New 911 tech could make it easier to find injured, lost backcountry skiers

New technology to enhance information flowing into the 911 dispatch center could help the Pitkin County Sheriff’s Office break a trail for other agencies that are juggling calls, texts and videos coming from people lost in the backcountry or injured while skiing. The sheriff’s office will install a mapping technology that is intended to consolidate and prioritize the incoming information, “a kind of one stop shopping” for the dispatchers, said Brett Loeb, 911 division chief for the department.

“With all the new 911 technology, we’re getting video feeds. We’re getting texts to 911. We’re getting input from satellite devices. We’re getting satellite calls, all kinds of different stuff,” Loeb said. “Right now, there’s not a real good solution that consolidates everything, that makes it easy for our dispatchers to see.” Technology by a global software company based in Sweden, is designed to put all the information on one map, in one place, for the dispatchers, Loeb said.

Dispatchers now track information streaming in on different screens. Loeb said the new mapping system will allow dispatchers to funnel everything into one stream that includes a table of all incoming calls and information about where first responders are sent. “They can actually look at each call without closing the map or looking at different screens,” Loeb said.

“It’s just more efficient, economical and easier for the dispatcher.” The sheriff’s office expects to go live with the system in the first quarter of this year. This will be the first time the technology has been deployed in an area with ski resorts, said Ben Ernst, vice president and general manager of Hexagon’s safety, infrastructure and geospatial division.

Hexagon noted in its that Pitkin County, home to the resort town of Aspen and four major ski areas, attracts about 1.5 million tourists a year. The company said the upgrades to the county’s computer aided dispatch system will improve emergency response capabilities during such events as the X Games and music festivals.

“The tech is a digital map that allows the call takers and dispatchers to immediately see the origination of the call for service,” Ernst said. In a place that is such a draw for tourists, there might be a lot of people who call 911 who are unfamiliar with the area and don’t know where they are, Ernst added.

“To be able to ID their location through technology is just so critical in terms of getting assets sent to them as quickly as possible.” Loeb said the system should be a big help with backcountry rescues and when people don’t have cell phone service. He said the technology has an artificial intelligence component and can overlay information about weather and traffic and identify the quickest routes for responders.

“It’s just kind of a virtual co pilot,” Loeb said. The technology is expected to cost the sheriff’s office less than $100,000 a year. Loeb said he hopes one benefit will be improved retention of dispatchers, which has been difficult for 911 centers for a while. “Anything that makes their jobs easier allows us to reduce the stress and, hopefully, help people to enjoy their job more and stay in the job longer,” Loeb said.

He hopes Pitkin County’s experience with the new technology can help other agencies. “We call it breaking the trail for the rest of the industry,” Loeb said. “If we can figure things out that will help other centers, we’re all for that.”.