(Logan, Iowa) – Harrison County Emergency Management Coordinator Philip Davis reports that beginning February 1, 2023, Harrison County 911 will be implementing new technology that allows 911 callers to share live videos with dispatchers. The county’s emergency services will be using “Prepared Live” to help improve the accuracy and response to 911 calls. This helps put eyes on the scene before responders can physically be on scene. Prepared Live allows dispatchers to gather important information for responders, accurately pinpoint callers’ location, and gather evidence that may be unavailable otherwise.

Davis says “This software can help with welfare checks, car accidents, fires, lost hikers, hazardous materials and other urgent emergencies. There are procedures in place for situations where the callers’ safety needs to be protected, as well. Participation in the video live stream during a 911 call is entirely voluntary and consent in required from the caller. When someone dials 911, the dispatcher can send the caller a text message with a link. Before the 911 dispatcher can view the stream, the caller must click the link and accept all permissions. Again, this new system is completely voluntary for the caller and only used with his/her permission. The dispatcher only has access during that phone call.”

In 2022 Harrison County 911 received over 1000 hang up calls. “These types of calls,” Davis says, “take up a lot of time and resources to ensure the caller did not have an emergency. The Prepared Live system also allows dispatchers to send a text message to that number to check and see if there is an emergency. This feature will save valuable time and resources as people today are more likely to answer a text message, than an unknown phone number.”

It’s important to note, according to Philip Davis, that “If you receive a text message that states this is Harrison County 911 and we received a call from this number, it is a legitimate message and requires a response so that responders are not dispatched to your location. Our goal at Harrison County 911,” he says, “is to use this new software to better serve the residents of Harrison County and ensure the safety of all our responders.”