The Porter County E911 center hopes new software will speed up the dispatching process for fire departments.
Currently, when someone calls 911, they share the details of the emergency with the dispatcher, who then has to put them on hold for several seconds or even a few minutes, while they build tones and dispatch responders. E911 Director Debby Gunn says the new fire station alerting software will eliminate that gap.
"That call is entered, and those tones go out immediately aside from us," Gunn told the Porter County Commissioners last week. "We don't have to build them — the software does, as well as a digital dispatch."
That means the dispatcher can immediately share lifesaving instructions with callers, like how to begin CPR. Gunn said the impact will be "monumental."
"Now, a very important fact to recognize is that every 60 seconds without CPR reduces brain activity by approximately 10 percent," Gunn added.
The commissioners approved a $78,490.60 quote for the software from U.S. Digital Designs.
