Thiruvananthapuram: Soon, people in need of emergency aid from Kerala's fire brigade will get real-time status and location of vehicles dispatched from stations. The Kerala fire and rescue services department plans to upgrade the traditional 101 emergency hotline with an AI-driven control room and integration of a mobile application. The department will implement the system at ₹1.95 crore.

The system is being revamped to integrate advanced technology, which will enhance situational awareness, response time and prevent accidents by using real-time data on locations, hazards and resources.

The tender document notes that currently, individuals calling emergency services through the 101 hotline are not required to accurately identify their location. There is also no mechanism to ensure the call reaches the nearest stations within the response range. Once the mobile application is launched, when a call is received, the fire department personnel will be provided with vital data, including information on hazardous materials, emergency contact details, video footage from the accident site and critical information required to reach the scene swiftly. This will be integrated into the emergency response system.

The department vehicles will be equipped with GPS tracking and individuals requesting emergency services will be able to monitor the status and location of the vehicles sent from a station. This functionality allows both the caller and the rescuer to track the progress of the vehicles.

A centralised control room driven by AI technology will be set up to effectively coordinate the 101 service and mobile application services. The software will be designed to fetch the caller's location and generate all relevant information and will be shared with the nearest fire station. The system will upload critical information to both the district control room and the central control room.