When the Interstate 35W bridge collapsed into the Mississippi River at 6:05 p.m. CST on Aug. 1, 2007, it took dozens of cars, trucks and other vehicles with it. Thirteen people were killed, and more than 80 injured drivers and passengers were thrown into a life-or-death situation. Trapped in the wreckage, many of those victims made the only call for help they could: They grabbed their cell phones and called 911.
Joining the ranks of our firefighters and police officers who saved many lives that day were those who worked in the Minneapolis Emergency Communications Center (MECC). Seconds after the bridge collapsed, MECC personnel began hearing from eyewitnesses and even victims who were still behind the wheel. The outstanding performance of the call center prompted the E911 Institute to recently award it "Outstanding Call Center" in 2008.
MECC's 77-person staff answers around 660,000 calls annually. In the first two hours after the bridge collapse, the center handled three times the normal call volume. Along with calls coming in from the disaster site, the center heard from many who were concerned about loved ones. They also fielded calls from generous people who wanted to help. Despite this increased traffic, 911 operators and dispatchers managed to direct crews to the scene in just a few minutes.
MECC's success did not come by chance. Preparations were made during prior years as part of Minneapolis' overall emergency preparedness efforts. In disaster training, we found systems that worked and some that didn't. We brought in new equipment and provided training when needed, and we were ready.
Just six months before the bridge collapse, MECC was equipped with a new computer-aided dispatch system. This technology let call center agents know where every Minneapolis emergency vehicle was located, and it helped them send additional crews where they were needed most. The computer-aided dispatch performed admirably during the bridge collapse, handling the heavy traffic without being overtaxed.
In addition, all MECC employees had done National Incident Management System and Incident Command System training. Among other things, this training provided them the know-how to work in an Incident Command System, which is a scalable framework that lets emergency responders from many different agencies work together effectively on disaster response.
But perhaps the greatest investment our city made involved upgrading its radio system to 800 MHz. Minneapolis and Hennepin County were pioneers in the Minneapolis metropolitan area by getting this technology into the hands of emergency personnel. These 800 MHz radios enabled the MECC to communicate with police and firefighters in the field, whether they were from Minneapolis or from one of dozens of other responding agencies. With the previous system, everyone talking at once on the radios made useful conversation difficult, if not impossible. This new radio system broke down the giant chatter into smaller groups based on tasks, which improved communications for everyone.
MECC's performance has since been recognized as a model for other emergency call centers to follow. While I'm proud our dispatch center helped save so many lives when disaster struck, we don't consider our work done. Emergency preparedness is an ongoing mission. Training and evaluation of our systems will keep taking place. We hope to never face another disaster like the one we did in 2007, but I know we're doing the best we can to ensure we're as ready as possible for the unexpected.
