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Interoperability has long been a buzz word in 9-1-1 — and it means different things to different people. 911.gov defines it as, “the ability of disparate systems and the components of those systems to work together seamlessly.”
At one level, it confers that public safety agencies of different disciplines, from 9-1-1 to fire to law enforcement, can successfully and easily coordinate. At the technical level, it confers the ability of various softwares and hardwares (and, ultimately, broadband systems) to seamlessly interact.
Recently, at the Iowa County Sheriff’s Office 9-1-1 center (WI), three pieces of 9-1-1 technology interacted effectively to help save the lives of two children when Dispatcher Keith Drury leveraged Prepared Live, what3words, and RapidSOS to view and locate the children who’d fallen from a cliff at Governor Dodge State Park. His efforts earned him the Prepared T.O.P. Save Award. This is the story.
Note: comments edited lightly for clarity
Quick thinking from telecommunicators combined with an understanding of the technology at their disposal drives lifesaving outcomes in communities. Keith displayed each of those skills during the call that earned him the T.O.P. Save award. Here’s the story in his words:
“On March 29th, at 2:18, I received a 9-1-1 call from a female subject stating her children, ages four and six, had fallen off a cliff at Governor Dodge State Park. Thanks to RapidSOS I was able to plot her exact location, and get her what3words coordinates.
I was able to put those three words in the text page for first responders so they knew exactly where in the 5,000+ acre State Park they were. As responders were en-route, I was able to use Prepared Live to have the female party show me where the two children were.
[Through the livestream] I was able to see the four year old child standing next to the female caller crying, and was able to see the rock ledge 50 feet above, where the other child was injured and still stranded. Seeing this, I was able to get Iowa County Technical Rescue paged out for a cliff edge rescue.
Thanks to the integration of RapidSOS, what3words, and Prepared Live, we were able to save to children that day, one who had fallen 80 feet, and one who had fallen 20 feet, and was injured on a rock ledge still 60 feet in the air.
Prepared Live, RapidSOS, and what3words all played an essential role in this Save:
Keith says that he likes the integration of the three technologies, calling it “quick and easy to use” and that it was “really easy to get comfortable with.” Of Prepared Live, he says, “When i can see the visual cues, I know exactly where they are.”
While this story is unique in it’s combination of new technologies, saving lives is not new to Keith Drury. Though currently a dispatcher, he’s also spent the better part of the last 14 years as an EMS volunteer. He uses that experience to inform his career as a 9-1-1 professional.
“My favorite part of the job is the Fire or EMS rescue calls, the ones where you feel like you’re using all of your training and tools at the same time. That’s the highlight of the day when you use all of your knowledge at once.”
He adds that the addition of Prepared has only heightened the experience, saying, “Thats the cool thing with Prepared, I can have eyes in the field, I can see things that people cannot describe to me. I can see what they’re gonna need from being in the field and knowing what its going to take to get that done.
“Agencies that aren’t using Prepared Live need to be using it.”
As a father of three boys, aged 10, 12, and 13, Keith stays busy outside of the center too. He called himself a “dispatcher by day and baseball runner by night.” Born and raised in the community he serves, he is an exemplary professional and true public safety hero.
Thank you, Keith, for all that you do.
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