Text messaging for emergency response

摘要

Systems and methods are provided to guide an emergency dispatcher in responding to emergency communications. The systems and methods may allow the dispatcher to use one or more of a plurality of different communication methods to communicate with a person needing assistance, such as by sending and receiving SMS/MMS messages. The systems and methods can include an emergency police, emergency fire, and/or emergency medical dispatch protocol configured to facilitate rapid, uniform, and consistent handling of communications. The emergency dispatch protocol presents a pre-scripted interrogation, including preprogrammed inquiries for a dispatcher to ask the person needing assistance. The emergency dispatcher may be able to easily send preprogrammed inquiries to the person needing assistance via SMS/MMS message and provide their responses to the emergency dispatch protocol quickly and/or automatically. The dispatch protocol may facilitate quick deployment of responders even if the person needing assistance cannot talk and/or hear.

主权项

1. An automated emergency dispatch system, comprising:
an electronic display; a communication device configured to send short message service (SMS) messages, multimedia messaging service (MMS) messages, or a combination thereof; one or more input devices; and an emergency dispatcher computing device, comprising: one or more processors electrically coupled to the electronic display, the one or more input devices, and the communication device; and a memory device electrically coupled to the one or more processors, the memory device including computer-readable instructions stored thereon, the computer-readable instructions configured to instruct the one or more processors to: cause the electronic display to display a plurality of preprogrammed inquiries for an emergency dispatcher operating the automated emergency dispatch system to present to a person needing assistance; and cause the communication device to automatically transmit at least one of the plurality of preprogrammed inquiries displayed by the electronic display to a device of the person needing assistance as one of an SMS message and an MMS message responsive to detecting an input from the emergency dispatcher with the one or more input devices without the emergency dispatcher copying and/or transcribing the at least one of the plurality of preprogrammed inquiries.