Cobb County announced on its website that its Department of Emergency Communications has launched upgrades in its technology to the NG911 standard.

According to the news release:

With these upgrades, callers can now stream video directly to 911 professionals from the scene of an incident. And for some non-English speaking callers, real-time translation capabilities will provide additional support, allowing calltakers to process emergencies more effectively and communicate across language barriers.

These improvements mark the completion of the DEC’s transition to Next Generation 911 (NG911) with the implementation of AT&T’s Emergency Services Internet-Protocol Network (ESInet) digital infrastructure and the Carbyne APEX call-handling platform.

The county states that the upgrades will “make emergency responses faster, smarter, and more reliable.”

According to the county:

With these upgrades, callers can now stream video directly to 911 professionals from the scene of an incident. And for some non-English speaking callers, real-time translation capabilities will provide additional support, allowing calltakers to process emergencies more effectively and communicate across language barriers.

These improvements mark the completion of the DEC’s transition to Next Generation 911 (NG911) with the implementation of AT&T’s Emergency Services Internet-Protocol Network (ESInet) digital infrastructure and the Carbyne APEX call-handling platform.

According to the website of the National 911 Program, the organization coordinating with local governments to implement NG911:

Next Generation 911 (commonly referred to as NG911) is a digital, internet protocol (IP)-based system that will replace the analog 911 infrastructure that’s been in place for decades.

The success and reliability of 911 will be greatly improved with the implementation of NG911, as it will enhance emergency number services to create a faster, more resilient system that allows voice, photos, videos and text messages to flow seamlessly from the public to the 911 network. NG911 will also improve public safety answering points’ ability to help manage call overload, natural disasters and transfer of 911 calls based on caller location data.

“These upgrades represent a major step forward in how we serve our community,” said Melissa Alterio, Director of the Cobb County Department of Emergency Communications. “By embracing Next Generation 911 and the Carbyne APEX platform, we’re equipping our team with the tools they need to respond faster, smarter, and more effectively.”

To read more about the county’s work on implementing this new system, follow this link to the Cobb County website.

To learn about the technical details of the NG911 system and how it will impact the public, follow this link.