When we experience the unthinkable, we know to call 9-1-1 to summon emergency response services, whether they be police officers, firefighters, or paramedics. However we often don’t realize that one of the key challenges our heroes in uniform face when responding to our emergencies is inadequate situational awareness, such as: Knowing where an active shooter is at any given moment; seeing the extent of a fire engulfing a building; and visually assessing the distress a choking child is experiencing can transform the situational awareness for field responders so they can provide better emergency response when we need it most.
How Field Responders Traditionally Handle Emergencies
While 9-1-1 has been coming to our rescue for over five decades, the technology that our field responders have at their disposal is not keeping pace with the needs of our changing world. Often our heroes can only assess the emergency by hearing a second-hand account from a dispatcher. During critical emergency moments, the opportunity for misinterpretation and human error is unfortunately too large. Often, field responders only have access to a caller’s approximate location through cell-tower trilateration technology which can direct them to the other side of town, wasting valuable minutes. Many times, field responders don’t have a visual on an active shooter, putting themselves and others in harm’s way as they arrive. At other times, a caller who is a victim of a home burglary in progress may not be able to speak aloud, further reducing critical information field responders have prior to arrival.
New Technologies Available to Field Responders through Carbyne Responder Connect
Carbyne believes that just as modern technology can help us summon a ride or a meal with a few button-presses, so too can modern technology help our field responders come to our aid in our time of need. Below are three technologies that Carbyne makes available to field responders through Responder Connect in order to transform their situational awareness:
Live caller video. Field responders can now view live video streamed from the caller’s mobile device using Carbyne Responder Connect, so they can better prepare for what they are up against and improve response times.
Pinpoint Caller Location. When field responders need to locate a caller with pinpoint accuracy, such as in rural settings, a wooded area, or a large factory complex, Carbyne Responder Connect enables them to see the caller’s precise location on a map directly on the field responder’s smartphone or mobile data terminal.
Navigate to Caller. Once a field responder has determined the caller’s exact location, they are able to navigate to this location quickly with Carbyne Responder Connect by simply pressing the Navigate button, which in turn opens their favorite navigation app (such as Google Maps, Apple Maps, or Waze) to get driving directions to their destination.
Carbyne Responder Connect is offered alongside Carbyne Universe and Carbyne APEX which provide additional capabilities for emergency contact centers who work hand-in-hand with field responders.
Carbyne (Headquartered in New York, NY) is a leading global provider of cloud-native mission-critical contact center solutions. Carbyne is one of the largest rich-data providers for emergency response centers, delivering over 250M data points per year all in a unified platform. Our technologies enable emergency contact centers and select enterprises to connect with callers as well as connected devices via highly secure communication channels without needing to download a consumer app. With a mission to redefine emergency collaboration and connect the dots between people, enterprises and governments, Carbyne provides a unified cloud native solution that provides live actionable data that can lead to more efficient and transparent operations and ultimately save lives. With Carbyne, Every Person Counts.