What if you could text your local dispatcher details of an emergency taking place? What if instead of verbally describing the scene of the emergency, you could take a picture and immediately forward it to dispatch? These may soon be ways you can give details or even report emergencies happening.

Our current 9-1-1 system is designed around telephone technology and cannot handle the text, data, images and video that are both increasingly common in personal communications and critical to future transportation safety and mobility advances. Next Generation 9-1-1  has established the foundation for public emergency communications services in a wireless mobile society. 911 Manager for DeWitt County Tony Harris explains this is going to be revolutionary for Emergency Response.

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DeWitt County 911 is in the very infant stages of making this a reality. While the project is going to be very expensive, Harris says they do not want to be caught off-guard, so they are preparing now with purchases to begin the process.

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Now what if when responders arrived on the scene of a medical emergency they already knew your medical history, your allergies, or medications you are currently taking? This too could be a reality as a part of Next Generation 911. Harris stresses standards have not been established and privacy issues would have to be worked out as a part of this as well.

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Harris believes full realization of this project is at least ten years off. The IP Controller, the first phase of this project, Harris explains turns the analog signal into a digital signal and he says dispatchers and residents will see no changes in relation to current emergency service.