How does the new 911 app work?

We’ve all heard about how difficult it can be for dispatchers to find you in an emergency situation if you are using a cell phone to call 911.

However, that could change for Colleyville and Southlake residents. In December, NETCOM, the 911 dispatch center for the cities of Colleyville and Southlake, became the first emergency dispatch center in the country to launch the app SirenGPS.

When callers from Colleyville or Southlake use the app to call 911, dispatchers will receive pinpointed location data. Data delivered to dispatchers includes the caller’s location along with any other profile information they’ve chosen to provide. Users also indicate which service they need—police, fire or EMS—when they call, and that information is delivered in real time not only to dispatch operators but also to police and fire units in the field.

The SirenGPS app won’t replace calling 911, but it can assist in calls from mobile phones, from which NETCOM said more than 80 percent of the calls it receives are now coming.