Fifty years ago, the first 911 call was made in the tiny town of Haleyville, Ala. That simple three-digit sequence has since been transformed into a national emergency number memorized by hundreds of millions of Americans, saving countless lives in the decades that followed.
But while a national emergency number represents an enormous tool to help rescue imperiled citizens, the emergency response industry has fallen behind when it comes to adapting the latest technological advances. This reluctance to embrace change undercuts responders’ effectiveness, underscoring the need for new technologies to benefit all citizens.
The good news is that there is a broad range of new advances that boost emergency responders’ timeliness, precision and effectiveness. Wider adoption of these innovations will mean higher quality services, which will ultimately result in swifter, better responses and more lives saved.
Read more at GCN
