2021-02-17

RapidSOS partners with Hexagon to power the future of UK emergency response

Source: Hexagon SI
Curated by: Gert Jan Wolf - Editor-in Chief for The Critical Communications Review

UK emergency services will be able to receive fast and accurate access to critical medical and personal details that could save lives. RapidSOS links life-saving data from 350M+ connected devices to over 4,800 emergency communication centers worldwide. Hexagon's solutions help protect nearly 1bn people globally.

RapidSOS, the world's first emergency response data platform, has partnered with Hexagon’s Safety & Infrastructure division, a global leader in computer-aided dispatch (CAD) software and public safety solutions, to give emergency communications centres across the UK access to life-saving data.

The partnership is an extension of the existing RapidSOS and Hexagon collaboration in the United States. It brings together two foremost industry experts and is the first stage in moving public safety agencies towards next-generation (NG999) communications.

By combining Hexagon's innovation in call centre dispatch with the RapidSOS emergency response data platform, the pair is ensuring emergency services around the world have fast, accurate and up-to-date information when responding to accidents, critical incidents and health emergencies.

The technology created by New York-based RapidSOS protects more than 90% of the U.S. population. Worldwide, it securely links emergency intelligence data - including medical status, vehicle crash data, and more - from 350M+ connected devices directly to emergency services and first responders. A recent partnership with MedicAlert UK was announced late last year, providing life-saving details and medical conditions of the charity's ID card users directly to the UK 999 system.

By joining forces with Hexagon, this life-saving data, accessed through the RapidSOS Platform, can be distributed widely to first responders through the HxGN OnCall® Dispatch suite - which provides police, fire, ambulance and transportation agencies with quality incident management and call-taking capabilities, to deliver better service during emergencies and major events.

For example, when a call is made from a user's registered mobile phone or connected device, call handlers will automatically receive critical details about them to send to those attending emergency call-outs.

Jessica Reed, VP of Strategy and Global Partners at RapidSOS, said: "The RapidSOS Platform is able to bring together crucial and potentially life-saving information from a variety of sources. Partnering with Hexagon in the US and now in the UK, helps ensure this information is delivered to the right place at the right time to make informed decisions, improve responses and save lives.

Reed continued: “The RapidSOS Platform supports all sorts of data, from dynamic AML (Advanced Mobile Location) and alternative location services to additional details generated from security systems, connected mobility, healthcare, connected buildings, apps, and wearables.”

Ian Holmes, Head of Public Safety for Hexagon’s Safety Infrastructure division UK, added: "There are a number of huge challenges ahead for public safety agencies, which require the capability to receive requests for service via not only voice but also through text, video, sensors, social media and instant messaging.