Enhanced 911 services help beat the winter
It’s the most wonderful time of the year! Christmas potlucks at the office, holiday decorations, and playing in the snow make memories that last a lifetime. But this time of the year also comes with an increase in calls to emergency dispatchers.
Most emergency rooms see an increase in hospital admissions for winter accidents, with slips and falls on the ice resulting in hip and back injuries in addition to twisted ankles. Police get more burglary calls during the month of December, and fire departments respond to an uptick in household and commercial fires caused by faulty wiring and kitchen mishaps.
Most people take for granted that when they dial 911 a first responder can get to them immediately. Unless a business is equipped with Enhanced 911 services like Dynamic Location Routing to provide emergency personnel with an exact location, that may not be the case.
But making sure you’ve set up your 911 services for efficiency can be a challenge – let’s walk through a few scenarios.
So how does 911 actually work in an emergency?
…in a Multi-Building Work Complex
Dan is the office sales manager in a multi-building work complex. He knows that the usual maintenance crew will be booked solid after last evening’s heavy snow. He and his top sales rep, Caitlin, come in early to shovel the sidewalk so their coworkers can make it into the office. That heavy cardio activity, coupled with the cold environmental strain, caused Dan to suffer a heart attack in the 4th conference room of C Building shortly after shoveling the snow.
Caitlin doesn’t know CPR and calls 911 from the conference room phone. While the emergency services operator walks Caitlin through giving Dan chest compressions, EMS and the Fire Department are dispatched to provide first response services. Having enhanced 911 services with Dynamic Location Routing means first responders won’t have to waste precious time talking to the front desk staff – they will know the exact building, floor, and room the emergency call came from. Every second counts for Dan. His chances of recovery increase the sooner he gets medical assistance. A study of Scottish Ambulance Services found that reducing EMS response time to five minutes nearly doubled heart attack survival rates.
Every minute that someone suffering a heart attack or stroke goes without oxygen, the more damage their brain sustains. That brain damage could lead to extended hospital stays and months of expensive physical and occupational therapy. Getting help to those people faster not only increases their chance of survival, but could help decrease out of pocket medical costs for them and the employer who funds their healthcare. Dynamic Location Routing for 911 can help first responders reach those patients faster.
…in a Break Room on the 2nd floor of a 10 Story Building
Break rooms are one of the leading causes of structure fires in office properties. More than one-fifth of reported office fires begin in break-room kitchen areas.
George is in marketing on the 2nd floor of a 10-story office building. He makes an incredible buffalo chicken dip for the annual holiday potluck dinner, but this year he forgot to unplug the warming plate during cleanup. A roll of paper towels fell onto the hot cooking surface, igniting the breakroom countertop.
Getting firefighters routed to the correct breakroom in a larger office environment can make a big difference in the amount of property damage a company sustains. Enhanced 911 routing systems and Dynamic Call Routing could mean George’s company pays for a new countertop and paint instead of remodeling the entire breakroom. Saved time can equal saved property in fire emergencies.
… from a Mobile Phone
It is common knowledge that burglaries increase during the holiday season. Although burglaries usually peak during summer vacations, December has one of the highest burglary rates at almost 18% more than an average month. With more people doing larger portions of Christmas shopping online, police reports of stolen packages have skyrocketed. Businesses are about four times more likely to experience a burglary than homes.
Kristen is the fabulous new office assistant at an e-commerce business. The company’s Q3 sales exceeded expectations, so she talked the CEO into buying everyone bluetooth earbuds for their phones. Unfortunately, when the UPS driver delivered the packages, someone was casing the office. He noticed that Kristen kept the unopened boxes by her desk and left them unattended when she went to the restroom. The burglar waited until she took a break to make his move. When Kristen returned, she noticed the packages missing and immediately called for help from her VoIP phone..
VoIP Providers and IoT devices using Bandwidth’s emergency calling services can give police a more accurate location to catch the bad guys red handed, and keep company valuables (thoughtful Christmas gifts) from ending up in a pawn shop.
Accuracy matters in an emergency
When seconds count in critical emergency situations, accuracy matters. Precious time saved getting first responders routed to danger can save lives and protect property. Are you curious how you can give your employees and customers the security they deserve with E911 and Dynamic Location Routing? We have E911 experts at Bandwidth ready to help!