Today, in an emergency situation, 9-1-1 dispatchers depend on technology to ensure that first responders arrive at the correct location quickly. However, standard location tracking doesn’t always provide dispatchers with the degree of accuracy they need to dispatch emergency personnel to the exact location, particularly when these resources are dispatched to respond to an incident on base. The Department of Defense (DoD) needs Next Gen 9-1-1 (NG911) communication solutions that maintain the highest levels of security while providing first responders with information that saves lives.
Government Technology Insider talked with Jerry Dotson, Vice President of U.S. Federal at Avaya to learn how the challenges military bases face during an emergency and how DoD improves security with NG911 communication solutions.
The Unique Challenge to Military Bases
A lot of military bases have their own public-safety answering points (PSAPs) to ensure they’re responding to emergencies quickly and securely. However, Dotson explained that military bases can be massive, “almost like a city within a city.” This can cause unnecessary delays that could result in an escalated emergency situation or even loss of life.
To avoid this, the DoD must ensure that every 9-1-1 call placed from a military base provides a dispatchable location for the emergency to the PSAP as well as onsite notification to military police that a 9-1-1 call has taken place and from where on base the call originated. This is crucial for ensuring compliance with Kari’s Law and Ray Baum’s Act and delivering timely emergency responses.
“In an emergency, time matters; seconds save lives,” said Dotson. “We want to make sure that first responders have the exact location information they need to navigate the situation and respond to the emergency with speed and ease.”
Technology that Saves Lives
NG911 solutions enable organizations with capabilities like geofencing, gunshot detection, and automatic lockdowns using Artificial Intelligence (AI) and automation to transform emergency response time. In the event of an active shooter or dangerous person on base, the DoD’s first responders can use geofencing technology to capture every single 9-1-1 call that’s placed from a cellular device to identify a moving target.
“Considering 80 percent of all 9-1-1 calls originate from a mobile device, capturing that data can be truly impactful in an emergency situation,” Dotson said.
These solutions can be integrated into existing surveillance technology to improve facial recognition and weapon detection to improve security response. NG911 can also use gunshot detection technology combined with geofencing to automatically lock down a base after the first gunshot is fired.
In an emergency, minutes save lives. NG911 solutions can provide first responders on-base with instantaneous location information and a digital map of the campus or base so they can respond quickly and effectively. These solutions can also be used to improve the DoD’s ability to identify and respond to potential or active threats. In an emergency health situation, it can also help them identify where to find emergency health kits, defibrillators, or the closest hospital.
“Military installations need to be prepared for every type of emergency,” Dotson said. One high school campus used NG911 solutions to identify a caller who had overdosed. As a result, the security guard on campus was able to get to the student in under a minute and administer Narcan immediately. The first responders arrived 10 minutes later. “Our military has very high suicide rates. If the DoD could use this technology to help respond faster in a health crisis, it could save lives.”
Conclusion
When people call 9-1-1, they’re expecting a near instantaneous response to support them in what is possibly a life-altering situation. But without modernized location technology, first responders don’t always have the tools they need to respond to emergencies in a timely manner – especially at military installations where security requirements can actually hinder response times. By providing first responders with NG911 solutions, they can overcome these challenges and respond to emergency situations at the speed of need.
To learn more strategies for how the DoD can use NG911 solutions to improve public safety at its military bases and secure locations, visit Avaya.com.