By Mathew Schumer
Baltimore Sun
BALTIMORE — The Baltimore City Fire Department plans to use a new AI-assisted emergency response system to help monitor downtown Baltimore during this weekend’s Artscape festival.
In a news release Tuesday afternoon, the department outlined an upgrade to its 911 communications system designed to help it more precisely respond to emergencies as thousands of visitors flock to this weekend’s free two-day festival.
The upgrades include artificial intelligence and geofencing technology, which enables the city’s Emergency Operations Center to track which 911 calls come from within the boundaries of Artscape, and divert them to EOC, rather than calls going straight to the 911 call center.
Officials said the effort will allow the 911 center to focus on emergencies throughout the city at-large, while EOC handles situations that may arise downtown during the festival.
The fire department said it plans to implement these systems during other major city events in the future.
Tenea Reddick, director of the city’s Emergency Call Center, called the upgrades “a groundbreaking moment for public safety in Baltimore.”
In its statement, the city fire department encouraged Baltimore residents to use 911 as normal during the festival, and said that the 911 user interface will remain largely the same, while still improving emergency response.
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