First Responders

ShotSpotter bought Forensic Logic earlier this year and now runs the COPLINK X search engine. In a social media post, Davis recounted the 10 years helming the firm and what it meant to work in the public safety sector.

A new upgrade to the city-county 911 dispatch center in Owensboro, Ky., will allow law enforcement agencies in the jurisdiction there to communicate via Wi-Fi on their portable radios when inside buildings.

The deal, involving the new national suicide hotline, is the company’s first such statewide contract. The announcement foreshadows over gov tech business developments for the latest emergency dispatch option in the U.S.

Around the Bay Area, a 5.1 magnitude earthquake lit up phones equipped with apps plugged into ShakeAlert, the U.S. Geological Survey’s earthquake early warning system, putting it to the test regionally.

The funding round was led by NightDragon, whose founder is a seasoned cybersecurity executive. The fresh capital comes amid strong activity in the gov tech sector — and some signs of potential slowdowns.

The training consists of 10 virtual active shooting scenarios in environments like airports, schools and courthouses, meant to better prepare emergency crews for a variety of situations through a video game engine.

The company aims to help emergency responders move past whiteboards and paper maps and adopt real-time, 3D technology. The investment comes as lessons emerge from the aftermath of Hurricane Ian.

San Luis Obispo County will receive $5.6 million of federal money to improve communications systems used by emergency responders for fire, crime and medical emergencies, lawmakers have announced.

The imagery and intelligence technology relies on private aircraft, crowdsourcing and even the U.S. Forest Service to provide tactical data to first responders and residents. Bridger recently said it would go public.

The new integration is designed to help police, fire and medical personnel gain more precise location data in emergencies. The deal marks the latest gov tech partnership involving U.K.-based what3words and U.S. firms.

The Series C funding round comes amid other recent and sizable investments in the emergency dispatch and public safety tech space. Carbyne has raised $128 million so far, and has reported a big U.S. revenue jump.

The San Luis Obispo County Sheriff's Office and Cal Fire will be sharing a new emergency dispatch center to be built by 2024. The $23.5 million center aims to improve communication between the two agencies.

The California project is designed to help disparate public safety agencies share data and improve communications during emergency responses. The move comes amid a broader push to upgrade 911 call center capabilities.

So far, the U.S. tropical storm season has been undramatic, but that could soon change. Many emergency response agencies have upgraded their tech, but they still need better mobile and digital tools to weather storms.

A newly acquired DJI Matrice 30T thermal drone system is set to replace the drone that the department has been using since 2018. The drone will be used in locating missing persons and surveying fires.

The expansion of the platform operator’s Location Discovery Solution comes as pressure builds to provide more precise emergency data for all types of calls. 911inform first used the tool with Panasonic.

The two tech providers will offer dispatchers and first responders precise geolocation data for buildings three stories and taller. The move reflects the growing precision of data in the public safety space.

Lemonade, a digital insurance firm, will offer drivers of connected vehicles an app that can confirm crashes and send data to emergency responders via RapidSOS. The move comes as connected vehicles gain popularity.