Making Every Second Count in Emergency Response

In the below Blog, Verint describes various ways technology can help to orchestrate accurate and timely response in the event of an incident, and there are a number of things to consider in a solution to achieve effective emergency response.

First responders are tasked with saving lives every day and must do so with precision, accuracy and efficiency. Lives can be forever changed in a matter of a second, so how can you make every second count in an emergency situation?

Today, there are a number of solutions designed to help emergency responders protect and serve the assets that truly matter—the lives of citizens.

Terror attacks often cause officials to actively seek improved solutions that will help to prevent and fight against these threats, as well as other acts of violence and crime. Various resources, such as video surveillance, sensors and systems, as well as social media, are all key components in helping to ensure responders have all the information they need when responding to an incident.

In the event of an emergency, dispatchers and responders are on the front line as they are the first to be in contact with people at the scene of the incident. Streamlined operations and efficiencies allow responders to act quickly and take appropriate actions necessary to address the situation.

In today’s world, mobile devices allow the general public, operators, dispatchers and responders to effectively communicate and share information as needed to help understand the situation and stream this over a unified platform to a central operations center. Based on the information coming in about an incident, a unified platform can determine the necessary resources, availability and proximity of resources and the skill level needed to handle the incident.

There are various ways technology can help to orchestrate accurate and timely response in the event of an incident, and there are a number of things to consider in a solution to achieve effective emergency response.

• Emergency response begins with the dispatchers fielding the calls. By incorporating emergency dispatch into the overall situational awareness architecture, emergency response time is dramatically reduced. Dispatchers and emergency responders are able to share information easily across multiple agencies, and responders are able to better manage and respond to situations efficiently and effectively.
• Bi-directional communication with the field and live streaming of video or images help responders to gain a more comprehensive picture of what is happening, which can help to speed up the decision-making process on how best to respond to the situation.
• Centralized visualization and decision support systems help enable security officials to gain full situational awareness. The system identifies sensors such as video surveillance and social media feeds at the location and feeds information back to the command center. The information fed to the command center has the capability of identifying where the exact location of the incident has taken place, or is taking place, identifies resources located in the field and what equipment they are carrying, as well as the emergency responder’s proximity to the incident and what their estimated time of arrival may be based on their mobile device.

With the amount of information pouring in from all directions at any given moment, first responders and dispatchers must be positioned to answer the call of duty when emergency situations arise. By allowing information sharing through a mobile device, responders gain clearer insight into the situation prior to stepping onto the scene, and are able to arrive prepared to deliver the service citizens request when they notify emergency services, assuring citizens that their reports are being answered and responded to in the quickest most efficient way possible.