System and method for text messaging for emergency response

A computer system to guide a dispatcher when communicating with a person needing assistance via a communication device regarding an emergency incident, the computer system comprising:

• a processor;
• an output device in communication with the processor;
• an input device in communication with the processor;
• a communication interface in communication with the processor;
• a memory in communication with the processor, the memory comprising:
• a protocol comprising a logic tree that is configured to determine one of a plurality of pre-established determinant values, the protocol configured to:
• present on the output device a pre-scripted interrogation comprising a plurality of preprogrammed inquiries for the dispatcher to present to the person needing assistance in order to systematically obtain a description of the incident, wherein the description of the incident comprises responses from the person needing assistance to the plurality of preprogrammed inquiries;
• automatically send, using the communication interface, at least one preprogrammed inquiry to the person needing assistance as an SMS/MMS message responsive to a dispatcher input at the dispatch center computer device without the dispatcher copying and/or transcribing the at least one preprogrammed inquiry;
• receive, via at least one of the input device and the communication interface, input representative of the responses by the person needing assistance to the preprogrammed inquiries of the pre-scripted interrogation;
• and
• determine automatically, using the processor, a determinant value from one of the plurality of pre-established determinant values based on the input representative of the responses by the person needing assistance to one or more of the plurality of preprogrammed inquires, wherein the determinant value specifies an appropriate emergency dispatch response.

A non-transitory computer-readable storage medium having stored thereon computer-readable instruction code for a dispatch center computer device to perform a method for assisting a dispatcher when communicating with a person needing assistance via a communication device regarding an emergency incident, the method comprising:

• presenting on the dispatch center computer device a pre-scripted interrogation comprising a plurality of preprogrammed inquiries for the dispatcher to present to the person needing assistance in order to systematically obtain a description of the incident, the description of the incident comprising responses by the person needing assistance to the plurality of preprogrammed inquiries, wherein the dispatch center computer device includes a logic tree configured to determine the preprogrammed inquiries of the pre-scripted interrogation and automatically determine one of a plurality of pre-established determinant values based on input representative of the responses by the person needing assistance to one or more of the plurality of preprogrammed inquires;
• automatically sending at least one preprogrammed inquiry to the person needing assistance as an SMS/MMS message responsive to a dispatcher input at the dispatch center computer device without the dispatcher copying and/or transcribing the at least one preprogrammed inquiry;
• receiving input representative of the responses by the person needing assistance to the preprogrammed inquiries of the pre-scripted interrogation at the dispatch center computer device;
• assigning on the dispatch center computer device the pre-established determinant value determined by the logic tree and the pre-scripted interrogation;
• and
• generating an emergency dispatch response based on the assigned pre-established determinant value.