Thanks to a grant of nearly $1 million, Fairfax County’s emergency response stands to capitalize on recent gains in artificial intelligence.
The county’s Department of Public Safety Communications (DPSC) is partnering with George Mason University’s Center for Resilient and Sustainable Communities (C-RASC) for a project that will embrace AI solutions to tackle challenges faced by emergency communications systems across the region.
The federal grant, which came from the National Institute of Standards and Technology through a proposal sponsored by Rep. Gerry Connolly, allows the center to take a two-fold approach, according to executive advisor Linton Wells II.
Improved training for 911 call center dispatchers is among the top priorities for the project, which will attempt to reform the current workflow and minimize the dependency on face-to-face instruction.
As the current training process takes roughly six months to complete, taking a new approach could be a positive development as agencies navigate staffing concerns, Wells said.
“We think the AI can be used to offload some of the instructors from some of the work they do now, in the sense of being able to give students the opportunity to respond to scenarios and respond to different circumstances,” Wells said. “Then the AI can actually help provide advice on how to do things better.”
The intended result would also allow trainees to get experience with a more diverse set of scenarios, ultimately strengthening their knowledge base and overall comfort once they start taking real calls.
“We’ll take the algorithms and develop and refine them to the point where they are considered effective by the training people in the department and, then, begin rolling them out on the training floor,” Wells said. “Then [we’re] seeing how they are actually making a difference in the way that the people are trained.”
The project’s other focus will be on increasing community awareness of the emergency dispatch process, specifically the role of 911 call centers and how to determine what is or isn’t worthy of an emergency call.
“Working as a 911 professional means you never know what type of call you’ll receive,” Dru Clarke, assistant director of operations for the Department of Public Safety Communications, said. “With this technology, we can ensure all call takers are prepared for even the most critical situations, bolstering performance and readiness for real-time incidents.”
C-RASC’s funding, which began in September, will continue to be disbursed through August 2025.
“For me, the project would be a success if the people in Fairfax County said ‘We’re really glad you came and helped us,'” Wells said. “That’s the ultimate criteria.”
While the partnership with GMU focuses on training and community awareness, the county is also looking to implement AI-powered systems to help process actual 911 calls. Automating non-emergency calls will cut down on wait times and let human call takers focus their energy on emergencies, DPSC staff told county leaders in October.
