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At NENA 2023, Steve Raucher, RapidDeploy CEO and Co-founder, joined Jacob Saur, Arlington ECC Director on stage to discuss challenges faced in recruiting and retaining telecommunicators, the path to embracing technology, and the potential of remote call-taking with the transformative power of technology in today’s PSAPs.  

Here are some of the key topics and learnings from the lively session.

‍Staffing Shortages and Recruitment Challenges:

The industry is grappling with an average staffing shortage of 30%. The following factors are contributing to the difficulties in recruiting and retaining telecommunicators:

1. Stress: The high-stress nature of the job poses challenges for attracting and retaining talent. ‍
2. Low pay: Compensation levels often fail to compete with other sectors, making it challenging to attract skilled professionals. ‍
3. Workload and Shiftwork: Long hours and shift work impact work-life balance, leading to higher turnover rates. ‍
4. Tech Limitations: Outdated software and a lack of familiar features hamper productivity and frustrate employees. ‍
5. Inflexibility: The requirement to work solely within the PSAP limits flexibility and may deter potential candidates.

‍Remote Call Taking - A Retention Tactic:

Jacob shared how Alexandria’s 911 center has addressed remote call taking as a strategy for employee retention. Over the years, increasing workloads and the introduction of new tools have extended training times, with almost three years required for training at their center. Arlington ECC implemented 12 remote call-taking stations in dispatch and two in remote fire dispatch.  

Key highlights of their approach include:

1. Scalability: In the event of a mass incident, additional call-takers can be easily added remotely, reducing travel time and ensuring a safer response. ‍
2. Post-Pandemic Utilization: Following the pandemic, remote call-taking stations were repurposed for overtime shifts while employees returned to the center for regular shifts. ‍
3. Enhanced Technology: Upgrades to equipment will enable employees to work regular shifts from home, utilizing tools like Amazon Connect and Microsoft Teams for collaboration. ‍
4. Transcription and Analysis: Arlington is testing AWS transcription services to analyze non-emergency calls and gain valuable insights. ‍
5. Shared Standard Operating Procedures (SOPs): ECC Arlington is willing to share SOPs to facilitate the implementation of remote call-taking solutions in other PSAPs.

Overcoming Challenges with Technology:

Steve emphasized the need to use technology to solve problems, including staffing, operations and performance. In addition to cloud-native mapping and analytics, RapidDeploy recently announced RapidONE, a new browser-based call-handling solution that will further enhance the emergency response workflow, simplify operations and create more flexible and portable working environments. The discussion with Jake and Steve highlighted the need to embrace technology to:

• Provide the 911 support to communities from anywhere
• the number of screens and workspace needed to effectively and efficiently communicate with callers and dispatch with accuracy
• Improve the emergency response working experience by offering staff greater flexibility in high-stress, demanding jobs  

By adopting flexible work arrangements and leveraging advanced tools, ECCs and PSAPs can address staffing issues, improve efficiency, and enhance emergency response services.  

It is crucial for the industry to embrace innovation and adapt to the changing landscape to create a more resilient and effective emergency communication system.

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^{Photo: Critical Response Group and RapidDeploy’s Radius Mapping visualizing indoor mapping to support school safety measures}

Accurate and accessible indoor floor plans are essential for school safety. Florida Senate Bill 212 now requires communities to provide human-verified indoor floor plans and mandates that these maps are accessible by 911 for improved public safety.

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RapidDeploy is proud to partner with companies like Critical Response Group (CRG) to improve school safety and ready to support Florida Senate Bill 212. By integrating school floor plans directly into RapidDeploy Radius Mapping, call takers have instant awareness of a caller inside or near the school, and can automatically see the location of the caller inside the building—all within an accurate and digitized floor plan.

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When moments matter, having a single unified view of all available data is essential to support the school safety workflow. Our curated and robust partner network includes data and applications that integrate directly within Radius Mapping to support school safety, including indoor mapping, panic buttons, CCTV, and real-time visualization of information on authoritative GIS.

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Powered by the cloud, Radius Mapping integrates floor plans into agency authoritative and commercially available GIS data and automatically plots the location of 911 caller, giving call takers and dispatchers the situational awareness they need to route emergency services effectively and efficiently.

