We rely on our emergency services during our greatest time of need to reach police, fire, or emergency medical services. Depending on where you call home - or where you visit -, requesting these services can vary depending on the systems in use where you are when you need help.
In some places, accurate location information is provided and detailed data can automatically be exchanged between you and the 112 control centre.
Unfortunately, this is not the case in most places, as your 112 call (or text) uses outdated legacy technology that is unable to exchange any data between the caller and the control centre. In these locations the outcome of your emergency depends on how well you can tell others where you are and what help you need.
During this three-part series, we will explore why the transition to NG112 is so important, what the fundamental elements should be considered to make the transition, and what you can be doing now to make the transition.
Let’s begin by considering why the transition to state of the art technology for 112 is so important. The reasons go way beyond simply having the greatest gadget or newest tech, as our lives literally depend on our ability to request and receive help.
Mobile phones weren’t widely used when today’s 112 system was implemented. Instead, we simply called the emergency services from a static location, typically from work or home, where we knew the people and surroundings. In this environment routing a call to the correct place was simple and did not require advanced technology.
Many things have changed since the early 1990’s. But unfortunately emergency calls are still routed using the same methods and, in some cases, using the exact same equipment from that era. (Some places may not even have a unique three-digit number like 112, 911 or 999, to access emergency services!).
The transition to NG 112 can be daunting and often begins with convincing decision makers to provide the resources needed to make it. These conversations begin with making the case for why the transition is needed. Below is a concise list of motivations than can be used to begin that conversation, which can be tailored to your unique situation.
New, improved technology to replace existing end of life technology
Most 112 technology in use today is decades-old, lacking reliability and offering limited cyber security, and interoperability capabilities. Newer, more advanced systems with better ROI exist today.
Increasing requests for emergency services
Emergency services resources remain constant, even as our population and emergency needs increase. Your 112 is asked to do more with less; advanced technology can help.
Increasing emergency complexity
Wildfires, floods, civil unrest, and other disasters are impacting our communities in a way that exceeds the capabilities of a single 112 control centre, requiring interoperability and coordination from neighbouring regions. NG 112 brings the ability to share data and information in a secure, reliable manner.
Increasing data availability
Our mobile devices and vehicles have a wealth of available data that can be used to save lives, that the legacy systems cannot access. NG 112 makes this data available to emergency services.
The motivations to transition to NG 112 shown above are directly related to the advantages of NG 112. These include:
▪ A faster and more resilient system that allows voice, photos, videos and text messages to flow seamlessly from the public to the 112 control centre
▪ Improving emergency services control centres ability to help manage call overload, natural disasters, and transfer of 112 calls based on caller location data
▪ Improving 112 call routing and location accuracy
▪ Reducing 112 system downtime by replacing outdated equipment
▪ Providing the same access to emergency services regardless of where the call/text is coming from .
In our next article we will discuss the fundamental elements of the transition, such as having a plan, finding the funding, identifying the stakeholders, and working with the data and information available today. In our final article we will provide some meaningful steps you can take now that will help facilitate the emergency technology transformation.
