GOOSE CREEK, S.C. – The Goose Creek Police Department celebrated the grand opening of its state-of-the-art 911 communications center on Thursday morning.
Over a year in the planning, the communications center includes $1.1 million in upgrades. Over $400,000 is reimbursable through State 911 funds, according to the city.
Police department officials said the balance of the cost has been accumulated over the years from E911 funds that are collected from telephone bills, allowing this project to proceed without affecting the city’s current budget.
The upgrades include the latest Next Generation 911 call processing equipment, which will include texting, mapping, language line interpreting, and quicker call processing.
Once the state has the system connected, it will allow pictures and video to be sent via 911. This information can be shared real time with the responders, so they are better prepared for any emergency prior to arrival, city officials said.
The crown jewel of the police department’s upgrade is the Emergency Medical Dispatching (EMD) System, police said. Certified through the International Academy of Emergency Dispatch, the police department’s telecommunications specialists are now trained to provide life saving pre-arrival instructions to callers, including CPR, childbirth instructions, bleeding control, etc. Studies have shown that pre-arrival instructions have the greatest impact in life-threatening situations.
Starting Mid-September, callers can also expect to be asked a few more questions when calling in for medical emergencies. The additional questions will allow responders to better prepare for the emergency.
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