ORLANDO, Fla. – Orange County Fire Rescue dispatchers have a new tool when it comes to 911 calls.
The department just launched new software that enables the caller and the dispatcher to engage in a live video.
“We can now offer to send a link to you and if the caller agrees, it will appear as a text message, once they accept that, then it will open a live stream,” Division Chief Kimberly Stewart-Horan explained.
News 6 got a first look through a scenario demonstrated by a 911 dispatcher Friday.
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“We have people that are lost on trails, we have citizens that are new to the county that have no idea where they are that can be out the roadways, maybe an auto accident, maybe we have a call where the person is in a situation where they can’t speak,” Stewart-Horan said.
Stewart-Horan explained OCFR receives 350 to 400 calls a day and it will be up to the 911 dispatcher to send the video link to the caller depending on the type of emergency.
“We are very excited to bring this technology to our citizens and to the visitors that come to our county every year,” she said.
Orange County isn’t the only agency using this technology. Titusville police also introduced 911 video technology this month.
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