Unlocking the life-saving potential of innovative public safety technologies

A fierce tornado rips through a small community in a rural part of Canada. Residents submit photos and videos of the aftermath to 911, giving dispatchers the information they need to determine what kind of assistance is required. At the press of a button, first responders from multiple agencies connect to coordinate their response, despite operating in an area with weaker mobile connectivity. On the scene, first responders moving through a ruined building are wearing devices that help keep them safe, such as sensors that detect impacts and automatically alert dispatchers, all while a drone flies overhead, scanning with infrared cameras for people trapped beneath the rubble.

This is the future of public safety in Canada. New communications infrastructure and new applications will put more information and capabilities into the hands of first responders and other public safety personnel, enabling faster emergency response and streamlined recovery efforts.

Upgrading Canada’s public safety infrastructure: Next Generation 911 and the PSBN

When assistance is required, the primary option with traditional 911 services is to make a voice or teletype call. Depending on the situation, those options may not be easy or even possible. Additionally, the information frightened or injured people provide to 911 dispatchers may not be accurate or useful. 

By allowing people in distress to send text messages, photos and video, Next Generation 911 (NG911) changes the reality of emergency situations. For example, a witness to a car accident can share photos or video with dispatchers, offering a clearer sense of the scale of the collision and the response measures that might be required. This gives public safety personnel a lot more information and context to work with, enhancing their situational awareness and ability to respond effectively. 

Alongside NG911, a Public Safety Broadband Network (PSBN) is in development for Canada that will facilitate communication and coordination among police officers, firefighters and paramedics during an emergency. Purpose-built for public safety personnel, the PSBN will  guarantee access to the network anywhere and at any time, support interoperability between Land Mobile Radio systems and Push-to-Talk solutions, and more. These capabilities will help Canada’s public safety agencies improve response and recovery time to disasters, emergencies and other major events.

Connecting agencies to life-saving innovations

Another source for innovation in public safety is the Internet of Things (IoT), specifically, the Internet of Life-Saving Things (IoLST). Like the IoT, the IoLST is a network of devices that uses the internet to collect and share data in real time. IoLST devices do so for the purpose of improving how public safety agencies respond to emergencies. For example, a medical alert system or other sensor monitoring a person’s health could send medical information automatically to dispatchers, providing reliable information immediately.

This way, paramedics do not need to spend those crucial first minutes diagnosing the situation or asking questions to someone who may be in a state of panic or otherwise unable to accurately answer. By using AI to translate and transcribe interviews, personnel can spend more time keeping communities safe rather than gathering details for an incident report.

Keeping first responders safe with the Internet of Life Saving Things

The IoLST can also help keep first responders safer on the job. Wearable devices can track their location and condition, making it possible for dispatchers to quickly tell where they are, how they are doing as well as send support right away when required. 

Sensors can also detect things like when a police officer draws their weapon or if a first responder’s heartrate spikes, both of which can indicate an issue that may require support. Ambulances and other public safety vehicles can also be integrated into the IoLST for real-time information sharing that helps emergency medical technicians provide earlier and more precise care. Smart traffic lights can also help make travelling to an emergency safer by providing green lights along the way for first responders.

Keeping first responders safe with augmented reality

Other innovations with the potential to support public safety include augmented reality (AR), which can display building schematics on firefighters’ helmet visors to help them navigate smoke-filled rooms and corridors. Additional overlays can highlight where individuals are trapped, as well as potential hazards and other factors in the environment. 

The use of drones can further improve situational awareness by providing additional views and perspectives that can help them track team members, uncover hazards and identify areas that need focus. Some drones can be equipped with infrared cameras that can reveal trapped individuals during search-and-rescue missions by quickly sweeping over locations. That footage can even be displayed on the AR headsets of first responders.

AR can also help prepare public safety personnel before they step into emergency situations by enhancing training simulations. This makes it possible to train for situations they have never seen before in a safe and controlled environment enabling them to act faster and more effectively if they do encounter that scenario on the job.

Why Bell for public safety?

With over 30 years of public safety expertise, Bell is an established leader in mission-critical communications solutions. Our comprehensive suite of technologies, including P25 LMR, Push-to-Talk (PTT), Mobile Broadband for First Responders (MBFR), interoperability, Next Generation 911 (NG911) and SD-WAN enables us to support communications across a number of public safety agencies. This flexibility in terms of solutions uniquely positions Bell to meet the demands necessary to deliver a PSBN.

Our approach to public safety communications is holistic, leveraging an ever-growing and expansive partner ecosystem to deliver innovative and interoperable solutions. With the capability to design, deploy and maintain P25 LMR and PMN – as well as integrate advanced Internet of Things (IoT) and Internet of Life Saving Things solutions – our goal is to improve the situational awareness and safety of first responders on the scene. Beyond the technology, Bell will provide the end-to-end professional services necessary to maintain networks tailored to the unique needs of the region or agency. Our unmatched suite of solutions, technical expertise, infrastructure and advanced partnerships go hand in hand with our commitment to innovation, security and connectivity, ensuring we deliver a world-class PSBN and best-in-class solutions to enhance public safety operations nationwide.  

Helping public safety agencies do their important work

Infrastructure upgrades like NG911 and the PSBN have vast potential to improve emergency response across Canada, enabling more types of communication with dispatchers while ensuring first responders can access mobile connectivity wherever and whenever they need it. Over time, IoLST solutions and AR technology will help public safety agencies do their jobs even more effectively while keeping their teams safer.

This first requires nationwide network digitalization and upgrades. It is in the interest of public safety that agencies enable the benefits of existing technologies as soon as possible and start planning today to work with the life-saving solutions yet to come. Bell is here to help with market-leading solutions for public safety, backed by more than three decades of experience in this sector. See bell.ca/publicsafety for more details.