“Every day, first responders put their own lives on the line to ensure our safety...
ELi Technology Inc.
Real-time location service (RTLS), indoor positioning system (IPS) for safety apps & incident management platforms.
…the least we can do is make sure they have the tools to protect and serve their communities”.
- Joe Lieberman, United States senator 1989- 2013. Former nominee for Vice President of the United States in 2000.
According to CIPSRT (Canadian Institute for Public Safety Research and Treatment) First Responders are:
“A person with specialized training who is among the first to arrive and provide assistance at the scene of an emergency... Historically, first responders have traditionally included paramedics, [emergency dispatchers] and medical technicians, police officers, firefighters, and rescuers.”
People don’t become a first responder for fame or fortune, they do so because they want to help…and they sacrifice a lot doing it. First Responders are driven, resilient, compassionate, professional, team players. The department is their extended family. They eat together, work together, train together, laugh together, sometimes cry together. It’s a job that’s stressful, exhilarating, tragic, rewarding, and unpredictable…never knowing what type of call is coming or when the pager or tones will go off.
But sadly the average career span of an EMT or paramedic is estimated at only 5 years, due mostly to burnout, mental stress, and the job’s physical toll. And according to the CDC, whilst the national average for suicide contemplation is about 3.7%, a 2015 survey of emergency personnel found their rate to be 37%.
Emergency Dispatch jobs are incredibly intense and stressful. In the face of life’s most challenging circumstances, with a calm voice, dispatchers triage emergency calls, decipher unclear information, offer life-saving instructions over the phone and dispatch responders to those having the worst day of their life. Those who quit dispatcher training cite being unable to handle the “rapid pace of the job and the responsibility of having someone’s lives in their hands.” Hours are long, overtime is mandatory. Dispatchers, like EMT, are needed 24/7, 365 days of the year. And they don’t generally discover the outcome of their calls. With no closure, they move to the next emergency call.
Recently, Rave Mobile Safety issued a great survey report on some of the increasing and diverse challenges Responders are now faced with. In a press release they stated that:
“Findings show respondents are experiencing increased challenges and workloads at their jobs and need better tools and resources to improve response efforts…. Without the necessary tools, resources and funding, responders will continue to face challenges with data sharing and real-time collaboration during an emergency.”
The report goes on to explain that improving resources, such as additional staffing and budget increases came top the list, followed by improving technology to enable more effective responses.
Better technology, Accurate location, Faster response
Shortening emergency response times by improving location accuracy of the 9-1-1 call has been a huge focal point for Emergency Services for several decades. The shift from landline to mobile and IP presents specific technology challenges around routing calls and locating callers. Having reliable and actionable location intelligence is crucial:
With the gross majority of 9-1-1 calls now originating from a cellphone it is more important than ever to understand that, unlike a traditional landline which provides 9-1-1 call takers with your exact address, current cellphone and internet phone technology will not pinpoint your exact location. This is why it is so important when you call us to know what city you are in, the building addresses, cross streets, major landmarks, and any other information that will help us send first responders to you.”
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Technology is a valuable resource for Public Safety and emergency response. Improving location information and providing a “door to knock on”, will alleviate, in part, some of the immense burden and stress Responders, Dispatchers, and Callers struggle with.
On June 5th, 2020, a 13-year-old girl called DC 9-1-1. Her mother had gone into cardiac arrest. The young girl provided the correct address, yet the dispatcher unfortunately passed an incorrect location to Responders. It was well over 20 minutes before crews arrived at the correct door. By then it was tragically too late.
Council members interviewed after the tragedy stated:
“There are times when we do make a mistake. There are times when the caller provides a wrong address, and there are times when we give an address correctly and the responders interpret that address incorrectly,” said Holmes. “We depend on fast-thinking staff to stay on the line, and then correct and relay that information to folks on the ground. That is the reality of 9-1-1: you’re calling at your worst moment, and you might not be fully aware of where you are or what’s going on around you.”
Source: https://www.statter911.com/2020/11/19/new-dc-911-mistake-delay-confirmed-in-case-where-woman-died/
In times of stress we can struggle with information overload, time pressures, complexities, and uncertainties. This is where reliable location technology could, in part, assist and many save lives.
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