Rice County, Kansas, January 16th, 2024 – Amidst blizzard conditions on January 8th, 2024, Rice County faced significant challenges, with eleven inches of snow and 41 mph winds in a 16-hour period. The Rice County Emergency Communications Center (RCECC) responded to thirty-nine traffic hazards during this intense weather event.
RCECC effectively employed a groundbreaking map markup feature within RapidDeploy’s Radius Mapping Solution. This innovative enhancement empowered telecommunicators to pinpoint the exact location of vehicles on the 911 map, providing detailed information including latitude, longitude, and vehicle description. RCECC Team Member, Scott Dellinger indicated, “We could verify that an officer had already checked the vehicle and everyone was safe.”
This strategic use of the new map markup feature ensured that critical resources were efficiently allocated, addressing thirty-nine traffic hazards, and allowing RCECC to manage over thirty additional emergency calls. Director Josh Michaelis emphasized, “Implementing emerging technologies such as map markups improves safety for both responders and citizens.”
The successful deployment of this technology not only highlights RCECC's and the Kansas 911 Coordinating Council’s commitment to leveraging innovative tools, but also highlights how advancements in emergency communication technology can significantly enhance public safety during challenging weather conditions.
Nestled at the edge of the Appalachian Mountains, Carter County, Tennessee, boasts a population of over 50,000 residents. Responsible for managing emergency calls from the local area, the Carter County Emergency Communications District 911 (TN) plays a pivotal role in ensuring public safety. In July 2023, the Tennessee Emergency Communications Board allocated funds to integrate Radius Mapping into Carter County 911’s infrastructure.
Radius Mapping provides telecommunicators in Carter County with indispensable support and functionality previously unavailable to them. The platform's rapid, precise location tracking features empower dispatchers to visualize a caller’s position on a map of the local area in real-time. Accurate location data is paramount for deploying emergency response resources, particularly in scenarios where callers fail to provide precise addresses or when threats span multiple jurisdictions.
RapidDeploy Offers Crucial Call-Mapping Functionality
The real test of this technology came in February 2024 when telecommunicators utilized it to pinpoint a series of brief 911 calls, one of which included a shooting threat directed at a local school. Just months after the installation of Radius Mapping, the platform proved its worth in a critical emergency communications event. On February 1, 2024, telecommunicators received a call from a 911-only phone—a device that typically cannot receive calls, even from emergency officials. The caller reported a threat of violence but disconnected abruptly, providing an address outside Carter County 911’s jurisdiction. Radius mapped the call to cell towers near the county border, initiating collaboration with neighboring jurisdictions.
Location Tracking Facilitates Fast, Accurate Emergency Response
Approximately 25 minutes later, another call from the same device hinted at a shooting threat directed at the local school system. With Radius Mapping, telecommunicators swiftly identified the caller’s location at Happy Valley High School. Immediate action followed the precise identification of the caller’s location. School resource officers and patrol officers from adjacent jurisdictions were promptly notified, leading to a comprehensive lockdown and search across multiple schools in the vicinity.
Through the utilization of 911 call recordings and Radius Mapping data, authorities swiftly apprehended three juveniles, each charged with threatening mass violence on school property and false reporting.
The case of Carter County exemplifies how innovative technology like RapidDeploy’s Radius Mapping can revolutionize emergency response, ensuring swift, targeted action in critical situations. By harnessing the power of technology, communities can bolster their resilience and protect lives in the face of adversity.
