FirstNet Proves Useful During Flooding Recovery Efforts

The Minnesota Department of Public Safety Emergency Communication Networks division (DPS-ECN) is just one of many Minnesota agencies that has partnered with FirstNet to prevent communications problems from standing in the way in an emergency.

The program showed its value this spring when Beltrami County welcomed FEMA and state disaster recovery teams to assess flood damage in northern Minnesota.

Learn more about FirstNet and DPS-ECN in our latest blog​.​​

Improvements to Location Accuracy of 911 Calls

​When you book a trip through a rideshare service, the driver can pinpoint your exact location. Runners can use apps to track the location and distance of their workouts. So it's natural to expect 911 dispatchers will know where you are when you call for help.

Now they will thanks to a new partnership between ECN and RapidDeploy. The software service will equip all Minnesota 911 dispatchers with the same map and GIS data, along with network, mobile device, and other location data. This improves location accuracy to find callers faster. This software also comes with additional benefits, including:

• Two-way SMS chat to contact callers who hang up or become disconnected.
• Language translation for texts with non-English speaking callers.
• Quickly identifying any calls that have been misrouted to the wrong dispatch center.
  

​This statewide mapping and analytics solution will help Minnesota's 911 dispatcher centers provide quicker public safety response times in an emergency.