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Once the call or signal is initiated from a landline, mobile device, or panic button, the location appears on the live map, showing the exact caller location, within the school, in real-time. Instant access to critical location information and floor plan intelligence enables more effective communication with the caller and first responders.

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Leveraging technology that integrates accurate floor plans and emergency calls, and visualizes it in a single screen significantly enhances school safety measures and can improve outcomes.

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If your agency is currently working to understand how to visualize current or future floor plans or panic button data within your 9-1-1 systems, RapidDeploy can help.

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Get in touch with us to learn more.

You can also visit Critical Response Group for more information.

Next Generation 911 technology is improving outcomes - RapidDeploy Radius Mapping pinpointed the caller’s location, when other solutions like their CHE and other tools were not able to locate the caller

• Blount County E-911 received a distressed call from a mobile device, reporting that a group of hikers were lost, injured, and had very little water and food
• Leveraging commercial and statewide authoritative GIS data and location technology with Radius Mapping, they were able to see that the hikers transversed to another trail and state entirely - and were not on the path they believed they were on

Blount County in Tennessee contacted Graham County in North Carolina to let them know where to find the missing hikers, who were long overdue. “Without the help of RapidDeploy, we would not have been able to obtain the hikers GPS coordinates and contact Graham County 911. “

James B. Long, Blount County E-911

NG911 solutions provide critical information and the technology integrations needed to drive better outcomes. Today, RapidDeploy Radius Mapping solution is leveraged by 1,500+ emergency communications centers for:

• Location Accuracy: Mobile location data to pinpoint callers using mobile location

• GIS Data: NG9-1-1 GIS platform leverages Esri Geospatial Cloud and authoritative GIS data
• Situational Awareness: Unified map for all data sources built to save lives

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Courtesy of Fox10 News, Walton County Florida

Next Generation 911 Technology is Improving Outcomes – The power of RapidDeploy’s location accuracy and video technology supports a lifesaving rescue mission

Leveraging modern communications and critical data provided by our partners, Walton County Dispatcher, Heather Mayo was able to provide life-saving support in the moments that mattered most during a recent boating incident.  

• Dispatch received a distressed call from a mobile device, expressing that her husband had fallen overboard and was drifting away
• The integrated video feeds and accuracy of RapidLocate enabled the dispatcher to provide real-time, critical information so that the wife could successfully reach her husband and pull him back onboard the boat
• RapidDeploy’s Radius Mapping solution instantly acquired the call details, including the exact location of the boat in the Choctawhatchee Bay
• Leveraging RapidVideo, Radius Mapping captured live video footage from the mobile device, which helped them to coach the wife in getting the boat started so that she could reach her husband in time to save his life
• According to Mayo, “It definitely helps our responders to be able to see what they see”
• Specific data, ‘breadcrumbs’, plotted the exact coordinates of the boat in real-time, giving the dispatcher clarity of the direction the boat was headed

“This technology is critical in situations where we need to see what the caller is seeing. The bay was choppy that afternoon and had we not been able to walk her through this situation, she may not have been able to retrieve her husband from the water. Every second matters when it comes to saving lives. Streamlined access to life-saving data can make all the difference. Heather Mayo was calm in a chaotic situation and was able to guide the caller throughout the entire situation.”

- Sheriff Michael Adkinson, Walton County Florida.

NG911 solutions provide critical information and the technology integrations needed to drive better outcomes. Today, RapidDeploy Radius Mapping solution is leveraged by 1,500+ emergency communications centers for:

• Location Accuracy: Mobile location data to pinpoint callers using mobile location

• Situational Awareness: Unified map for all data sources built to save lives and improve responder safety
• Modern Communications: Tools and interoperability built for communication in a digital and mobile-supported era

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RapidDeploy is proud to participate in National Public Safety Telecommunicators Week (NPSTW) — a weeklong celebration that recognizes the commitment of  Telecommunicators and the life-saving work that they do every day.

Telecommunicators are the first First Responders — Thank you for your dedication and immeasurable impact on saving lives. We are so lucky to get to work with such amazing individuals who make a difference every day.

