OnStar Helps First Responders

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Available in most General Motors vehicles since 1995, including the Chevrolet Volt, OnStar is able to assist first responders if a vehicle is involved in a traffic collision. "OnStar is an in-vehicle safety and security system and we work very closely with first responders," stated Public Policy Manager for OnStar, Cathy McCormick.

Due to their GPS tracking system, OnStar can give local agencies extremely specific information on location. OnStar can also alert dispatchers if the vehicle is an electric vehicle or a Hydrogen Fuel Cell vehicle. Cathy McCormick explained, "The fire service can expect that when they get a call from OnStar, we are going to have communication into the vehicle if the occupants are conscious and able to speak with us."

The 911 dispatcher is also conferenced into the vehicle by OnStar so that all parties are communicating. "If the person is not responsive as a result of a crash or some sort of medical emergency and they have been initially able to push the emergency button or the vehicle has called on their behalf, then we are going to get a very precise location," remarked McCormick.

Once activated, OnStar can also listen for sounds of distress in the vehicle and relay that information to first responders en route to the emergency. According to Cathy McCormick, if the vehicle is not easily visible, OnStar will assist the fire service in locating the vehicle by being able to sound the horn and flash the lights.

"We tend to find our scenes pretty easily and we're there pretty quick. But I can see the benefits definitely in a rural area," expressed Captain Ron Gutierrez with the Newport Beach Fire Department. OnStar is also used frequently by drivers making Good Samaritan calls, like reporting other accidents or house fires. Cathy McCormick added, "One of the things we see out here in California is people reporting wildfires."

OnStar has found that about half of the 911 agencies in the U.S. and Canada that they deal with can not give guidance in a medical emergency. Therefore, OnStar has trained and certified their emergency advisors to be able to assist, rather than taking the chance that the 911 center does not offer the service or are too busy to perform that service.

That service was recently put to the test after a hunter in rural Oregon was bitten by a rattlesnake. Cathy McCormick claimed that OnStar was "able to use our pre-arrival emergency medical dispatch instruction with the patient while we were coordinating with the 911 center." Based on the GPS location given by OnStar, the responding fire department decided to send in a medical helicopter. "They also instructed someone on the ground to use a signaling mirror so that we were able to get that rescue landed right near the vehicle," said McCormick.

The full scope of OnStar services will be standard for five years in the Chevrolet Volt. OnStar is available on 30 General Motors vehicles in the U.S. as well as on GM vehicles in Canada and China. For more information on OnStar services, please visit http://www.onstar.com/web/portal/home.



Author:Barbara Brooks - Video, Renee Marquart - Text