The National Emergency Number Association’s (NENA) Report Card to the Nation (RCN) project provides the first-ever comprehensive study on 9-1-1 in its nearly 35-year history. Serving as a link in the delivery of emergency services, 9-1-1 has-throughout its evolution-become recognized as an asset of the North American public.
An unprecedented effort, the RCN project takes the first step in understanding and addressing the challenges 9-1-1 faces. To understand how well 9-1-1 serves the American public, the RCN analyzes the factors that make the emergency number successful and grades the performance of existing 9-1-1 services today. The study reaches from wireless companies, wireline telephone services providers, and consumers, to state and local 9-1-1 authorities.
The Report Card project, and the related research, are being performed by a coalition of telecommunications experts and other specialists in 9-1-1, public safety and related fields. The Report Card will establish key performance indicators and benchmarks for 9-1-1 operations, and the functionality of current and future 9-1-1 equipment and services.
On National 9-1-1 Day, September 11, 2001, the RCN will release its first-ever study findings. Thereafter, NENA and other industry leaders, will release quarterly reports that analyze and assess 9-1-1 and related topics in the public safety telecommunications industry.
NENA – National Emergency Number Association
A not-for-profit corporation, the NENA is the only organization dedicated solely to the promotion and implementation of 9-1-1 as America’s universal emergency number. With more than 7,000 members and 48 chapters, NENA is dedicated to saving lives. The organization strives to provide an effective and accessible 9-1-1 service for North America, measuring its success in the lives saved by 9-1-1 each day. NENA also develops recommended operating standards and protocol for 9-1-1 services from its headquarters in Columbus, Ohio.
The NENA RCN Commission
NENA formed the Report Card to the Nation Commission to review and grade the performance of 9-1-1 services in the United States. The RCN Commission set the scope and developed the criteria for grading, and then designed and conducted a research effort to gather primary and secondary data on 9-1-1 service and the industry. NENA received support and assistance from the National Association of State Nine One One Administrators (NASNA) and the Association of Public Safety Communications Officials, International (APCO).
Members of the RCN Commission include:
- Sharon Counterman, President, NENA
- Thera Bradshaw, President-Elect, APCO
- Jim Goerke, Past President, NASNA
- George Heinrichs, President & CEO, Intrado
- Tom Latino, Director of Public Safety Solutions, SBC Services, Inc.
- Rose Marie Robertson, MD, Past President, American Heart Association
- Tom Wheeler, Executive Director, Cellular Telecommunications & Internet Association (CTIA)