Globally Revamping Outdated 911 Communication Systems and Saving Lives—Michael Martin—RapidSOS

The FCC estimates that in 2014, over 10,000 lives could have been saved if only there had been a way for 911 telecommunicators to identify the specific location of 911 callers. It may come as a surprise to many that the technology currently used by 911 systems dates back to the 1960s, and is, therefore, unable to accommodate lifesaving data, such as the location of a caller, the severity of a car crash, or the number of individuals who may be trapped in a burning building.

Considering that over 650,000 911 calls are made across the US every day—many of which are being made by callers who are experiencing the worst moments of their lives—RapidSOS, an advanced emergency technology company, has asked the following question: how do we upgrade these outdated analog voice systems to rich data networks that don't just overload the system with info that isn't ultimately lifesaving? They've spent the past four years holding various focus groups with hundreds of 911 centers across the country and partnering with major tech companies in order to provide this lifesaving data during emergencies.

RapidSOS now manages 60 percent of US 911 traffic and provides data to over 2,200 different public safety agencies in major US cities, and have seen response times improve by anywhere from 30 seconds to seven minutes; when even a single second can be the difference between life and death, this technology is rightly considered lifesaving.

Michael Martin, founder of RapidSOS, joins the podcast to discuss the implementation of this new technology and their plans for international expansion. Tune in for all the details and visit rapidsos.com for more.