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RapidDeploy honors Communications Officer II Meghan Gonzalez for her heroic efforts and incredible use of RapidDeploy’s Radius Mapping to rescue a victim in Riverside County California.
In the line of duty, when every moment matters, the combination of intuition, expertise, and technology can make all the difference. This narrative isn’t just another tale of exceptional dedication; it’s a testament to the impact that Next Generation 911 and today’s telecommunicators have on impacting emergency response outcomes.
The Night of the Call
On May 2, 2023, Communications Officer II Meghan Gonzalez of the Riverside County Sheriff’s Office received an open line 911 call. All she could hear were faint shuffles and the dinging of a car door.
Many would have dismissed this as an accidental dial, but Meghan’s intuition told her otherwise. RapidDeploy’s Radius Mapping solution is used daily throughout hundreds of 911 call centers in California and played a vital role in helping Meghan effectively locate and communicate with a distressed caller during a life-threatening situation.
Power of Technology
Whether it’s real-time location signals, text communication (with translation in over 70 languages), or live video – Radius Mapping delivers critical real-time information and supports modern communication for all 911 calls.
Without hesitation, Meghan took action, leveraging Radius Mapping to locate the caller, track her whereabouts and initiate 2-way text, which helped gather the critical intelligence needed to successfully dispatch and rescue the victim.
In a race against time, Meghan initiated a priority 1 response, guiding law enforcement to the victim’s GPS coordinates obtained from Radius Mapping.
Simultaneously, as field responders made their way to the scene, Meghan maintained live text communication with the victim, who shared that she was in the trunk of a vehicle and provided details about the suspect.
These critical details lead to a successful life-saving emergency response. The victim was saved, and the suspect was arrested.
Here’s how text-from-911 works:
Text-to-911 allows a person in need of emergency assistance to receive a text message from a telecommunicator within the Emergency Communication Center (ECC). Two-way, real-time text has proven to be incredibly valuable for callers who may not be able to speak in an emergency such as:
With SMS, the Telecommunicator can track the caller’s location and effectively communicate, gathering information that enhances situational awareness and supports a more effective response.
Recognition for Excellence
On October 17th, RapidDeploy’s CEO and Co-founder, Steve Raucher, visited the Riverside County Sheriff’s Office to present Meghan with the RapidDepoy Superstar Award.
The Superstar Award recognizes heroes and individuals in emergency call centers and public safety answering points nationwide, by highlighting the 911 emergencies where RapidDeploy played a role in supporting a better outcome, from delivering the right mission-critical data to saving lives.
The quarterly award is reserved for those who make a life-saving impact, demonstrate exceptional use of RapidDeploy technology, and continue to enhance emergency response throughout their community.
RapidDeploy applauds Meghan for her dedication to life-saving work, unwavering intuition, and for harnessing the power of Radius Mapping to improve emergency outcomes.
Riverside County Sheriff’s Office is setting a great example of how Next Generation 911 solutions can make a life-saving difference.
Watch the video to hear directly from the team at Riverside County Sheriff’s Office:
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.
“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:
“We know when 9-1-1 rings RapidDeploy is going to pinpoint where that caller is.”
– Beth Kallin, Director of Lawrenceburg-Anderson County 911, Kentucky
A Kentucky mother of two found herself in a dangerous situation when her ATV flipped over, trapping her leg underneath. Although she was able to call 9-1-1, she was unable to provide her precise location.
With Kentucky covered by large rural areas, it can be hard to pinpoint the exact location.
Fortunately, the Lawrenceburg dispatchers leverage RapidDeploy as their for next generation call-taking map, which enabled them to identify her exact location even in the neighboring county.
Recognizing her spotty cell service, they opted not to disconnect and instead contacted the PSAP in the next jurisdiction and were able to guide first responder to her location.
Watch the full save story here:
“SRPD is proud of our PSCB Dispatchers who were absolutely able to save the life of this person due to the technological partnership with RapidDeploy and their game changing services.”
- Joe Orozco, Public Information Officer of the Salt River Police Department (SRPD)
The Maricopa County Sheriff’s Office Dispatchers received a distress call from a witness who heard a man yelling for help near the Granite Reef dam.
Recognizing the urgency, the call was quickly transferred to the SRPD. Utilizing RapidDeploy's Radius Mapping, real-time text was initiated to the witness, enabling telecommunicators to capture the caller’s exact latitude and longitude, pinpointing the location.
This critical information provided enhanced real-time communications, which allowed emergency services to efficiently locate and navigate their way to reach the man in distress, and ultimately, save his life.
RapidDeploy’s Radius Mapping is leveraged across the state of Arizona. By harnessing the power of RapidDeploy's Next Generation call-taking map, telecommunicators, first responders and 911 agencies are equipped with the tools they need to improve emergency response and drive life-saving outcomes.
Watch the incredible save story from the SRPD team in Arizona here:
