911 Safety Technology – OnStar Expands with RapidDeploy

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GM Ventures* today announced its participation in the $40 million Series B funding round for RapidDeploy**, a public safety technology company working to accelerate so-called Next Generation 911 in the United States. The General motors press release claimed  that the investment “will enable RapidDeploy to help improve the public safety community’s situational awareness with a cloud-native, data-driven solution.”

“This latest milestone in our collaboration with RapidDeploy demonstrates OnStar’s commitment to keeping members and first responders safe during emergencies and supporting new innovations to advance Next Generation 911 initiatives,” said Catherine Bishop, senior manager, OnStar Emergency Services.

Earlier this year, OnStar and RapidDeploy launched a program to supply every 911 call center in California with OnStar’s Automatic Crash Response notifications1. When a moderate-to-severe crash is detected, OnStar Automatic Crash Response can also automatically connect to a specially-trained Emergency-Certified Advisor2, who can offer help if a member is involved in a crash. OnStar Emergency-Certified Advisors are Emergency-Medical-Dispatch-certified and can provide medical assistance until help arrives, ensuring members will not face the emergency alone.

Using built-in sensors on vehicles with an active OnStar service plan, OnStar Automatic Crash Response notifications can:

• Help detect a moderate-to-severe crash and send notifications directly to 911 Centers via RapidDeploy RadiusPlus maps.
• Deploy without having to rely on verbal relay of information, including the location, make and model of the vehicle and available crash details.
• Indicate the probability of severe injury and whether the vehicle involved in a crash is electric, providing first responders with information they need to respond safely, and quickly rescue occupants, when applicable.

“The increased availability and speed of incident data into the hands of responders is a game-changing improvement,” said Deputy Chief Tom Clemo of the Santa Monica Fire Department in California. “Having as much information as possible as we respond to an incident is paramount to not only providing the best emergency services we can, but also to improving responder incident awareness and safety. We owe it to our communities and to our responders to leverage technology so that it improves our services and safety, and the work that OnStar and RapidDeploy are implementing certainly helps us to get there,” said Clemo.

 *GM Ventures formed in 2010 as the venture capital subsidiary of General Motors. The company makes equity investments in startups that are developing advanced technology to be implemented in future GM vehicles, manufacturing facilities, or operating businesses.  GM Ventures’ focus is on key technologies that support GM’s vision and desire to positively impact the future of mobility.

**OnStar Launched in 1996, OnStar is a wholly owned subsidiary of GM Holdings LLC (“GM”) and offers emergency, security and navigation services in Chevrolet, Buick, GMC and Cadillac models. OnStar offers a range of subscription services such as Automatic Crash Response, Emergency Services and Stolen Vehicle Assistance.

Footnotes

 1 OnStar plan, working electrical system, cell reception and GPS signal required. OnStar links to emergency services. Not all vehicles may transmit all crash data. See onstar.com for details and limitations.
2 Certified by the International Academies of Emergency Dispatch.