An upgrade to the United States’ 9-1-1 call center technology could help improve national rescue efforts and, in some cases, it will mean saving a life thanks to location-based technology. A Carmi Times piece reported that the bipartisan Congressional E-911 Caucus is introducing legislation to make this happen.

The caucus is co-chaired by Republicans John Shimkus of Illinois and Richard Burr of North Carolina, and Democrats Anna G. Eshoo of California and Amy Klobuchar of Michigan.

Key grants and programs will be reauthorized through the Next Generation 9-1-1 Preservation Act of 2010. It will also ensure continued funding for the nation’s 6,000 9-1-1 centers and programs. The House introduced its version on Friday, while the Senate plans to introduce its version Monday.

This legislation is an important step as 9-1-1 call centers receive more than 650,000 distress calls from across the nation every day. These calls are primarily funded through state taxes on phone bills.

With the Next Generation 9-1-1 Preservation Act, a five year federal grant program will be reauthorized to support state 9-1-1 services and improve technology. This Act also introduces improvements to the national E911 Implementation Coordination Office, which is designed to help states upgrade technology and coordinate services between call centers.

“This legislation is about more than reauthorizing grant programs, it’s about creating and maintaining a coordinated approach to 9-1-1 response technology on a nationwide level,” Shimkus said in the Carmi Times. “The Next Generation 9-1-1 technology needs to be fostered and advanced by experts on a national level with the resources to target specific public safety needs.”

The Federal Communication Commission has reported that some states have a history of diverting their 9-1-1 funds to support other programs. With the Next Generation 9-1-1 Preservation Act, states cannot divert the funds and must improve their 9-1-1 call center technology.

Much of the work necessary in the upgrading of 9-1-1 call center technology is to move to E911 capabilities. E911 is a technology that is designed to leverage location-based services to help emergency responders to find the exact whereabouts of distressed 9-1-1 callers. This is not only useful in situations where a single street address refers to a large building, but also in the increased use of cell phones to place distress calls.

It's a technology that E911 solutions provider RedSky Technologies, Inc. knows well. The Chicago-based company is the first of its kind to complete a series of interoperability tests conducted by a nonprofit group that defines requirements and standards for effective and accessible 9-1-1 services in North America.

RedSky (News - Alert) is the only enterprise 9-1-1 location solution provider to participate in the tests, which were conduct by the National Emergency Number Association at the nonprofit’s first-ever Industry Collaboration Event.