FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Contact: Sonya Carius, (800) 332-3911
NENA Coordinates Industry-wide 9-1-1 Report Commission, Hires Deloitte &
Touche for National 9-1-1 Report Card Project
Association and Leading Professional Services Firm to Report on
Effectiveness of 9-1-1
COLUMBUS, Ohio (March 29, 2000)-The National Emergency Number Association
(NENA) is pleased to announce the appointment of Deloitte & Touche to serve
as the Project Manager on an industry-wide 9-1-1 research project, The NENA
Report Card to the Nation (RCN). The NENA RCN project is the first
comprehensive study on 9-1-1 in the nearly 20-year history of the emergency
number.
“The RCN is an unprecedented effort to bring together a full spectrum of
suppliers and consumers in this important element of the National
telecommunications infrastructure. This project is the first step in
understanding and addressing the challenges we face and will help formulate
plans for the future-plans that will affect all of us, from wireless
companies, wireline telephone services providers, and consumers, to state
and local 9-1-1 authorities,” said William H. Hinkle, NENA president.
The 9-1-1 Report Card will be introduced to Congress on September 7, 2000,
just prior to National 9-1-1 Day on September 11. In addition to the
Congressional version of the Report, industry leaders, led by NENA, will
release an ongoing series of quarterly reports that analyze and assess
9-1-1 and related topics in the public safety telecommunications industry.
“We are delighted to add Deloitte & Touche to the list of resources we
have involved with the Report Card. Deloitte has an impressive body of
experience in telecommunications research, and research design for similar
projects. With assistance from Deloitte & Touche, we are sure to have a
balanced and well-designed research project,” Hinkle said.
The Report Card project, and the related research, will be performed by a
coalition of telecommunications experts and other subject matter experts in
9-1-1, public safety and related fields. The Report will establish key
performance indicators and benchmarks for 9-1-1 operations, and the
functionality of 9-1-1 equipment and services. “Establishing benchmarks
and defining acceptable levels of service are critical initial steps toward
wholesale improvements to our existing 9-1-1 services. In this respect,
this unprecedented Report is critical in our ongoing efforts to save lives
and protect the public,” Hinkle added.
The Commission for the NENA 9-1-1 Report Card is an industry-wide panel of
communications executives. The Commission is charged with the authority
and oversight responsibility of producing a national report card to
Congress on the effectiveness of 9-1-1. Members of the RCN Commission are:
* Norman Forshee, First Vice President, National Emergency Number
Association
* Richard Fowler, Executive Director-Public Safety Services/9-1-1, SBC
Communications, Inc.
* Jim Goerke, Executive Director, ACSEC State 9-1-1 Commission
* George Heinrichs, President & CEO, SCC Communications Corp.
* William H. Hinkle, President, National Emergency Number Association
* John Kelley, President, US West Wholesale Markets
* Rose Marie Robertson, MD, President-Elect, American Heart Association
* Tom Wheeler, Executive Director, Cellular Telephone Industry Association
* Ex Officio Member W. Mark Adams, Executive Director, National Emergency
Number Association
NENA is the only organization dedicated solely to the promotion and
implementation of 9-1-1 as America’s universal emergency number. NENA’s
mission is to foster the development and implementation of 9-1-1 as a
universal emergency number. NENA has more than 7,000 members, most of whom
manage the 4,300 primary 9-1-1 centers that answer and process 9-1-1 calls.
As a part of its mission, NENA also develops recommended operating
standards and protocol for 9-1-1 services. NENA’s international
headquarters is located in Columbus, Ohio.
Deloitte & Touche, one of the nation’s leading professional services firms,
provides assurance and advisory, tax, and management consulting services
through 30,000 people in more than 100 U.S. cities. The firm is dedicated
to exceeding the expectations of its clients and its people. Known as an
employer of choice for its innovative human resources programs, Deloitte &
Touche has been recognized as one of the “100 Best Companies to Work For in
America” by Fortune magazine for three consecutive years. Deloitte &
Touche is part of Deloitte Touche Tohmatsu, one of the world’s leading
professional services firms, with more than 90,000 people in over 130
countries. For more information, please visit Deloitte & Touche’s web site
at http://www.us.deloitte.com.