Collier County uses RapidSOS technology to identify hazards and perhaps save lives.
After Hurricane Ian hit Southwest Florida and killed 144 people, Collier County Sheriff Kevin Rambosk realized there had to be a better method to rescue citizens, according to a recent article by Tomas Rodriguez of Naples Daily News.
RapidSOS CEO Michael Martin told the Daily News he loves real-time data. He said the data helps responding authorities, especially in Collier County where they tested their equipment for national use.
He showed how data can speed response, indicate threat level, and pinpoint position. RapidSOS offers public safety free access, according to its website.
Collier County leads the nation in technology development. The company claims over 3,000 agencies use the technology.
“Until you’ve lived in the 911 center, it’s hard to just imagine, obviously the intensity of the experience, and also the historical technical challenges,” Martin said.
Collier County receives 500 emergency calls per day, from shootings to choking babies to fender benders.
Martin remarked landline phoning is 20th century. The system used to display the caller’s number but not their identity.
He explained how a previous caller would cause roughly 1 kilometer (3,281 feet) of ambiguity, making first responders race against time. About 10 football fields long. Their technology locates inside a building.
“So we were asking our nation’s 911 telecommunicators and first responders to manage nearly 250 million emergencies, sometimes without even knowing your name,” Martin added. “We founded RapidSOS 10 years ago to tackle that challenge.”
Martin said he bonded with Collier County officials. For five years, the county has pioneered the technique.
Martin showed how the current system can locate callers in a huge shopping center. He stated they get updates every five to 10 seconds to reach callers.
The caller’s device’s health data showed previous coronary heart disease. Plaque in heart arteries causes coronary heart disease.
Data for future hurricanes after Ian
The baseline for Southwest Florida call traffic is a yellow line on a computer screen, whereas a blue line shows traffic during the hurricane. Martin claimed Southwest Florida saw a 3,000% surge during the hurricane, compared to 200% overall.
“And you can imagine these folks, their own families, their own homes are being impacted,” Martin said of the call center pandemonium.
Gray aquamarine hues represent Hurricane Ian wind speeds.
“So the brighter the color, the higher the wind speed, basically,” Martin said.
Sheriff Kevin Rambosk of Collier County stated they had limited phone staff.
“You can just imagine the number and frequency of calls,” Rambosk remarked.
Rambosk noted that with an increase in persons potentially in danger and unable to interact with authorities, their system can detect an emergency and bypass the caller based on data collected in the surroundings.
Active-shooter scenarios are possible.
Martin claimed the technology might help police during active shooter situations like hurricanes.
Most schools have video systems, but Martin said they don’t have the employees to monitor them all.
The average college gunman arrived 11 minutes before firing.
“Those 11 minutes are hugely impactful and the potential ability to just stop something before it’s even occurred,” Martin added.
In a Collier County test case, the video system saw the intruder enter a building with a weapon.
“Then that data immediately populates on the screen of 911 with critical data,” Martin said. “This technology will take time to roll out across our schools and have limitations.”
Martin noted not all schools have camera feeds.
“Some will be some sort of [a] basic emergency button for teachers and faculty,” Martin said. “Some will be based on 911 calling.”
vs. hurricanes
Since Nikolas Cruz, 25, killed 17 students and staff and injured 17 at Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School in Parkland on Feb. 14, 2018, Rambosk has been working on a nationally recognized Threat Assessment Program to prevent such a tragedy in Collier County.
“We were looking for exactly what Michael [Martin] described, and that is how do we get alerted to a physical presence with a weapon automatically, because some of our schools have 3,000 students,” Rambosk added.
Rambosk reported one or two deputies per campus.
“You could be totally on the other side of our campus,” Rambosk remarked. “What we envision is being able to then go beyond the threats that are made verbally or on social media and get right to the detection of a subject on premise.”
Rambosk said the possibilities are two distinct events.
“A hurricane is a huge amount of data in a very short period of time with some recovery time right after, and it just stresses the system,” Rambosk said. The opposing set of events has less data.
The other helps them locate an occurrence and obtain related data quickly.
Rambosk called both “critically important.”
“But when we look at our day-to-day operations, we can plan to some degree for a hurricane and how we’re going to respond,” Rambosk said. “Day-to-day incidents…that is exactly where this type of data will help prevent and increase lifesaving and safety in the community.”
Ten years ago, Rambosk prioritized feeding information into deputies’ car computers. That’s now handheld.
The original story can be found on Naples Daily News