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Glenview Public Safety Dispatch Center is using a new AI program to train new and experienced 911 dispatchers to handle any emergency situation, officials said.
“This is a total game changer in the ‘911′ world,” said Brent Reynolds, director of public safety and support services for the village of Glenview.
“It’s all about providing the best service when people dial 911,” he added, noting that it could even save lives when minutes matter.
Glenview recently partnered with Corti to use its AI platform and Skill Lab to help train new and hone existing 911 operators’ skills. Reynolds said telecommunicators are especially important as they coordinate between emergency personnel, police, and the public.
The Village of Glenview’s operations manager, Annie Marchiafava, said they’re using the Voyager AI platform to get insight from thousands of hours of phone calls with medical patients. It can identify words and trends in telephonic communication and help them track how long calls take, as well as other opportunities to improve outcomes.
“The more feedback we can provide the telecommunicator, the better their performance will be,” Marchiafava added.
Eleven nearby communities use two 911 call centers in Glenview and Highland Park: Glencoe police and fire, Glenview police and fire, Grayslake police and fire, Highland Park police and fire, Highwood police, Kenilworth police, Lake Bluff police and fire, Lake Forest police and fire, Lindenhurst police, Morton Grove police, Northfield police, Niles police and Winnetka police.
She said those two 911 centers combined get about 84,000 calls a year and that the new Artificial Intelligence Skill Lab allows users to sit in front of a computer and easily sort through various types of calls, or “scenarios,” to be used in 911 operator training and quality assurance.
“We’ve never been able to do this before,” she explained. “In the past, we’d have to save the call and set up a time for them to come in and listen. But now they can jump right in and see where they need to improve.”
Trainees and experienced telecommunicators can pull up 911 calls on anything from heart attacks to dog bites, so they can hear how the call was handled and learn from it, Reynolds added.
“It’s medical based stuff,” he said. “A cardiac arrest where we’d initiate CPR, a choking person needing the Heimlich maneuver, blood pressure problems – any medical scenario.”
“We’ve got a lot of calls to practice with,” he said. “A telecommunicator in training may not get those kinds of calls, but now they can practice with real-life scenarios – with real-time feedback!”
