INDIANAPOLIS — If you have to call 9-1-1, we know seconds count. And seconds can seem like minutes, and minutes can seem like hours in desperate times.
So, check out this new system the Indianapolis Fire Communications Center is using to help callers.
It is called Rapid SOS, and it uses the newer technology in your phone to better pinpoint a precise location for your call.
It is a free third-party program, and there are ways you can go online and create a profile that will automatically pull up dispatchers if you call 9-1-1 from your cell phone.
Shane Pittman is a senior telecommunicator for the Indianapolis Fire Department who has used the Rapid SOS system while assisting emergency callers and says it can be a big help, especially when it comes to getting a precise location.
"It's just another tool; we have to rely on what the caller tells us primarily because technology does fail, from time to time. But I can tell ya on the few times where the caller doesn't know where they are at. It's much more accurate than our existing technology," Pittman said. 'This is actually pulling GPS data from the phone just as if like a google maps program would pull it from your phone — pulling that same GPS information."
To sign up for this, you first need to make sure your android or smartphone is updated. Doing that will allow dispatchers to use your location if you call 9-1-1 without needing to input anything.
But what you can also do is go to EmergencyProfile.org and make an account.
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