By Deba Uwadiae, Okon Ekpenyong and Peaches Calhoun

The City of Columbus has announced the deployment of Live video sharing and text translation in 55 languages to 911 emergency services to help improve accessibility.

City of Columbus Mayor Andrew Ginther who announced the deployment of the Next Generation 911 technologies said it will enhance the protection and safety of residents and businesses.

New video-sharing and AI-powered text translation capabilities will help support emergency response and provide more equitable access to Columbus’ 911 services.

The new Text-2-911 Translation tool allows residents to text 911 in their native language. The technology auto-detects the language of that incoming text and provides accurate, actionable translations in 55 languages.

As the 911 Call Taker responds in English, the resident receives the response in their language.

However, the availability of this feature could depend on the mobile phone carrier. Some mobile carriers support this feature only for Latin-based languages.

Also, the 911 Center will continue to utilize the Language Line translation service to engage verbally with residents as needed.

New Video to 911 capabilities allows a 911 Call Taker to text a link to a caller’s phone. After securing caller consent, the Call Taker is able to access the camera on the caller’s device for a live view of the emergency. This can provide critical context to first responders dispatched to fires, car accidents, or other potentially dangerous incidents.

To protect the privacy of the caller, once the call ends, so does access to their device. The link cannot be reactivated.

“No one should be unable to call for help when they need it most,” said Columbus Mayor, Andrew J. Ginther.

“These inclusive technologies will help make our city even safer and stronger through more equitable access to emergency services.”

“In an emergency situation, it is absolutely critical to remove communication barriers, because seconds count in these situations,” said Division of Support Services Administrator Ken Coontz.

“This is invaluable for interacting with non-English speakers; people with disabilities, hearing or speech impairments; as well as those who may be unable to communicate verbally due to background noise or safety considerations.”

The Columbus Emergency Communications Center worked with the Columbus Department of Neighborhoods to enlist residents from diverse backgrounds to test and validate the technology before it went live. Both features launched on April 9th and are provided by Intrado.

“We found the system to be fast, reliable and responsive,” said Abdi Soofe, Department of Neighborhoods New American Coordinator.

“Having the communication in writing in their own language and seeing the other end of the system- the information was automatically translated and accurate- was an amazing thing. We’re proud to be a part of this journey.”

Last year, Emergency Communications Center personnel handled 1,412,355 phone contacts, including 671,341 911 calls, 709,381 non-emergency calls, and 31,633 text messages.

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