As Independence Day fireworks light up the night sky, 911 call centres are preparing for a deluge of communications. For years, the Fourth of July has seen a considerable spike in calls – with the Emergency Communications Facility in Plymouth normally handling around 1,900 calls, a number that surged to more than 2,700 in 2021. Tony Martin, Director of Emergency Communications at the Hennepin County Sheriff’s Office, puts it simply: “The Fourth of July is probably our busiest holiday we see.”
The increase is largely due to nonemergency complaints about fireworks, which can delay responses to real emergencies. To ease this strain, Martin advises people to use the county’s nonemergency number when reporting fireworks issues. In a bid to further improve efficiency, Anoka County is testing an AI system that screens calls. This tool processes incoming calls, gathers key details, and circles them to a dispatcher so they can focus on urgent situations. Kari Morrissey from the Anoka County Emergency Communications Centre explains, “You can’t take the human out of 911, but if we are also going to be here, we need to be more available for the emergencies.”
Set to begin during the holiday weekend, this pilot test could save dispatchers two to three minutes per call – a saving that makes a real difference when every second counts.
