New technology will help Charleston County EMS respond to 911 calls faster

CHARLESTON COUNTY, S.C. (WCBD) – Charleston County EMS believes they will respond to 911 calls faster, potentially saving more lives, thanks to a federal grant.

A $1.29 million grant from the Department of Transportation will go towards new technology to streamline operations and get first responders to critical situations more quickly.

“It can save lives, and that’s the whole idea behind this grant is to reduce those response times and to be able to actually get resources to the scene much faster,” said Allyson Burrell, deputy director of the Charleston County Consolidated Emergency Communication Center.

911 calls previously had to be transferred between centers, slowing the response time. However, EMS units will now be able to immediately respond to 911 calls no matter which center they come to.

“If you can imagine a 911 call having to be transferred to another 911 center, it’s then in another queue- so it takes some time for the 911 center to answer that call and process that call. This way, one 911 center answers it, processes it, and it goes into the computer-aided dispatch center,” explained Burrell.

Charleston County is partnering with Berkeley and Dorchester counties for the project as they look to reduce call times by 80 percent.

First responders say the new technology will be instrumental in helping them save lives.

“Anyone who calls 911 to have a call for service put into their computer system, and if it has to go another 911 center, that person is not transferred. So, there is no delay in the 911 center who needs to receive that call actually receiving it,” said Burrell.

The new technology will take roughly a year to implement.

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