A reliable wireless connection for emergency services isn’t optional.
April 29, 2019
When crisis strikes, people count on first responders for a rapid response. Earlier this month, thousands of these men and women who respond to calls were honored during National Public Safety Telecommunicators Week for their commitment to saving lives.
These first responders are expected to be competent and connected. Mobile devices are a vital part of that equation, connecting victims with dispatchers and providing first responders with the information they need to save lives and protect property. More than ever, these devices rely on a dependable wireless network to support the people who protect our communities.
Today’s first responders are equipped with laptops, smartphones and other wireless devices that bring needed information to their fingertips when they are in the field. Tomorrow’s first responders will have even greater capabilities – but will need a sturdy wireless backbone to support it all.
Here are some cause and effect examples with first responders and wireless connectivity:
| Cause | Effect |
|---|---|
| New technologies are constantly emerging and will give tomorrow’s first responders more information about callers’ locations and medical conditions. | These technologies require a widespread wireless infrastructure network to be effective. |
| 80 percent of 9-1-1 calls are placed from cell phones. | If we don’t expand wireless networks to meet the growing demand, we risk the possibility that people could be unable to reach 9-1-1 because of overloaded cell traffic, delaying the time it takes for a first responder to reach them. |
| Enhanced 9-1-1 technologies provide dispatchers the location of emergency calls made by cell phones. | Weak wireless networks only offer accuracy to within about a fifth of a mile, not nearly good enough for first responders. Contrast that with strong wireless networks with multiple nodes, which can be accurate to within 150 feet. If first responders have a more accurate location, they can respond to the scene of an emergency faster. |
