5 Types of Emergency Intelligence Data for 911
Guest blog post by Dare to be Great 3 Diamond Sponsor RapidSOS
When first responders arrive on scene in an emergency, they may be confronted with people who are injured, uncommunicative, or unconscious. The environment is often chaotic, full of smoke from a fire, bad visibility due to weather conditions, or multiple people experiencing the worst day of their lives.
Until recently, the 911 infrastructure was so outdated that something as simple as locating a caller could not be done accurately. Our heroic first responders often overcome the obstacle of an antiquated emergency response system without issue. But you don’t have to look far to hear a story that details the consequences of 911 not arriving fast enough, or dispatchers sending help to the wrong location or without the right equipment – simply because they couldn’t receive sufficient information about the emergency.
The lack of prior data about the situation often comes at the cost of precious lives, but this does not have to be the case. Apps, medical devices, cars, home alarms, and other connected devices today have information that can be life-saving in an emergency. These companies have the ability to better protect their customers and support first responders so that they are equipped with incident-specific information prior to arriving on scene of an emergency, allowing them to respond with faster, more efficient emergency response.
If you’re interested in learning more about emergency intelligence data, check out episode 3 of our Tech for 911 webinar series: “The Emergency Intelligence Data that Public Safety Wants.”
What is Emergency Intelligence Data?
The traditional 911 system relies on a voice call to communicate information about the incident, and the information that Emergency Communication Centers (ECCs) receive can be extremely limited, dispersed, and disorganized. 911 telecommunicators and first responders spend precious minutes trying to learn facts from the caller about critical details of the emergency.
In contrast, an emergency response data platform such as RapidSOS can deliver data from connected devices directly to the Emergency Communication Center – clearly presented on the screen of the 911 telecommunicator to provide a thorough overview of the emergency.
This data from connected devices is referred to as emergency intelligence data. Emergency intelligence data is information that empowers first responders with unprecedented situational awareness.
Emergency intelligence data not only helps pinpoint a caller’s location and provide information about their surroundings, it also delivers real-time information that is critical to saving lives. This data can be leveraged to:
Clarify information about the severity of a car crash,
Ensure responders are prepared for any health issues the caller may have
Offer extra details about building layouts, including stairwell locations, the status of locks, and where to find shut-off valves
Inform rescuers about environmental challenges like air quality, temperature, and precipitation
This life-saving data enables first responders to provide the right assistance to those in an emergency, even if the 911 callers are unresponsive or unable to communicate.
What types of emergency intelligence data does 911 find most valuable?
Emergency intelligence data can come from a variety of sources such as health systems, home security providers, smart vehicles, streaming services, and other data-rich companies.
Emergency responders can benefit from two types of emergency intelligence data prior to arriving on the scene; real-time data and static data.
Real-time data can include:
Location data from connected devices such as smartphones that are capable of sending emergency location information
Medical data from medical wearables such as watches, fitness trackers, or implanted devices that provide data like heart rate, blood pressure, blood sugar, and oxygen levels
Telematics data from connected vehicles that can tell responders how many people were in a car, which airbags deployed, and who was wearing their seatbelt as well as what speed the vehicle was traveling and how many times it rolled
Alarm/sensor data from connected buildings or homes that delivers information on interior temperatures, presence of smoke or CO, humidity or movement in the home
Multimedia data from devices that can transmit text messages as well as images or video of a car crash, assault suspects, a potentially abducted child, or a crime in progress
Static data can be obtained from any database that contains customer information. This type of data is often submitted to a medical database such as MedicAlert by the consumer and includes:
Identification data such as name, emergency contacts, phone number, email, and physical address
Demographic data such as age, gender, ethnicity, height, and weight
Health data such as existing medical conditions, disabilities, and medications or treatment protocols, plus relevant physician names and contact information
Having this information at the time of dispatch gives emergency personnel unprecedented situational awareness and helps them to arrive on the scene better informed.
Partnering to protect lives
In a recent study, 58% of Americans said they feel actively worried about their safety every day. 93% of 911 dispatchers agree additional data leads to more appropriate use of first responder resources and better patient outcomes.
If your agency is interested in accessing life-saving information to empower a faster, more effective emergency response, reach out to the RapidSOS team today at csm@rapidsos.com.