Everybody knows to call 911 in an emergency. But 911 works a little different in some areas, especially in rural areas.
A friend who lived in Alaska and understands responding in rural areas told me how their EMS dispatch system worked in rural areas similar to ours.
In Alaska the person would call 911 as usual. The 911 operator would take the information, page the appropriate unit and pass on the call information. That's where things change.
The 911 dispatcher would forward the call to a mobile phone mounted in the ambulance. This allowed the EMT to speak directly to the caller getting directions and updated medical information. This eliminated any miscommunication between the caller, 911 dispatch, and the responding EMS unit.
Allowing callers to speak directly with responding units reduced response times by providing accurate directions and information on how to get to the location of the emergency.
When my friend worked in Alaska they had lot's of oil pipeline money for fancy radio systems and mobile telephones.
Today we have technology like GPS, cellular phones, and PTT radios that use cellular networks rather than repeaters.
This is an example of the IP Network Radio. These are mobile Android cell phones with a large display for GPS and other apps.
ANYSECU 4G-W2 N60 3G/4G LTE FDD Mobile Radio IP Network PTT Radio on Amazon
The external antenna for the cellular network will improve the coverage for these units over a that of a handheld cell phone
The external GPS antenna will provide for better reception and remove dead spots.
The handheld radios the fire district uses cost around $1600 each. IP Network Radios cost around $200 plus a data charge of around $15.
These units would provide first responders with a mobile cell phone, a large display GPS unit as well as a PTT two-way radio system with range only limited by the cellular network.
There are some limitations on what cellular systems various IP Network Radios work on so check local cellular bands
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