9‑1‑1 coordinator warns of gaps for mental‑health crisis responses; center explores AI and infrastructure upgrades

Tammy Goja Cockrell, manager of the Soldotna Public Safety Communication Center (the borough’s 9‑1‑1 center), told the assembly on May 20 that mental‑health crisis calls present a growing operational challenge because emergency responders and behavioral‑health resources are not always available to meet a caller’s immediate needs.

Cockrell described the center’s daily workload: the PSAP handles 9‑1‑1 calls for borough service areas and several outside agencies, processes tens of thousands of radio transmissions and answers roughly 100,000 administrative calls annually for troopers and police after‑hours lines. She said the center took 182 call‑box calls in calendar 2024 and expects about 290,091 9‑1‑1 calls in FY 2026 (projection shared during the presentation).

On mental‑health calls, Cockrell explained the center has implemented Protocol 41 in its emergency medical dispatch suite to guide interaction with first‑party callers at risk of suicide; she called it a significant but necessary addition after years of preparation. Cockrell said the center also uses a memorandum of understanding with the 988 Suicide & Crisis Lifeline; the PSAP can transfer callers when appropriate and receives transfers back when 988 cannot complete a safety plan. She said the center averages roughly 5 to 10 mental‑health crisis calls per 24 hours.

“Sometimes emergency services are not going to go for different reasons,” Cockrell told the assembly, explaining that law enforcement or EMS may decline to respond in some circumstances, which can leave 9‑1‑1 staff with callers who cannot be connected to an in‑person responder. Cockrell said that lack of available responders creates intense operational strain and that she is hopeful a mobile crisis team model will bolster local capacity.

Cockrell also reviewed nonoperational priorities: server‑room replacement, workstation and network equipment refreshes, and an Emergency Response Center renovation to provide staff office and wellness space. She said the center is exploring artificial‑intelligence tools for transcription and quality improvement but emphasized those tools would support — not replace — human telecommunicators.

The 9‑1‑1 manager credited recent quality‑improvement and training investments such as online training partnerships and cyber‑resilience symposium attendance. She also noted that Dispatch handles many cooperative responsibilities, including emergency radio dispatch for state troopers, state parks and federal agencies.

In questions, assembly members raised facility space, partnerships with local hospitals and how cellular geolocation is used on wireless 9‑1‑1 calls. Cockrell said the PSAP can use various geolocation tools, including tower triangulation and limited breadcrumb tracking in exigent circumstances, and reiterated she would welcome additional community and hospital collaboration for mental‑health response.