On Sunday, April 20, at around 1:00 p.m., Northern Middlesex RECC received a 911 call reporting a brush fire in the wooded area near the Rogers Park trailhead in Tewksbury. The Tewksbury Fire Department was dispatched to the area while dispatchers attempted to gather more information.
The 911 caller was unfamiliar with their location along the trail system and could not provide specific details about where the fire was or how to access it. To overcome this, dispatchers activated the Prepared platform—sending a secure link to the caller’s phone, which opened a live video feed directly to our communications center.
Immediately, dispatchers could see where the caller was located and the size of the brush fire. This real-time visual information helped ensure that responding fire crews had the best situational awareness before arriving.
This allowed dispatchers to:
- Pinpoint the exact location of the fire
- Identify the best access points for responding units
- Visually assess the fire’s size and behavior
This real-time information helped ensure that responding fire crews had the best situational awareness before arriving at the scene.
What is Prepared 911? Prepared 911 is a cutting-edge tool that gives dispatchers real-time situational awareness during emergencies. With the caller’s consent, dispatchers can send a secure link that enables live video, precise location data, and even two-way texting.
The platform also offers:
- Live text translations for callers who speak other languages
- AI-generated call transcriptions and incident summaries
- The ability to forward incident data—video, location, and notes—directly to first responders in the field
These features empower dispatchers to gather better information faster and help first responders arrive more prepared than ever before.