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By Greg Bartlett

When you call 911, it’s because you need help now. You don’t need assistance in two hours, or even fifteen minutes, you need it immediately, because sometimes just a few minutes can make a huge difference in whether or not you’re alive.

So what happens when you call 911, and the dispatcher has to find out which emergency vehicle is closest to you? What if the dispatcher doesn’t realize there is an ambulance just around the corner, for instance, and instead sends one that’s ten minutes away? Ten minutes might mean that your grandmother’s stroke turns deadly or causes permanent damage. You need help immediately, and the best way for that to occur is if the dispatcher knows exactly where each emergency vehicle is and can send the one closest to you by the fastest route. Cutting off a couple minutes or even thirty seconds can make a huge difference in an emergency call.

GPS monitoring of emergency vehicles would allow dispatchers to be able to know where emergency vehicles – ambulances, fire trucks, or police cars – are before a call is made. With a glance at the screen, the dispatcher can confirm which vehicle is closest and send it to you at once.

Furthermore, GPS monitoring can aid dispatchers and drivers in finding the fastest and most efficient route to an emergency call. Not only will it save fuel, but more efficient driving because of GPS monitoring will also save lives. Every second, every minute is precious in an emergency call, and the shorter the response time, the more likely a life will be saved.

One city which is using GPS tracking to monitor its emergency vehicles is able to see where each vehicle is, whether or not it is turned on, and how fast it is traveling. While the data GPS tracking provides can also be a helpful management tool by allowing the city to see if drivers are wasting time and resources, even more importantly the data permits dispatchers to find the closest appropriate vehicle and monitor it as it responds to the call. In an emergency, you need help at once.

In a city where emergency vehicles are equipped with GPS monitoring, the response time should be almost instant, saving valuable moments in an effort to get aid to you as quickly as possible. GPS allows for immediate emergency response, which can mean the difference between life and death.