A Modern and Resilient VB911 and VB311 System

Virginia Beach Emergency Communications & Citizen Services (ECCS) progressed on its FY24-25 Focused Action Plan initiative to “Conduct an evaluation of current systems, operations and facilities for ECCS’ primary and backup sites to identify any resiliency gaps.” Here’s a quick recap of ECCS’ 2024.     

A System Upgrade 

ECCS transitioned its phone system to a new call handling platform that improved the resiliency of its 911 network, operations and security during disaster situations. This work is part of initiative 3.22 of the FY24-25 Focused Action Plan. 

Amazon Connect 

ECCS debuted Amazon Connect, an AI-powered non-emergency call routing system that handle calls quickly and reduces the amount of time VB911 telecommunicators spend on the phone with non-emergency and informational calls. The service has seen positive results. 

From April to November 2024, Amazon Connect processed 237,207 total calls to the 757-385-5000 line. On average, that’s 29,650 calls per month. 

• 96,400 (40.6%) were transferred to VB911 telecommunicators.
• 66,422 (28%) were transferred to the main “call for service” phone queue.
• 22,176 (9.3%) were transferred to either specialized alarm company queues or a lower priority “public safety information” queue.
• 10,357 (4.4%) were transferred to VB311.
• 7,802 (3.3%) were transferred to the VB911 reroute queue for reported emergencies. 

Watch Desk Launches 

ECCS collaborated with the Department of Emergency Management and launched a Watch Desk earlier this year. Watch Desk staff monitors daily City operations for trending activities, special events, incidents or emergencies and determines the potential for local impact. 

Growing VB911 and VB311 Call Center 

The ECCS Call Center at Building 30 on the Municipal Campus saw major improvements with new equipment, desks and other facility upgrades. 

The department also continued to add to its team with its VB911 and VB311 Recruit Academies.  

ECCS provides efficient, accurate, professional processing of emergency, non-emergency and information requests to residents and visitors to Virginia Beach 24 hours a day, seven days a week. Visit eccs.virginiabeach.gov for more information on VB911, VB311 and VBAlert.