Case Studies
client: Metro 9-1-1 Board
Campaign Decreases Non-Emergency Calls
capabilities/industry: Broadcast & Video | Government
problem: Unnecessary 9-1-1 calls (non-emergency requests) slow down Metro Nashville’s Emergency Communications Center in responding to real calls for emergency assistance. A public awareness program designed and implemented by DVL has helped lower 9-1-1 call volume from a high of 499,000 in 2001 to as low as 329,000. But in 2007, calls began to slowly increase. The Metro 9-1-1 Board again challenged DVL to reverse this trend.
solution: DVL restructured the public awareness campaign. Radio spots and outdoor boards were created to target mobile phone users (who make, by far, the majority of calls to 9-1-1) and the city’s growing Hispanic population to remind the public that 9-1-1 is for life-threatening emergencies only. Also, the public was encouraged to leave 9-1-1 out of their speed dials (so they don’t call 9-1-1 by mistake) and to never hang up when they call 9-1-1 because it only delays response and slows down the answering of other calls since all hang-up calls must be returned.
results: The recent upward call trend was reversed. Metro’s 9-1-1 call volume decreased by almost 1,500 calls from 2007 to 2008 (from 361,016 to 359,526). More importantly, the quality of the 9-1-1 call mix improved. For example, while the 9-1-1 call volume decreased by 1,500 calls, the actual calls responded to by Metro Police, Fire and Emergency Medical personnel increased by 62,708 compared to 2007. So while Metro emergency responders are busier than ever, their efforts are not being hampered by a lot of unneeded 9-1-1 calls. The slightly lower call volume and the better call mix has also helped telecommunicators answer calls more efficiently, dropping the abandoned call rate by nearly 3 percent.
