How Philadelphia upgraded 911 ahead of World Cup crowds
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Automated translation services. A new radio tower. More equipment. Philly's upgraded 911 system will face its biggest test yet as World Cup crowds arrive this month.
Why it matters: The city has spent years and millions of dollars trying to reduce dispatching errors and respond more quickly to emergencies.
By the numbers: Philly's 911 center fields 2.5 million to 3 million calls a year — a large portion from people speaking a language other than English.
- In a city where nearly 16% of residents were born outside the U.S. and as many as 41 languages are spoken, many dispatchers are already used to helping multicultural residents.
- That diversity gave Dawn Peterson, the city's director for 911 administration and coordination, a head start as she and her team prepared for the busy summer.
Yes, but: Until this year, the city's 911 center didn't have reliable translation services.
- Back in the 1990s, when Peterson worked as a city 911 dispatcher, finding someone who could translate for a caller speaking another language was often a scramble.
- Now an automated system can translate dozens of languages in real time — taking the "guesswork out" of fielding calls in such a high-paced, high-stress environment.
Peterson tells Axios her team collaborated with the city's Office of Immigrant Affairs to identify the 10 most commonly spoken languages in Philadelphia.
- The service is now far more expansive, capable of translating 75 to 80 languages — just one part of a broader slate of new public safety upgrades.
Zoom out: Last year, the city modernized its radio system — which was like going from "dial-up to high-speed internet" — and added a cache of radios to equip first responders and many other city personnel who play supporting roles during emergencies, Peterson tells Axios.
- An additional radio tower was added in Port Richmond — a stretch of the city that had sometimes been a problematic dead zone for first responders.
Reality check: Peterson says the city's emergency communications system has multiple "redundancies" and backup phone numbers designed to keep calls flowing during a crisis.
- And city officials have drilled to handle a worst-case scenario, like the temporary outage that disrupted Pennsylvania's 911 system last year.
Flashback: Peterson was a dispatcher in 2018 when the Eagles won their first Super Bowl and remembers what it was like inside the radio room during the city's championship parade.
- Calls poured in throughout the day — ranging from public drunkenness and fights to reports of children who had become separated from their parents.
- Philadelphia dispatchers are preparing for a similarly hectic environment during the World Cup, especially around Lemon Hill, where FIFA's Fan Festival will take place throughout the tournament.
- One concern: an influx of noise complaints from nearby residents.
Yes, but: Whatever the tourney throws at dispatchers, Peterson says, the new tools will make life that much easier.
The bottom line: "I just would ask people to be patient with the dispatchers," Peterson says. "Those are some of the hardest-working people I've ever met in my life."
- "When we think of first responders, we're normally thinking of the firefighter, the police officer, but really, the 911 dispatcher is the first first responder."