One of the newest areas of public safety technology is the national 988 Suicide and Crisis Hotline, and RapidDeploy has announced its first statewide deployment in this area through a contract in South Carolina. This could pave the way for other similar contracts.
The Texas-based mapping and analytics provider’s Radius Mapping tool, which can locate callers and provide supplemental data for calling recipients, among other tasks, is available from Mental Health America in Greenville County. said it helped run a 988 hotline in South Carolina.
The move marks RapidDeploy’s first expansion into 988 centers statewide, according to a company statement. The 988 Hotline was launched in the summer and replaced the 10-figure National Suicide Prevention Lifeline. The idea is not only to make it easier for people in crisis to access help, but also to ensure that mental health calls get to the right professionals quickly, helping 911 operators and other emergencies. It is intended to reduce the pressure on responders.
As RapidDeploy CEO Steven Raucher said, government technology Emergency dispatchers at the Greenville County Sheriff’s Office have been using Radius Mapping for 911 calls since 2019, according to email interviews.
“The Radius Mapping solution improves routing from calls from other area codes, improves resource location mapping for local food banks and homeless shelters, and optionally locates the caller’s exact location. locating can help solve some of the challenges of location, resources and communications.The approach involves two-way text to facilitate communication and data about calls that need to be escalated to public safety. It’s about sharing with 911,” he said.
RapidDeploy has deals with 911 centers in nine other states, and the company plans to announce other deals, including 988 hotlines, in the coming months, Raucher said.
“988 is still new and stakeholders are planning a workflow to best support communities with mental health needs,” he said. “The purpose of the 988 is very different from the 911, but some of the challenges are the same, and solutions like Radius Mapping already exist and can solve these challenges.”
