Meet AVA: A New Way to Reach CRESA for Non-Emergency Calls

When someone calls 911, every second matters.

At CRESA, our telecommunicators answer emergency and non-emergency calls every day, helping connect people across Clark County with the right help, information, and resources. Some calls require an immediate emergency response. Others are important, but not urgent — things like non-emergency reports, general questions, or requests for information.

To better support both types of calls, CRESA has introduced AVA, an AI-powered assistant that helps answer our 311 non-emergency line.

AVA is designed to help more non-emergency callers get assistance sooner while keeping our telecommunicators available for emergency calls.

What AVA Does

AVA helps answer routine 311 non-emergency calls and connects callers with the information or services they need.

It can help gather information for non-emergency calls, route callers to the appropriate resource, and send follow-up text messages with helpful links or information when appropriate.

AVA can also assist callers in more than 45 languages, helping make CRESA’s non-emergency services more accessible to the community we serve.

You Can Speak Naturally

AVA is not a traditional automated phone tree.

Callers do not need to listen through a long list of options or press numbers on a keypad. Instead, they can simply explain why they are calling in their own words, just as they would with a live call-taker.

AVA is designed for natural conversation, which means callers can say what they need and be guided from there.

What if It’s an Emergency?

AVA only answers 311 non-emergency calls.

If a caller describes an emergency or a situation requiring immediate response, the call is automatically transferred to a live CRESA call-taker. The information already gathered by AVA transfers with the call, so the caller does not need to repeat everything from the beginning.

That safeguard is important. AVA is here to support CRESA’s work — not replace the trained professionals who answer emergency calls.

Helping Keep 911 Available

CRESA serves more than 500,000 residents across Clark County. Our team answers emergency and non-emergency calls and dispatches law enforcement and fire agencies while partnering with EMS.

By helping manage routine non-emergency calls, AVA helps reduce wait times and gives telecommunicators more time and focus for emergency calls.

“Our telecommunicators are the connection between this community and the help it needs,” said Dave Fuller, Director of CRESA. “Every non-emergency call that AVA handles is time and focus returned to answering and responding to emergency calls. For the people we serve, that means quicker access to help when it matters most.”

A New Tool, Same Commitment

Technology is changing many parts of public safety, but CRESA’s mission remains the same: connecting people with the help they need as quickly and effectively as possible.

AVA gives our community another way to access non-emergency assistance while helping our telecommunicators stay focused on the calls that need them most.

For emergencies, always call 911.

For non-emergency assistance, call 311.