LONGMONT, Colo., April 24, 2025 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Intrado Life & Safety, Inc. (Intrado), a global leader in emergency communications, in collaboration with the City of Columbus, Ohio, today announced the deployment of Next Generation 911 (NG911) technologies that enhance the protection and safety of residents and businesses. Columbus’ new multimedia-sharing and AI-powered text translation capabilities, provided by Intrado, will help speed emergency response times while enabling comprehensive safety for the 1 million+ residents who depend on Columbus 911 services.
The innovative Text-2-911 Translation and Power 911 PSAP Initiated Multimedia solutions enable Columbus’ public safety professionals to more efficiently address emergencies—reducing time-to-response in situations when every second counts. Leveraging accurate translation and modernized visual communication capabilities allows NG911-enabled emergency call centers (ECCs) to more efficiently engage with those in need while providing enhanced situational awareness to first responders. This is especially critical to protect Columbus’ multicultural community, which includes the second-largest concentration of Somali residents in the United States.
“Columbus’ diversity makes our community strong, and these inclusive technologies will help make our city even safer and stronger,” said Columbus Mayor, Andrew J. Ginther. “We are proud to support our New American community and collaborate with technology leaders at Intrado to test and adopt these 911 translation and video-sharing technologies.”
Text-2-911 has always been a critical tool for responding to requests for emergency assistance from people with disabilities, hearing or speech impairment, and those who may be unable to place a voice call because of conditions in their immediate environment. The ability now for 911 telecommunicators to interact with non-English speakers over text tremendously enhances public safety. Intrado’s Text-2-911 Translation uses automated, real-time language and dialect detection capabilities to process inbound SMS messages to Columbus 911 in dozens of languages, which is critical for interacting with non-English speakers. In 2024, Columbus’ ECC personnel handled over 31,000 text messages. The Text-2-911 Translation technology will significantly improve 911 telecommunicators’ ability to quickly and efficiently communicate with the 20% of the population who are not native speakers of English.
“In less than one second, our AI technology detects the language and dialect used in a 911 text message and provides an accurate translation,” said D. Jeremy DeMar, Senior Manager for Government and Regulatory Affairs at Intrado and a former ECC director. “This technology shaves precious seconds off of the time it takes for telecommunicators to assess the severity of an incident and initiate an appropriate response—elevating the probability of a positive outcome.”
The PSAP Initiated Multimedia capability allows 911 telecommunicators to access video feeds streamed directly from the web browser on a caller’s device. When ECC personnel request a video feed, the 911 caller can share live footage from the scene of the emergency. These capabilities speed the dispatch of emergency personnel and provide critical context to first responders dispatched to fires, automotive accidents, or other potentially dangerous incidents.
Intrado’s NG911 solutions are powered by IP-based telecommunications infrastructure, which enables ECCs to leverage supplementary contextual data and alternative communication methods provided by modern smartphones and devices—including but not limited to location information, video- and photo-sharing, SMS text messaging, as well as user medical information. These innovations allow PSAPs, 911 telecommunicators and first responders to more efficiently address emergency situations and generate positive outcomes.
For more information about Intrado’s industry-leading public safety technology and 911 communication solutions, visit: www.intrado.com/psap-solutions.
About Intrado
Intrado is the essential partner for those committed to saving lives and protecting communities anywhere in the world. As a leading global provider of trusted emergency response solutions, Intrado improves public safety outcomes by connecting help to those in need. The company blends legacy intelligence, modern technology, and passionately dedicated people to create end-to-end solutions that are innovative, resilient, intuitive, and insightful. For more information, visit www.intrado.com.
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