For the past ten years, the 9-1-1 community has worked with us hand-in-hand to transform emergency response. This incredible partnership quickly steered us away from early product mistakes like an app for 9-1-1 and partnered with us to build the RapidSOS emergency data platform – which now links 400M+ devices to 5,200+ 9-1-1 agencies around the world.
Through this process, the public safety community has helped us understand that this data transformation was only going to be possible if we could get verified, valid data into the hands of 9-1-1. With billions of devices and still evolving AI technologies, this is a significant challenge.
We ultimately concluded that a human verification step was needed for certain types of IoT initiated emergencies. We also observed the incredible work that 9-1-1 does to efficiently manage 650,000+ emergency calls per day.
Introducing RapidSOS Monitoring for Connected Device Companies
We’ve worked hand-in-hand with public safety to re-imagine the monitoring experience for connected device companies by connecting humans and technology.
Today we are excited to announce RapidSOS Monitoring – 24/7 monitoring and verification service designed to integrate seamlessly with public safety to serve people when they need it most.
RapidSOS IoT partners and alarm companies can now opt-in to this service to provide enhanced verification and digital integration with 9-1-1 in an emergency.
If ECCs have enabled RapidSOS Alerts, ECCs can benefit when device and app companies use RapidSOS Monitoring – by being able to digitally receive incident alerts and alarm data through RapidSOS. This may allow increased operational efficiencies by reducing alarm/monitoring company phone calls and provide faster, more data-enriched emergency response.
How Does it Work?
When device and app companies use RapidSOS Monitoring, they are able to digitally route enhanced additional data from their technologies to 9-1-1 centers during an emergency. Here’s how it works:
- A connected device detects emergency and calls RapidSOS’s API
- A RapidSOS Monitoring specialist calls or texts the person in need to provide assistance
- A RapidSOS Monitoring specialist immediately escalates to 9-1-1 if needed
- First responders can arrive on scene faster and better informed with rich data from these connected devices
How does RapidSOS Monitoring Benefit 9-1-1 Centers?
If your agency uses Supplemental Alerts, critical information from RapidSOS Monitoring may be digitally relayed alongside a phone call via your 10-digit line (based on agency policy for alarm verification).
Note: Graphic for illustration purposes only – How RapidSOS Monitoring chat may appear in RapidSOS Portal for agencies that have enabled Supplemental Alerts
We’ve also been working hard with a group of beta testing 9-1-1 communities to allow ECCs to reduce or eliminate inbound phone calls from alarm companies.
If your agency uses RapidSOS Alerts, you may receive an alert in the RapidSOS Portal (or integrated RapidSOS Portal if you use the version integrated to your CAD or CPE) for the incident, with key information such as location, sensor information, homeowner contact info, permit information, verification status, or other data.
Our goal is to ultimately provide sufficient information to enable an immediate move to dispatch without taking valuable telecommunicator time speaking to a monitoring agent. If additional information is needed, a quick chat function is designed to immediately connect you to the monitoring agent managing the incident.
Note: Graphic for illustration purposes only – How RapidSOS Monitoring chat may appear in RapidSOS Portal for agencies that have enabled Alerts.
What Information do ECCs receive from RapidSOS?
Agencies that have enabled Alerts may receive a broad range of rich, multimedia data from a RapidSOS Monitoring specialist.
This information can include:
- The standard phone call from the network security monitoring company
- Accurate location data
- Supplemental data, such as health or situational data from connected devices
- Video footage and audio clips during alarm events
- Emergency intelligence data, including entry and exit, and motion data
- Zone data with zone description (as provided during installation)
- And more!
How are RapidSOS Monitoring Specialists trained?
RapidSOS Monitoring specialists go through a rigorous training program delivered by Lydia Security Inc. Candidates must pass drug screening, background checks, and take a personality profile designed by an industrial psychologist. Dispatchers are evaluated and tested on varying schedules (depending on gradation level) in various objective and subjective areas to ensure that only employees who are interested in performing at high levels and becoming experts in their field are permitted to maintain their position with the company. Dispatchers are extensively trained (120 introductory hours and continue through a rigorous training process named “Gradation” that takes 1.5 years to reach highest level status). Our dispatchers also receive TMA 5-diamond certification upon completion of the training program.
All this to say, when a company uses RapidSOS Monitoring and ECCs have enabled Alerts (at no cost to the agency!), telecommunicators are able to provide faster, more effective emergency response to their communities when it matters most. This latest innovation provides telecommunicators with rich data, enabling faster, more complete verification of incidents, resulting in faster deployment of the appropriate resources during an incident.
To digitally receive incident notifications and critical data from RapidSOS Monitoring, contact your ECC engagement manager to learn more about how to enable RapidSOS Alerts.