DALLAS — It could take longer for Dallas first responders to reach emergency scenes while city data is held for ransom, the firefighter's union warned Friday.
A cyber-attack on Wednesday shut down some city websites and networks, including first responders' computer-assisted dispatch program.
Now, dispatchers cannot track fire engines' locations with GPS. Instead, emergency coordinators are locating crews by calling them on radios.
Dispatchers must then log and update each truck's location by hand. An accurate map of crews responding to emergencies is key to assigning the closest responders to a nearby, developing emergency.
"We're kind of back to doing it old-school, which involves a lot more people," Dallas Firefighters Association President Jim McDade said. "It's a big issue."
Emergency frequencies were busier than usual Friday. The "old-school" communication method requires field crews to remain in near-constant contact with dispatchers.
Instead of pushing a button to notify coordinators their work is complete, for example, crews must radio dispatchers to tell them they're finished.
"As busy as we are, the additional radio communication is causing the whole system to bog down," McDade said.
He added that firefighters are navigating with map applications on their cellphones while special GPS systems built into the firetrucks are unavailable.
Dispatchers are not currently able to relay many details about an emergency, either. McDade said he worries a crew might not know whether they're approaching an especially dangerous or violent scene.
"There are some major safety concerns," he said.
But the union president contends the outage is not catastrophic for residents.
"There's really not too much of an impact on service delivery," he said. "Maybe it might take us a little longer to respond in a few instances."
"It's not endangering any citizens," he continued. "You still have the best firefighters and paramedics coming to your aid, without a doubt. It just might take us a few extra seconds."
The City of Dallas has prioritized restoring emergency services' technology. It's not clear how long it will take city workers to get computer-assisted dispatch programs back online.