RSSZello announced its enterprise-grade push-to-talk (PTT) application is available at no cost to first responders, anywhere in the world. The company said it has been receiving multiple applications per hour, an all-time high.
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U.S.-based first responders were previously able to use the professional version of Zello for free. The Zello app is already localized in 22 languages, and the program benefits now extend to any first responder organization in the world. While first responders already rely on the free version of Zello, the enterprise-level version adds centralized organizational control and audit. This is crucial in the aftermath of a significant event.
Zello has often emerged as a critical tool in times of crisis for coordinating preparedness and rescue efforts, including the current coronavirus pandemic. Zello has also mobilized staff to quickly handle the surging demand for the program.
"As we watch COVID-19 unfold, we are anticipating strains on hospital and first responder systems,” said Bill Moore, CEO of Zello. “During this time, first responders and their supervisors need to communicate to a broader set of people who don’t have radios or radio coverage. As such, we've decided to open the program to all first responder organizations worldwide at an enterprise level, in an effort to help curb the strain on these systems."
In addition to the geographical coverage extension, the Zello for First Responder program now includes all enterprise-grade solutions, including location history for all users of the network, facilitated by Google Maps. Additional features include a searchable centralized archive of all communications and a new dispatch communications solution. Zello users can also send photos and messages to one another and to groups of up to 8,000 users who can use it to share crucial information.
“Zello has greatly improved our team communications during critical situations like what we’re currently facing,” said Steve Castellano, IT leader/systems technician with Delaware County, Pennsylvania Emergency Services, a participant in the Zello for First Responders program. “Without the app, we’d be facing major challenges being able to coordinate activities, set up call stations for informational purposes and staging areas for possible exposure, create Zello channels on-the-fly to support Covid operations, and reach folks beyond traditional radio coverage range. Every minute counts in the situations we face, which often require coordinating with emergency management personnel. Because it is cross-platform and carrier agnostic, Zello has given us a lifeline to extend our capabilities and organize our teams better than ever.”
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