Baltimore City Upgrades to NG911 System with Latest AI-Based Technology

Baltimore City announced a new next-generation 9-1-1 system equipped with the latest AI-based technology, including automatic text translation of 140 languages and robust geo-mapping, which can dramatically reduce emergency response times by up to 90 percent while eliminating the need to engage a live translator. The $6.5 million contract is funded by Maryland’s 9-1-1 Board, which supports capital enhancements to county 9-1-1 systems.

The system, provided by NWN Carousel, a leading cloud communications service provider, also provides increased security to thwart cyberattacks and cloud-based technology, allowing 9-1-1 specialists flexibility to work from anywhere, including the City’s 25 mobile command posts. The City will also use the mobile units, dubbed “9-1-1 in a box,” to create educational awareness for Baltimore’s emergency call system with students and other community members.

Baltimore’s 9-1-1 specialists annually handle more than 1.3 million emergency calls, ranging from car accidents, emergency responders in distress, natural disasters, people trapped in burning buildings, medical emergencies, etc. These upgrades make public safety both more effective and more responsive and ultimately help save more lives.

“The ability to communicate immediately with Spanish speakers and other non-English speaking callers of our ever-growing diverse community will provide a new comfort level for Baltimore citizens who may have been reluctant to call 9-1-1 in the past because they felt that we would not understand them. Baltimore City 911 has joined the DEI movement, by now providing the citizens with Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion when utilizing 9-1-1,” said Tenea Reddick, Baltimore City’s 9-1-1 director.

As previously reported on Conduit Street, the Commission to Advance Next Generation 9-1-1 across Maryland, a 2018 MACo Legislative Initiative, was established to update state laws and the 9-1-1 financing system to provide the flexibility and resources needed to deploy a statewide NG911 system. In 2019, the General Assembly passed landmark legislation to update state laws and the 9-1-1 financing system to provide the flexibility and resources needed to deploy a statewide NG911 system.

The Commission, chaired by Senator Cheryl Kagan, included 9-1-1 directors, technology and telecommunications industry representatives, cybersecurity professionals, a bipartisan group of legislators, and other stakeholders to assure a smooth and equitable transition to NG911. As a result of the Commission’s work, Maryland passed several laws to bolster the framework and resources to guide a successful statewide transition to NG911, enhancing public safety communications in Maryland and our local communities.

Maryland counties are leading the way in building a statewide NG911 system to equip public safety agencies and first responders with 21st-century tools and technology to protect residents and save lives. This year’s MACo Summer Conference will feature a live demonstration of NG911 remote call-taking technology, critical for ensuring resiliency and redundancy for Maryland’s 24 county 9-1-1 centers.

The 2023 MACo Summer Conference is August 16-19, 2023, at the Roland Powell Convention Center in Ocean City, Maryland.

Learn more about MACo’s Summer Conference: