New technology making Delaware County 911 more efficient

DELAWARE, Ohio (WCMH) -- A new technology is changing the way Delaware County 911 dispatchers handle calls. 

Called Prepared, only about 1,000 communities nationwide use it, and Delaware is one of them. 

Hunter Frey, a Delaware County dispatch supervisor, said people are calling them while in a stressful situation. 

“Some people may not in the moment be able to explain things while under stress, so we're able to see it for ourselves,” Frey said. 

Watch: New technology making Delaware County 911 more efficient

Frey said Prepared instantly takes the 911 dispatcher from the call center to the scene of an emergency. 

“It's an increase of the information that we're getting and with that information, there is a better understanding that we're able to relay to the units that are actually going out to the call,” Frey said. 

He said that with Prepared,  dispatchers can start a text chat with the caller. 

“I'd send that text,” he said. “At this point, it's giving us an additional map, so we can see that satellite view here and then we can also see some device info." 

Frey said this is the part of the technology dispatchers are using most often; the text chat also gives them more information about who the caller is like their phone provider, name and age. 

Frey said there is also the option to send the caller a link and if the caller accepts, that person’s phone can send back real-time video to the dispatch center. 

“Then we're seeing on our screen what's happening through their device,” he said. “Then you can send the photos here. We do have some control to where we could change the camera here or take screenshots as needed.” 

Frey said they only use that portion of the technology if they feel it is a safe situation to do so.  

Lauren Yankanin, the county’s 911 director, said Delaware has been using Prepared for a little more than a year. 

“We're still feeling our way around in how we're going to be using that and with the video portion of it, which is new to 911,” Yankanin said. 

She said this on top of the other technology they use to help the department as the county keeps growing. 

“We have to be prepared to handle that, right, which means looking at, you know, call volumes and in staffing and in making sure we have enough people on the floor to handle those,” Yankanin said. 

Frey said now he is using Prepared every day. 

“That's another tool in the toolbox that I can use to actually try and establish contact,” he said. 

Delaware County emergency communications serves the entire county by not just answering 911 calls, but also communicating with law enforcement agencies. The service answers an average of 250 calls each day.