POSTED BY Veronica LaClair

Over the last decade technology has taken over our society, leaving many organizations and providers with a do-or-die choice of updating their technology and communications software or facing being left in the past—unable to meet the growing demands of a technologically advanced society. One unique area in which technology impacts are being seen is Emergency Response. In the past the only way to reach 9-1-1 was by picking up a landline phone and calling dispatch. When cell phones and mobile communications became common place response centers began adapting by making emergency response agreements to cell phone and mobile providers to identify where mobile calls are located if such information was not enabled on the device.

Today, 9-1-1 communications technology is one step closer to meeting the needs of a generation of persons who text more than talk. The Federal Communications Commission (FCC) has taken on a project known as Text-to-911. As you can infer from the name, it is a communications project to enable callers to text for emergency response assistance rather than call directly. Although such technology is not in place in every jurisdiction, the FCC adopted an order in August 2014 which requires all U.S. wireless providers to allow their customers to send emergency texts to Public Safety Answering Points. If such providers do not already have the emergency text capability available to their customers they must adopt it by the end of 2014, and must be able to respond to the Emergency Providers requests for service by June 2015.

The ability to text 9-1-1 will undoubtedly allow more persons to reach the assistance they need while reducing the call and waiting times of existing 9-1-1 call response centers. However, can this movement towards a technologically advanced emergency response society be pushed further into the age of mobile communications? Well the answer is yes. Although limited in number there are currently a variety of 9-1-1 inspired Apps available for smart phone and tablet technologies (such as WatchMe 911 and Active911). Such apps differ in nature and complexity by simply being one which will call 9-1-1 by opening the app and pressing sent, to others which provide options to the user to call 9-1-1, call their emergency contacts, or inform someone that they have arrived at specific destination.

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The question then becomes can such technology be pushed even further? Though not yet available I would image in the years to come more advanced applications for smart technologies will become available in order to better assist in life saving emergency response. I imagine that such technology would utilize the ability to video call, such as iPhones FaceTime, which would allow callers to connect with emergency responders via video call. The advantages of this are easy for responders to count, as often times they are responding to scenes with little or no information because the average person is unable to provide it. Rather than trying to explain what the injured person looks like, which in many cases is done incorrectly, the caller would be able to simply point their phone at the victim and show dispatch what the injury is. In turn the responder would be better able to inform EMS, Police, and Fire responders as to what they are walking into.

Although such technology is not available I believe it is only a matter of time before it is. In the future there will be more integrative applications which would let you choose Fire, EMS, Police, or other specific responses at the touch of a button and would then immediately seen them your phones location. The reason the FCC and other agencies are pushing for such technology integration is because it will help them ensure that the communities and persons within them are safe, and when an emergency arises responders are informed as quickly as possible. This is a unique area in which technology and the law are intersecting in order to help American citizens stay safe and I will be interested to see where future innovations take this new field of technology.

For more information about the current Text-to-911 technology visit:

http://www.fcc.gov/text-to-911