Owensboro-Daviess County Dispatch will soon be installing a new dispatch system that will shorten arrival times for first responders and provide detailed information to law enforcement and emergency response units who address these 911 calls.
This computer-aided dispatch system is something the local dispatch center has never worked with before, but 911 Director Paul Nave said his staff is very excited about the changes. New text-to-speech software will speed up dispatch times and help those in the dispatch center the during emergency situations.
Nave said the text-to-speech system upgrade will be integrated into the new computer-aided system, but will be installed in one of the first phases — hopefully sometime during the next few months. When callers call 911, the text-to-speech software uses dispatch codes that can be automatically sent to first responders while dispatch can continue to talk to the caller.
“They’ll be able to stay on the phone with callers and get the pertinent information they need, and we can have emergency responders on the road already,” he said. “When the call takers are on the phone, the system will dispatch while we’re still gleaning information for them, and there’s no delay.”
As call takers gather more information from callers, they can update emergency first responders who are already on the road to respond to the situation with all the basic information. Call takers in the dispatch center can reach out with details such as the make and model of an involved vehicle, or the exact type of weapon being used, for example.
“If we can save 10, 15, 20 seconds–that’s huge when it comes to life and death,” Nave said.
The new dispatch system in its entirety will take between 18 and 24 months to be installed, Nave said. Tyler Technologies — the largest company in the U.S. solely dedicated to providing integrated software and technology services to the public sector — was selected to provide the computer-aided software and equipment.
Once everything is integrated, this new system will provide first responders and law enforcement with information they otherwise couldn’t know, such as the background information on an individual they’re being dispatched to investigate. As of now, that information can only be provided via radio, but this new system will immediately send any relevant information to those who respond to emergency calls.
“With everything we do, time is our enemy,” Nave said. “If we can use technology and make a difference for the citizens of our community, that’s what we’re going to do. This type of system will be the de-facto standard across the United States [in the near future].”
Nave’s goal with the implementation of this new system is to “phase it in” in increments, so as not to overwhelm his dispatch staff with too many changes at once.
“It’s going to be a monumental task to get this accomplished because of all the details it takes to implement this,” Nave said. “My staff is excited, and that motivates me and makes me excited as well.”
