Wednesday, April 7, 2010.
The Union County Sheriff's Office Communication Center is using a new technology to alert local fire and ambulance responders when emergencies arise. The solution, a pre-formatted texting and e-mailing system, is a new feature integrated with the ledsSuite software already used by the UCSO Communication Center to record and dispatch calls. This new integrated alert system is used to alert responders from Jefferson Fire and Ambulance, Elk Point Fire and Ambulance, and Alcester Fire and Ambulance.
With this system, a dispatcher alerts emergency responders with just a few mouse clicks to choose a responder group and a message type. The ledsSuite system automatically fills in the nature of the emergency and the address, and sends a pre-formatted alert via text message and e-mail to emergency responders all over the county.
The speed and automation of sending these text messages and e-mails is key, according to 911 Coordinator/Communications Supervisor Judy Oberg. "Seconds count in saving lives—it might be getting someone out of a burning house or car or starting CPR."
According to Oberg, the new texting and e-mailing gets the news of the emergency out to responders more quickly and effectively than other alert methods. For example, to alert one local fire department, UCSO dispatchers have traditionally used a fire phone that rang into all of the members’ homes. "It would be so garbled with everyone talking at once that we would have to repeat the address eight times," said Oberg.
Not only does the clearer communication enable responders to get on the way faster, but dispatchers can also more quickly return their attention to the caller, whether that's giving CPR instructions or simply staying on the line until help arrives. "This gives us more time to focus on what we should," said Oberg.
Almost every local fire or ambulance responder carries a cell phone at all times, so the text messages reach more responders than traditional methods such as pagers, which are usually distributed to only select responders, or the fire phone, which only reaches responders who happen to be at their homes. "By sending it to the cell phones, people who might work in the area and who can leave their jobs are able to respond. Someone might be near the call and can get there in just seconds," said Oberg.
Oberg recalls a recent emergency when she sent out text messages about a medical incident occurring in a rural area. One member of the fire and ambulance group was in his machine shed when he received the text message about the incident, which was nearby his farm. He had an emergency response kit in his vehicle and was able to arrive and provide medical attention within minutes. Several months prior, before the texting system, the fire phone would have rung inside his house, and from the machine shed he likely would not have known the emergency was occurring.
Oberg recalls another recent incident when she called the fire phone: "No one picked up except for a small child. I texted and it was shortly afterwards that I had help enroute."
The new integrated responder alert system is part of the ledsSuite public safety software system, provided by Zuercher Technologies, a Sioux Falls-based company.
"This technology is wonderful and I feel lives will be saved because of the text going out instantly to so many people," said 911 Coordinator/Communications Supervisor Judy Oberg. "People can respond sooner and go right to where the help is needed if they are close. Every second counts when someone is bleeding or not breathing or is trapped in a burning house or car."
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About Zuercher Technologies, LLC
Zuercher Technologies, LLC provides best of breed public safety software solutions to agencies across the U.S. under its flagship product, ledsSuite©, encompassing Computer-Aided Dispatch, Mapping, Criminal Investigations, Crime Analysis, Jail, Civil, Financial, Records, Public Administration, and Mobile CAD and Records. Founded in 2003, Zuercher Technologies is based in Sioux Falls, SD. Information about Zuercher Technologies' products and services can be found at www.zuerchertech.com.