 911 centers.

“They are using all types of data to make really critical decisions,” Kuhn said of the call-takers and dispatchers.

This upgrade will provide better data, most importantly a more accurate pinpointing of 911 callers using cell phones.

“That’s the most important thing in 911, is that we need to know where you are, even more importantly than what’s happening,” said Kuhn. “‘Cause that’s our first priority. And so you’ll notice that when you call 911, you’re asked where your emergency is before you’re asked what your emergency is.”

It’s not only new technology, but also a new network that was installed this week. Kuhn says that opens the door for more improvements in the future.

“Real-time transcriptions, sometimes real-time translations…outbound text, or whether it’s the ability to access photos or media from the 911 center. Those will be new processes for us,” he said.

This update is gradually rolling out to all 911 centers across Arizona. The state is funding those improvements using the 911 excise tax. Over the next five years, it is investing $4.3 million into Tucson’s largest location.

Kuhn likens it to replacing a car’s engine: not the most visible change, but a significant one.

“We wanna give them all the tools with the best accuracy and the best information so they can make decisions that then impact our community,” Kuhn said.