DEM 2016 Annual Report | Page 5

San Francisco continues its investment in our City ’ s 9-1-1 system to address significant increases in call volume by hiring and training more public safety dispatchers . Public safety dispatcher recruitment will continue to be a priority throughout 2017 as we strive to meet the increasing demand on San Francisco ’ s 9-1-1 Dispatch Center .
DEM also modernized the City ’ s 9-1-1 telephone system through the joint efforts of our information technology staff and public safety dispatchers . The upgrade provides a more reliable 9-1-1 telephone system and paves the way for Next Generation 9-1-1 ( NextGen 911 ). When NextGen 911 is fully deployed , dispatchers in San Francisco will be able to receive emergency information via text messages , videos , and photos from the public .
Our Urban Areas Security Initiative ( UASI ) staff continues its stewardship of the Bay Area ’ s homeland security priorities . UASI staff processed more than $ 23.7 million in expenditures to support the region ’ s ability to prevent , protect against , respond to , and recover from terrorist incidents and catastrophic events .
The UASI ’ s Regional Catastrophic Planning Team was recognized for producing a “ Just in Time ” EOC training video series . The series received the California Emergency Services Association ’ s Gold Award for exceptional efforts in emergency management .
Finally , the San Francisco Department of Emergency Management celebrated ten years of serving San Francisco ’ s residents , businesses , and visitors . I am honored to be a part of a group of professionals both past and present who are dedicated to taking care of our great City .
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