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Muskogee implements RapidSOS dispatch technology

Posted at 9:57 PM, Sep 20, 2018
and last updated 2018-09-21 19:00:52-04

MUSKOGEE, Okla. -- The 9-1-1 call center in Muskogee is implementing new technology that could help save your life.

One of the most essential pieces of information dispatchers need is location.

"Every second counts, and location, it’s location, location, location," said Darryl Maggard, the 9-1-1 Director in Muskogee County.

But with old technology, the location of a caller isn't immediately precise.

"Folks like Uber, Lyft, and even if you call in and need a tow driver from AAA, that they are getting more precise information than we have," said Maggard.

But that's now changing with the installation of RapidSOS.

"RapidSOS actually uses, if you’re connected to WiFi in your building, it takes that information, it takes the headset information, it takes the mapping information that we have in dispatch," said Maggard.

Instead of getting a big bubble of where you may be, RapidSOS pinpoints your exact location using your Apple iPhone.

"Google has just announced today that they are going to follow suit," Maggard.

Apple iPhones with the iOS 12 update automatically share the emergency information with 9-1-1.

Maggard says all employees were trained on the new system, and Muskogee was one of the first dispatch centers in the nation to start using RapidSOS.

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