First Responders

The company serves police and fire departments, among other agencies at the state and local levels. SkyfireAI plans to deepen its development of tech for drone-as-first-responder programs.

The workforce management tech firm has bought Miller Mendel Inc., whose software helps with background checks for law enforcement applications. It follows another public safety acquisition earlier this year.

The Spokane Police Department will get four surveillance drones and a suite of quick-deploy road barriers to help protect Team Egypt while the region serves as the team's base camp.

Renner, seriously injured in a snowplow accident in 2023, will also become a brand partner and star in a documentary for the public safety tech provider. The company’s COO discusses the deal.

The deal provides Motorola Solutions with HyperYou’s agentic AI for handling nonemergency calls, as well as real-time language translation. The general idea is that AI can help alleviate call center staffing shortages.

The two combined platforms intend to offer a single system that connects daily logistical operations, like parents and buses picking up students, with school safety protocols in an emergency.

Born from the chaos of 9/11, FirstNet provides a mobile phone network designed for public safety professionals. The new deal comes as the U.S. Congress considers a 10-year reauthorization of FirstNet.

At the Emergency Medical Services Academy in Clatsop County, Ore., teens get firsthand exposure to emergency medicine and rotate through ambulance services, fire departments, hospitals and the Life Flight base.

The National League of Cities will work with tech company BRINC to educate cities, towns and villages on standing up drone-as-first-responder programs. That includes assistance on FAA approvals and training.

There were at least 1,800 teams nationwide trained to respond to mental health crises in 2023. But financial support is often inadequate and inconsistent, leaving many communities struggling to keep the teams operating.

The city is expected to nearly double in size by 2055, and that means adjusting coverage areas, taking advantage of Greeley's real-time crime center and launching new tech tools.

The world’s biggest sporting event, set for the U.S., Canada and Mexico, is months away, and that means gov tech suppliers are preparing to make sure everyone stays safe. Drones are a main area of concern.

In December the county upgraded its emergency alert system with technology that allows the Emergency Management Agency to draw targeted subgroups that include first responders and city, county and school officials.

The mobile unit provides dual capability to cover continuity and backup 911 operations as well as incident support for field communications. The current unit it will replace is almost 30 years old.

The county's Department of Public Safety Communications and Emergency Management upgraded its computer-aided dispatching system to one that is cloud-based and can work more easily with neighboring agencies.

The city expects to launch three drones as first responders by mid-March. The program is anticipated to cost roughly $180,000 a year and will save the police department time and resources.

The rollout follows several years of planning and state-funded upgrades to Laredo's 911 infrastructure, including new dispatch technology and cybersecurity protections approved by City Council in 2024 and 2025.

FEMA has reduced the payments that local fire departments receive for the use of their equipment when they're asked to help with wildfires outside their jurisdiction. Western states rely on this mutual aid for fire response.