A call comes in. The voice is panicked, fragmented by noise and fear: “I’m stuck… the building… there’s a fire.” On the other end, a 190 dispatcher, Brazil’s emergency line, listens intently, coordinating a complex rescue and delivering instructions that can save a life. Dispatchers are often asked to act without seeing the situation, working with limited, fragmented information. It’s a gap that can cost lives.
Today, RapidSOS announces that Emergency SOS Live Video is now available in Brazil through RapidSOS UNITE. Available to users with iPhone 14 or later models running iOS 18 or later, the feature lets callers share context with first responders through live video and recorded media. During an emergency call, participating dispatchers can request live video or camera roll media from the caller over a secure connection, helping responders get the full picture faster. The caller remains in control and can stop sharing at any time.
“Emergency SOS Live Video represents a fundamental shift in how emergency services can protect the communities they serve. RapidSOS was proud to be one of the first organizations to enable this capability in the United States, and we are committed to bringing that same life-saving technology to emergency services in Brazil and around the world,” said Michael Martin, founder and CEO of RapidSOS.
Building the Connected Future in Partnership with Brazil’s 190 Emergency Line
For over a decade, public safety agencies have shaped RapidSOS’s technology and product roadmap. Through that collaboration, 190 has taught RapidSOS that video is transformative only when implemented correctly: initiated by a trained dispatcher, contextualized by other data feeds, triggered by a single caller action, and interoperable for field responders.
- Faster, Smarter Decisions: Context-rich video lets dispatchers instantly assess severity and dispatch resources more accurately.
- Live Video from the Scene: Live video complements Emergency Medical Dispatch (EMD) protocols, giving 190 professionals clearer situational cues to confirm safety and deliver the right pre-arrival instructions, even in fast-changing emergencies.
- Enhanced Responder Safety: Ground-level situational awareness before arrival means first responders arrive better prepared.
- Resilience and Interoperability: Live video provides an additional pathway for sharing information during large-scale incidents, when phone networks are under strain.
