Publications

In North America, people phone the number 9-1-1 to obtain emergency services. In the near future, such services will incorporate new communication modalities such as video calling where callers can show visuals of the emergency to call takers. This information can then be shared between dispatchers and first responders such as firefighters. We conducted an exploratory study with dispatchers and firefighters to understand how 9-1-1 video call information should be shared with firefighters while enroute to an emergency and what benefits and challenges it would create. Our results show that video call information can help firefighters gain more accurate information about an emergency, provide location specifics, pre-plan strategies, and mentally prepare for the situation while traveling to it. Yet there are design tensions around what and how much information should be shared with firefighters by dispatchers, and, in turn, what video information is shown to firefighter crewmembers.