HYDE-SMITH, COLLEAGUES ADVANCE ‘MAKING NATIONAL PARKS SAFER ACT’

HYDE-SMITH, COLLEAGUES ADVANCE 'MAKING NATIONAL PARKS SAFER ACT'

Hyde-Smith Cosponsored Bill to Improve 911 Emergency Call Service within National Parks System

WASHINGTON, D.C. - U.S. Senator Cindy Hyde-Smith (R-Miss.) today supported committee passage of legislation she cosponsored to improve public safety by updating 911 emergency call capabilities inside the National Park System.

Hyde-Smith serves on the Senate Energy and Natural Resources Committee that approved the Making National Parks Safer Act (S.290) on a voice vote Wednesday. Hyde-Smith is an original cosponsor of the bipartisan measure, which was introduced by U.S. Senator John Barrasso, M.D. (R-Wyo.).

"Our national parks are wonderful and beautiful public assets, but they can also be dangerous. We have the technology to make our national parks safer, which is why we want the Interior Department to determine the path to achieve an upgraded 911 system," Hyde-Smith said.

S.290 would direct the U.S. Department of the Interior to develop a plan to upgrade NPS 911 call centers with Next Generation 911 (NG911) technology to enable call centers to receive text messages, images, and video submissions in addition to traditional phone calls. These improvements would help emergency responders to locate and assist callers in need of emergency assistance quicker and more accurately.

The updated capabilities would also allow calls to be forwarded to any working call center during natural disasters or technical disruptions.

The legislation directs the Interior Department to consult with state and local emergency operations and stakeholders, as well as relevant federal agencies, in its development of NG911 systems. The plan should also address the estimated cost of implementing NG911 technology across the National Park System.

Additional S.290 cosponsors include U.S. Senator Angus King (I-Maine) and John Hickenlooper (D-Colo.).

The Public Safety Next Generation 911 Coalition, National Emergency Number Association (NENA), and the Association of Public-Safety Communications Officials (APCO) are among the groups supporting the legislation, which is now available for consideration by the full Senate.

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