In case you missed it, here’s a recap of the special messages and acknowledgments from RapidDeploy. While we know April 9-15 is a special week, we recognize the work you do is 24/7/365.

A Special Thanks from Steve Raucher, CEO and Co-founder:

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An incredible story highlighting Walton County, who shared their amazing lifesaving rescue using RapidDeploy:

In partnership with Alexandria Emergency and Customer Communications team and Radford City Police Department, we captured thoughts on the importance of NPSTW:

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Our Customer Success team, many of who are former Telecommunicators, give their personal message to Telecommunicators everywhere:

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As we close this week, we applaud Telecommunicators everywhere and thank you for your support in our mission to save lives by reducing response times.  

We hope everyone had a great week!

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Progress is Impossible without Change

The first 911 call in the U.S. was in 1968, nearly 55 years ago.

While the driving factors for change in the first 50 years was population mobility and the recognition of increased crimes, accidents, and medical emergencies, the past 5-10 years have been driven by the move to the cloud and the internet of things (IoT).

The main drivers of transformation include:

• The shift to a digital-first era
• Rise of mobile devices
• Dependency on real-time data

Today, over 80% of 911 calls come from mobile devices. As digitalization takes over, there’s an urgent need for new technology, operations, and best practices to support and future-proof 911 services.

Nearly 20 years ago, 90% of U.S. adults lived in households with an operational landline – and today it is less than 30%.

The rise of IoT gives us access to rich data, with the potential promise of a more seamless emergency response workflow, actionable real-time information, and better outcomes for communities and the people dedicated to saving lives.

A Life Saving Mission to Empower All

From Telecommunicators and First Responders to those who manage ECCs and PSAPs, to the Sheriffs and Police Chiefs responsible for keeping their communities safe — the move to the cloud and NG911 solutions represents progress and a commitment at local and state levels to transform and improve 911 services in a way that can benefit all.

RapidDeploy’s mission of saving lives by reducing response times was inspired by a personal story. Alongside with our life-saving mission, we recognize and deeply respect the critical roles and responsibilities of Public Safety professionals and commit to working together to empower next generation 911, ensuring that the right data, tools and support is available when they need it.

Starting with the first point of contact for callers, through to what is happening in the field, critical information integrated into a single cloud-native solution directly impacts collaboration and communications, situational awareness, emergency response safety, and life-saving outcomes.

Today, we are proud to partner with 1,500+ ECCs and PSAPs across the United States to upgrade to cloud-native, next generation mapping and analytics, ensuring that public safety professionals have the technology and training they need to do their job successfully.

Data That Makes a Difference

The richness of data from NG911 has benefits in and out of the ECC and PSAP, directly empowering over 6,600 Telecommunicators and thousands of First Responders to serve with excellence and improve 911 outcomes, even under critical moments and intense pressure.

The collection of data at scale and modern communication tools are credited with improving the emergency response workflow, helping locate callers faster and with greater accuracy, and enhancing situational awareness in the moments that matter most to saving lives and keeping people safe. There is also a direct impact on leveraging consistent data and on-demand reporting to better manage funding and staffing, ensuring that you can improve operations and allocate resources more effectively both in and out of the field.

Through our integrated partner ecosystem, including Apple and Google, AT&T, OnStar, Rave, TRAINFO, Critical Response Group, and more, RapidDeploy is uniting disparate data and technology, powering a single platform that modernizes 911 communications and workflows — facilitating solutions that deliver:

• A single mapping solution for all data — directly enhancing location accuracy
• Real-time access to critical information — increasing situational awareness
• Actionable analytics and on-demand reporting — for better management and data-driven decisioning, impacting operational efficiencies, business protocols, and strategies

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Every second matters when it comes to saving lives. Streamlined access to life-saving data makes all the difference.

Join RapidDeploy along with 1,500+ ECCs and PSAPs across the country in the industry-wide transformation of 911.

No matter your size, geography, or where you are in your NG911 journey, we are here to partner with you on embracing innovation and celebrating progress.

Get in touch to find out more here.

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