Digital 911 technology to the rescue! Better electronics help first responders locate callers and arrive at the scene faster in California, reports GovTech.org. Although emergency services are well established, the support systems they use are not always up to date. Next-Gen 911 services will provide an upgrade in electronic delivery for emergency services.
“For the residents, Next-Gen 911 will allow better location accuracy and call-routing to the proper 911 dispatch center and reduced response times,” said Robert Bustichi, systems management supervisor for San Mateo County Public Safety Communications. “First responders gain the benefit of having additional functionality in the field including pre-plans, routing and enhanced mapping.” By 2020, the county’s 25 year old CAD [computer aided dispatch] system should be completely replaced.
On a statewide level, California processes approximately 27 million 911 calls each year. The state’s Office of Emergency Services has already rolled out Next-Gen 911 pilot projects in Imperial, Butte, Mendocino, and Ventura counties. Budge Currier, 911 branch manager with Cal Office of Emergency Services (Cal OES) Public Safety Communications, expects the program to be in operation throughout the state by 2021.
“The Next-Gen 911 technology pattern represents a complete overhaul of the legacy systems used in today’s 911 environment,” said Robert Murphy, of safety communications technology company DATAMARK. “This transformation includes replacing traditional analog telephony technology with Internet-Protocol networks, known as Emergency Service IP Networks (ESInet) with the ability to transfer data, such as text and multimedia, within the networks.” DATAMARK will work with other communities, as California continues installing the 911 upgrade.
June 10, 2019
Reader Interactions