Gold Team Rules!

Problem Description

Problem Statement

Approximately 50% of all calls made to 911 each year are not true emergencies, and there is currently no centralized resource to help callers determine where to direct their non-emergent issues.

Problem Characteristics

• Based on nationwide statistics, non-emergent calls account for up to 50% of total calls made to 911.
  • Former dispatch supervisor in Tappahannock, VA, estimates 20% of its calls to be non-emergent (Hoover, 2020).
  • An article from the local news source, FOX KTVU 2, near Alameda County California, reported in 2018 that about 40% of calls to San Francisco's Emergency hotline are non-emergent (Brooks KTVU, 2018).
  • Similarly, it was 40% in Jefferson County , Kentucky (Sampson, Rana 2002).
  • Astonishingly, in Floyd, County Indiana, over half of the calls were non-emergent( Sampson , Rana 2002).
  • In 2001, over half of the calls in San Diego via their Sheriff Department ,were trivial (Ma, K. 2001).


• The National Emergency Number Association (NENA) estimates that 240 million calls are made to 911 each year. According to our nationwide statistics,that means 911 systems may be handling about 120 million non-emergent calls every year.


• Callers with non-emergencies receive almost no help.
  • Other Agencies may be better equipped to address the issue that is being brought forward.
  • 911 Operators are not permitted to redirect non-emergent calls (911 Call Handling Best Practice, 2015).


• High call volume causes increased wait times for all callers.
  • NENA's standards are that 90% of 911 calls should be answered within 10 seconds (Segall 2020).
  • Only 74% of 911 calls in Marion County, Indiana were answered in 10 seconds (Segall 2020).
  • We found similar statistics for the Hampton Roads Area with Virginia Beach coming in at 65%, Chesapeake 70%, Portsmouth 74%, and Norfolk 77% (Martin, 2019)
  • 100,000 calls failed to meet the 10 second standard (Segall 2020).

Current Process Flow