DC 911 Director Has Low Call Volume During Pandemic

Emergency 911 calls are down in Washington, D.C., despite the pandemic, said D.C. Office of Unified Communications Director Karima Holmes on FCC Commissioner Jessica Rosenworcel’s podcast released Wednesday. Calls from people who are sick may go up, but other kinds of calls are decreasing with people staying home, she said. Nationwide, calls to 911 surged in COVID-19 hot spots but are low elsewhere (see 2004130032). The district hasn’t had a drop in staffing, Holmes said. She and Rosenworcel supported the 911 Supporting Accurate Views of Emergency Services Act. HR-1629/S-1015 would change the federal government's classification of public safety call takers and dispatchers to "protective service occupations” (see 2002120051).