First Responders

As the U.S. becomes more diverse, emergency call centers are responding to more non-English speakers. Prepared and its competitors are using AI to power more capable, real-time translation.

When the police department in Laredo, Texas, deployed new software, they used it to reduce firearms incidents while also mapping dangerous roads. But other lessons followed — lessons other agencies can use.

Sunny Isles Beach, Fla., CIO Derrick Arias offers his account of triaging the July CrowdStrike/Microsoft event and what his team will take from the experience to apply when — not if — they experience another outage.

As much of communication is handed over to connected devices, the newest product from RapidSOS offers processing for sensor-initiated 911 calls. The company is also focused on firefighting tech.

The Next Generation Fire System, a new AI program from the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, can process a fire hose of satellite data to spot fires smaller than a football field. Authorities tested it last month.

The looming release of iOS 18 promises to bring improvements to emergency call handling and dispatching. Nashville, meanwhile, has begun using a new 911 call platform designed to make life more efficient for emergency call takers.

The company, which already serves the federal government, has released a data-based product to other public agencies. The goal is to help officials with flood response, management and recovery operations.

One of North Carolina's largest counties is deploying a new emergency communications system from Hexagon. The exec running the 911 center — now the new president of NENA — details what will happen and what’s at stake.

The National Safety Council reports that 29 children died in hot cars in 2023. Efforts like the Henderson, Nev., Fire Department's Check Your Seats in the Heat campaign teach that these tragedies are preventable.

Following issues when 911 dispatch was disrupted by telecom outages, the state has signed a five-year deal for RapidSOS's public safety tech platform to streamline services and ensure critical communication.

A proposed Emergency Response Standard would increase training requirements for firefighters, which could prove too costly for volunteer brigades or mean some volunteers have to drop out of the programs.

Thanks to Apple, rich communication services are in the news, and now a new partnership could help spread those tools deeper into the public safety space. RapidSOS is coming off a major funding round.

If approved by the full county board in June, the project will bring together dozens of local law enforcement and fire agencies at a new $53.8 million Regional Operations and Communications Facility.

Police departments and emergency dispatch centers need more workers. Gov tech suppliers are rushing to the rescue, promising new software, data integration and other tools to make up for vacant positions.

Two new tools from the public safety tech provider, fresh off an Innovation Day, offer AI assistance during emergencies and wider, unified views of data vital to first responders. The move reflects wider gov tech trends.

The move comes amid wider debate about the role of green energy in law enforcement. Flock Safety says the flexibility of its new camera can also help ease police staffing shortages, a longstanding issue.

Lawmakers are considering spending $6 million to test the program, which allows paramedics to drive in standard vehicles directly to patients in need of care rather than waiting for ambulances, saving precious time.

Dedrone, the company Axon acquired, makes software, sensors and AI that help Ukraine defend against enemy drones — and protect utilities, prisons and public spaces in the U.S. Dedrone had raised $127 million from Axon and other investors.