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What Does Calling 911 Look Like in 2020?
Personal Safety

What Does Calling 911 Look Like in 2020?

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If 2020 has given us anything, it has been uncertainty for the future. We’ve experienced a global pandemic, rioting across the country, and now there are even talks of defunding law enforcement. This prospect can understandably be worrisome to many families across the nation who fear for the security of their homes and the safety of their loved ones.

Even in the best of times, if there is any moment when time for critical thinking and decision making is at a premium, it’s in an emergency situation. That’s why it’s more important than ever to lay out an emergency preparedness plan ahead of time. By laying out a plan for different emergency situations in advance, you’re buying yourself precious moments to ensure the safety of your loved ones and yourself.

What Could Defunding Law Enforcement Mean For Me?

With this movement being in such early stages, all we can really do at the moment is speculate. In addition to a rethinking of current police policies, many are calling for reduced budgets for things like overtime pay, new equipment, and reduced staffing in general. This understandably could have the effect of spreading dispatchers and first responders thin — especially in areas that were already operating at critical capacity. This shortage could inevitably increase the response time when you call 911.

While this reform could no doubt have positive long-term societal benefits, there is concern for the effects these cuts could have on legitimate emergency response times – especially in the interim while these changes are being implemented and adapted to a new model of law enforcement convention.

What Can I Do to Streamline the Emergency Response Process?

With the help of Computer Aided Dispatch (CAD) services, you are able to signal first responders to your home in a variety of emergencies. These systems began development back in the early 2000s with funding from the U.S. Department of Justice to allow verified dispatching systems to signal emergency medical, fire, and law enforcement (LE) response without the need for a time-consuming phone call.

Typically when you call 911, the caller must answer a battery of questions to alert dispatchers as to the nature of the emergency as well as the location where it’s happening. This not only leaves margin for error for poor connections, garbled communication, and inescapable human error.

There are also plenty of situations where speaking may be difficult or impossible for the user on the phone, and in the age of cell phones, it may be difficult for first responders to be able to nail down your location if you’re unable to properly verbalize it. Computer aided dispatch (CAD) systems like those found in many home security and alarm systems are able to bypass many of those issues automatically.

Putting Control in the Palm of Your Hand with Rescu:

We’re firm believers in having options available. With the Rescu app, you can dispatch fire, medical, or LE first responders to your location without the need to enter a queue for the next dispatcher or have to explain your situation. This cuts out the need for wasting crucial moments on the phone that could have been programmed and sent into dispatchers in seconds.

With the Rescu app those two taps can send the following information:

  • Your name and address (from a list of locations you enter ahead of time)
  • The nature of your emergency (fire, medical, or LE)
  • List of medical conditions
  • Special dispatch instructions
  • The ability to follow up this list with a phone call for further unique instructions
  • The ability to answer a set of in-app questions based on the emergency response to provide additional details of your emergency without talking
  • An alert to select friends/family of your emergency

How Rescu is Different From Calling 911:

  • Eliminates often unnecessary and time-consuming communication
  • A smarter way to package and deliver critical medical information and dispatch insulation
  • Effectively becomes your own private sector 911 dispatch in your pocket
  • No queues, your dispatch request is ready to act upon at the click of a button giving you top priority
  • No talking required. Can’t talk? No problem, help is on its way silently.

How Can Rescu Keep Working in Light of the Recent News About Police Departments?

Even in the event of restructuring or reduced funding, your local police departments still need to protect critical infrastructure and respond to safety emergencies. These basic protections are the basis for any functional and secure society.

The development of Computer aided dispatch (CAD) systems was a conscious effort on behalf of the U.S. government to reduce the resources needed to perform these tasks by replacing them with smarter and more advanced processes. These programs have only evolved and improved over time to result in what we have today – a seamless integration between you and the first responders that you rely on.

It takes a village to keep a village safe. We are all in this together now more than ever. Set yourself and your family up for the best emergency response available to you for only $5 a month with the Rescu app. Find out more today.

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