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In developing this week’s topic, I recalled an incident that occurred to me several years ago. I was driving in a remote area behind Republic Airport (Farmingdale, Long Island, NY) after a flight lesson. For some odd reason, I’d left the airport using an exit I was unfamiliar with but nonetheless figured I could ground navigate myself to a major highway. I was on that road for several minutes when the passenger in the vehicle in front of me threw a Glock out of the window and onto the road. I immediately dialed 911 but could not adequately describe my position as a) my GPS was charged out and there were literally no street signs. I began to name the shops and odd things (like a large spinning red light in front of one store) and the Suffolk County police quickly determined my location.
Now granted, mobile technology has grown leaps and bounds since even a few years ago but the below article truly explains the future of emergency transmissions, using various mobile techniques.
New 911 may allow text and video ‘calls’
November 23, 2010: 2:22 PM ET
NEW YORK (CNNMoney.com) — The U.S. government is trying to bring the 911 emergency service “into the 21st century” by looking into allowing text, photo and video reports from mobile phones.
The Federal Communications Commission said Tuesday that 70% of 911 calls come from mobile phones. It also said some situations — such as a home intruder — don’t allow the victim to make a voice call safely.
The proposed “Next Generation 911” would allow emergency call centers to receive text messages and use mobile photo or video for information about the situation in progress.
The FCC also wants to introduce automatic reports coming from medical devices, car electronics, security cameras and more.
The commission admitted that today’s 911 call centers are not well equipped technologically, with some even lacking access to broadband. It also said 911 texting would have been valuable during the shooting at the Virginia Tech campus in 2007.
“Students and witnesses desperately tried to send texts to 911 that dispatchers never received,” the FCC said. “If these messages had gone through, first responders may have arrived on the scene faster with first-hand intelligence.”
Genachowski, the FCC chairman, said he will launch a program in December to get public input on the changes to 911 services. 
Related Articles
- FCC Considering Text Message, Photo, Video to 911 (circleid.com)
- FCC Moves Toward Texting, Video for Emergency Calls (pcworld.com)
Filed under: 911, cell phone, crime report | Tagged: 911, cell phone, emergency, Federal Communications Commission, Global Positioning System, Julius Genachowski, mobile, New York City, Next Generation 9-1-1, reporting a crime, Republic Airport, Text messaging, video, Virginia Tech campus | Leave a Comment »
