VIDEO: People who dial 911 from a cell phone in San Antonio may video chat with an emergency dispatcher.
To connect, callers must only click on the link the dispatcher sends, sometimes seconds after they pick up the phone.
This 'GoodSAM' technology allows trained paramedics to coach bystanders through life-saving procedures while first responders are en route.
"It's a wild success," SAFD spokesperson Joe Arrington said. "This is the future of 9-1-1, of medicine, and of pre-hospital care."
San Antonio's fire department was among the first agencies in the U.S. to use the technology, which experts developed in the United Kingdom.
The special computer program allows dispatchers, who are all trained paramedics, to assess situations before sending an emergency response unit.