Prince George’s County, Maryland, has completed upgrades to its emergency communications infrastructure, which are part of a nationwide effort to upgrade all 911 call centers in an ever-increasing wireless mobile society.
Next Generation 911 is in the process of revamping emergency systems across the U.S. and Canada.
Some of the county’s new capabilities include more enhanced caller location data for first responders and dispatchers, faster and more accurate routing of calls and giving callers the ability to text, send images and even video to call centers.
“The 911 call center’s transition to Next Generation 911 is a huge accomplishment for public safety in Prince George’s County,” said Barry L. Stanton, Public Safety and Homeland Security deputy chief administrative officer, in a news release.
Prince George’s County is the first jurisdiction in Maryland to go live with the new system and joins Prince William and Fairfax Counties in Virginia.
Virginia’s Department of Emergency Management says Arlington, Alexandria, Falls Church, Metropolitan Washington Airports Authority, Manassas, Manassas Park and Stafford will go live with the new system over the next six months.
“This system not only enhances the services that we are able to provide our residents when they call us for assistance, but also greatly assists all of our public safety personnel as they work to keep our communities safe and healthy,” said Stanton.
Prince George’s County completed the upgrades last month, and the system is now live for use by residents.
