July 23, 2021
Jim Evancho
Imagine waking up late at night and hearing someone inside your house. You decide to hide and don’t want to make any noise to alert the intruder, but need the police to come to your aid. If you have your cell phone you can send a text to 911 and they will be able to respond to you through texts.
Brad Campbell who is the system manager over the 911 center in Calhoun County said the county has had this technology available for over a year, but the community may not know about it. When someone sends a text to 911 the system will immediately try to determine the location of the person by using GPS coordinates sent during the text process. The 911 call taker will then try to verify that information with the person in need of help so they can dispatch the correct emergency units. Campbell went on to say that if a 911 text or call happens to get a bad “bounce” and is directed to the wrong 911 center, it can be fixed very quickly. Calhoun County is a part of the statewide system called Alabama Next Generation Emergency Network or “ANGEN” which enables other county 911 systems communicate and transfer calls with speed.
With the ANGEN system the 911 operator is able to text with the person on the phone and still forward the information to first responders in real time which increases response times by law enforcement and fire rescue. In the event of changing circumstances responding parties will have the updates as soon as the operator sends it.
The older Phase 1 and Phase 2 technology only enabled 911 systems to triangulate cell phone signals, but would not always be 100% accurate on the location of an emergency. The county still has access to this method in case the GPS on the cell phone is not working correctly or there is a technical issue, but they always start by attempting to see the GPS coordinates.
This new technology is also beneficial to those who may have hearing issues and don’t have access to an interpreter. The texting feature of 911 enables the hearing impaired to communicate with a live 911 operator in real time to secure the correct type of emergency response. If there is an emergency and a person is unable to speak or hear a 911 operator there is an alternative for the community to access. To learn more about Calhoun County 911 please visit their Facebook page.
