Tucson, Arizona (KGUN) — The Tucson Emergency Communications Center is the second largest 911 call center in Arizona, averaging over 40,000 calls per month. Relay calls to TPD, Southern Tucson Police Department, eight fire and EMS agencies.

This week the center received a significant upgrade to assist current and prospective call takers and dispatchers.

Geoff Kuhn, Public Safety Communications Administrator for the City of Tucson, helps coordinate all seven 911 centers in Pima County.

“They are using all kinds of data to make very important decisions,” Kuhn says of call receptionists and dispatchers.

This upgrade provides better data. Most importantly, mobile phones can be used to more accurately identify 911 callers.

“That’s the most important thing about 911: you need to know where you are rather than what’s going on,” Kuhn said. “Because that is our number one priority.

Not only is this new technology, it’s also a new network installed this week. Kuhn says it opens the door for further improvements in the future.

“Whether you have access to real-time transcription, possibly real-time translation … outbound text, or photos and media from 911 centers. Those will be new processes for us,” he said.

This update is gradually rolling out to all 911 centers in Arizona. The state uses the 911 excise tax to fund these improvements. Over the next five years, he will invest $4.3 million in Tucson’s largest location.

Kuhn likens it to replacing a car’s engine. Not the most visible change, but a significant one.

“We want to give them all the tools with the highest accuracy and the best information so they can make decisions that impact the community,” said Kuhn.