Photo by Aila Boyd
By Aila Boyd
The Botetourt County 911 center deployed a new technology called RapidSOS early last week. RapidSOS is an NG911 (Next Generation 911) Clearinghouse to help 911 dispatchers locate wireless callers quicker and more efficiently through an integration with the center’s current mapping system.
RapidSOS claims to be able to provide a location within 50 meters of the caller’s location 94 percent of the time as opposed to only 39 percent of the time with only traditional cell phone networks. By having access to the NG911 Clearinghouse, the dispatcher will receive faster and more accurate location information for 911 calls.
Brad Cutright, an employee at the county’s 911 center, said that he hasn’t been able explore the features of the new technology very much, but is looking forward to having the extra capabilities when responding to callers.
“Seconds save lives in an emergency response. With more than 80 percent of our 911 emergency calls originating from cell phones, obtaining fast and accurate location information is essential to dispatching help quickly to save lives and property,” said Nicole Manspile, the communications manager at the county’s 911 center. “The dispatchers typically spend the first 30 to 45 seconds of a call trying to determine where the caller is at.”
This technology is not a replacement to the traditional carrier location information that the 911 center already receives. It will be used as a supplemental source of data to help dispatchers quickly and securely access a caller’s location in addition to the location information that is already received. It transmits a more reliable location both indoors and outdoors by fusing Wi-Fi, GPS, cell tower data, and other sources to emergency dispatchers during a 911 call.
“This technology is going to give our 911 dispatchers access to additional information that we have not had available to us in the past. This information will be greatly beneficial for locating callers who cannot tell us where they are,” Manspile added.
