Your Backup Only Works If Everyone Can Actually Use It
What a 911 failover test revealed about the gap between system readiness and operational capability
There’s a difference between having a backup system and being able to use it across your entire operation.
A few years back, during a failover test we ran, the PSAP side executed smoothly. Then we discovered how many systems we hadn’t tested together.
Our medical dispatch software wasn’t replicated at the backup site. We had to revert to manual protocols. We knew this ahead of time, but the difference for the telecommunicator is still less than ideal. Workable, but not seamless.
The bigger issue showed up in the field.
Units were less familiar with the failover procedures. Not because they weren’t trained, but because we don’t drill the full transition together often enough.
We run PSAP failover drills regularly to keep procedures current and train new staff. Joint exercises with field agencies? Once a year if we’re lucky.
The backup 911 center worked. The integrated response ecosystem had gaps we didn’t know existed until we tested under load.
We haven’t fully solved this yet. But knowing where the gaps are lets us be more deliberate about testing and procedural reviews.
That’s what realistic testing reveals. Not just whether your backup technology functions, but whether the entire integrated response can maintain operational capability when you switch sites.
Most organizations test their individual components under controlled conditions. Calm environments. Clear communication. Everyone at their stations.
Real failures provide none of that. And they rarely respect organizational boundaries.
The question isn’t whether your backup exists. It’s whether everyone who depends on it can actually use it effectively when primary systems fail.
This is such an important lesson about the diferrence between technical redundancy and operational resilience. Your point about testing individual components versus testing the integrated response ecosystem really resonates. It reminds me of conversations around companies like Axon who are trying to integrate everything from 911 dispatch to body cameras to evidence managment into one platform. On paper it sounds like the ideal integrated system, but your experience shows that even when all the peices work individually, the handoffs and human factors can break down under real world conditions. The once a year joint exercise point is particularly telling. Technology vendors will sell you seamless integration but the reality is that maintaining operational capability across organizational boundries requires constant practice and familiarity. The medical dispatch software gap is a perfect example, you knew about it ahead of time but it still created friction in the actual failover. Makes you wonder how many other known limitations exist in public safety tech ecosystems that we've decided are acceptable compromises until we have to actually rely on them during a crisis. Really appreciate this grounded perspective on system testing.