ATLANTA — Before thousands of soccer fans arrived in Atlanta for the FIFA World Cup, the city rolled out a new emergency response system designed to change the way 911 calls are handled.
The upgraded E-911 technology gives dispatchers tools that were not available during past major events, including the ability to pinpoint a caller’s location more accurately, translate languages in real time and gather more information from people in need of help.
Channel 2’s Brittany Kleinpeter got an exclusive first look at the technology before the tournament and checked back in with Atlanta’s E-911 director to see how it performed during one of the city’s largest international events.
“So far in the cases where we have needed to use it, it has been successful and has proven its worth for the citizens of Atlanta and our international visitors,” said Desiree Arnold, Atlanta’s E-911 director.
For one Atlanta dispatcher who worked during the 1996 Summer Olympics, the difference between then and now is significant.
Clayton Samuels, a supervisor at the E-911 center, said emergency calls during the Olympics relied heavily on what callers could tell dispatchers and manual tools.
“Back in ’96, we had to rely on hearsay, what they’re telling us and manually try to look up location using a map book,” Samuels said.
Today, Atlanta’s upgraded system can pinpoint a caller’s location within feet, translate dozens of languages in real time and allow dispatchers to communicate through text when someone cannot safely speak.
“Because of this technology, we feel confident that in each case, in each scenario, they have all the tools that they need to make the right decisions to locate people and communicate,” Arnold said.
During the FIFA tournament, dispatchers used the system’s location capabilities while responding in crowded areas, helping them quickly identify where people needed assistance.
Arnold says the technology was just one piece of the puzzle, and that preparation and communication were critical to making the system successful during the event.
The city is now having conversations about keeping the technology after FIFA ends, but Arnold says the final decision will ultimately come down to cost.
She says the experience also helped prove Atlanta is better prepared for future large-scale events.
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