Path: utzoo!telecom-request Date: 5 May 91 15:18:01 GMT From: Daniel Senie Newsgroups: comp.dcom.telecom Subject: Re: New Phone Numbers for NYC Fire Department Message-ID: Organization: Daniel Senie Consulting, Clinton, MA Sender: Telecom@eecs.nwu.edu Approved: Telecom@eecs.nwu.edu X-Submissions-To: telecom@eecs.nwu.edu X-Administrivia-To: telecom-request@eecs.nwu.edu X-Telecom-Digest: Volume 11, Issue 338, Message 1 of 9 Lines: 39 A previous poster asks why New York wouldn't simply hire more 911 operators. I have a good story about this. Many years ago (late 70's) I spent a summer at the Polytechnic Institute of N.Y. (in Brooklyn). i]One of the professors for the summer program I attended specialized in using discrete modeling to analyze problems. We were there learning how to do this, using tools such as GPSS. The City had retained him to analyze the 911 service back then to determine how to improve response time. The City also asked IBM and AT&T for analyses at the same time. IBM, predictably, recommended that the solution was a new computer system. AT&T/New York Tel (the pre-breakup days), predictably recommended a new phone system. The professor did a proper study using discrete modeling, measuring time durations of operator tasks, frequency of calls, etc. and built a model. A carefully constructed model allows for controlled alteration of parameters (such as increasing the number of calls per hour, etc.) and gives very good predictions of the outcomes. His model showed that they needed a few more operators, and that the phones and computers in use were not the bottleneck. The City, of course, bought the phones and computers, and didn't hire any additional operators. Response time did not improve. When I lived in NYC, I always kept the phone numbers for the local police and fire stations near the phone. If there was an emergency you really didn't want to risk life and property on 911 response times. Daniel Senie UUCP: uunet!lectroid!peanut!dts Daniel Senie Consulting ARPA: peanut!dts@lectroid.sw.stratus.com 48 Elm Street CSRV: 74176,1347 Clinton, MA 01510 TEL.: 508 - 365 - 5352