— COMMAND & COORDINATION
Beyond Visibility: The Next Challenge in Public Safety Technology
For much of the last decade, public safety technology has focused on visibility.
Agencies have worked to improve what they can see, collect, access, and display. Better CAD interfaces, live maps, drones, video feeds, indoor maps, mobile responder tools, and richer data layers have all contributed to a more visible incident environment. That progress has been important. In emergency response, seeing more often creates the opportunity to respond better.
But visibility is no longer the only challenge. The next challenge is usability.
The agencies and platforms that lead the next phase of public safety technology will focus not just on information access, but on operational usability. How quickly can a responder act on what they see? How clearly can a dispatcher translate incident information into next steps? How well can multiple systems work from the same context? How reliably can location intelligence move with the incident from call to command to field action?
These questions will define the next generation of value.
01
Design for the decision
Present information in ways that help dispatchers, commanders, and responders understand what matters and determine their next steps quickly.
02
Connect the context
Ensure location intelligence, alerts, maps, and live incident information remain consistent across the systems involved in a response..
03
Reduce operational friction
Integrate tools and workflows so responders can act on information without navigating disconnected platforms or interpreting conflicting data.
04
Measure what technology enables
Evaluate public safety technology by how effectively it supports coordination, accelerates decisions, and helps teams act during real-world incidents.
FROM THE FIELD
Technical signals
NG9-1-1
Clark County, Ohio Transitions to Next Generation 9-1-1
Clark County, Ohio, has completed its transition to Next Generation 9-1-1. In March, county commissioners approved a 36-month agreement with AT&T to complete the last-mile connectivity needed for the upgrade. The new system supports text-to-911, video, improved routing during outages, and closer coordination among law enforcement, fire, EMS, and neighboring agencies.
INCIDENT MANAGEMENT APP
CAL FIRE has announced AwareCA
CAL FIRE has announced AwareCA, a free mobile app that shows near real-time incident updates on interactive maps, along with evacuation warning and order zones, shelter locations, road closures, and alerts based on the user's location. It also covers floods, earthquakes, severe weather, and hazardous materials incidents. During major fires, a public information officer will be assigned to keep the app updated, replacing the old pattern of two updates a day.
DRONE AS FIRST RESPONDER
Bellingham, Washington Secures Grant
Bellingham, Washington, secured a $475,417 state grant for a Drone as First Responder program, covering purchases, installation, and implementation through 2028. Police officers will remotely pilot drones to 9-1-1 incidents to assess conditions before ground crews arrive, helping agencies determine the response needed when caller information is incomplete.
SPONSORED BRIEFING
Rapidly Assess Damage with Esri’s Virtual Damage Reporting solution
Esri’s new Virtual Damage Reporting solution helps emergency management agencies assess damaged and destroyed structures using post-disaster satellite, aircraft, or drone imagery. GIS analysts combine imagery with parcel data in ArcGIS Pro, then apply a pretrained or incident-specific GeoAI model. A review dashboard prioritizes lower-confidence results for human validation, while a second dashboard maps damage totals and estimated property losses. For public safety agencies facing unsafe conditions or limited access, the workflow provides an early picture of affected areas to support resource allocation and requests for assistance.
REGULATION & OVERSIGHT
Public safety & GIS updates
FCC's Notice of Inquiry
NENA has welcomed the FCC's Notice of Inquiry, approved September 30, which opens a broad review of the nation's 9-1-1 rules. The inquiry will revisit the four-factor test the FCC developed in 2003 to decide which services fall under its 9-1-1 rules. It will also consider widening what counts as an emergency call and aligning 9-1-1 rules across different technologies, including calls placed over the internet.
APCO International Seeks Volunteers for Critical Public Safety Standard
APCO has requested ANSI to approve a new standard on the quality and validation of outside information sent to emergency communications centers. This includes data from connected apps, sensors, telematics, monitoring services, and AI systems. The criteria will not favor any particular technology and will cover reliability, confidence, completeness, timeliness, and usefulness for decisions. The goal is to reduce false, duplicate, and stale information reaching telecommunicators. Volunteers can apply through November 16.
New FCC rules
New FCC rules take effect October 15, making it easier for carriers to replace legacy networks while requiring advance notice of changes affecting 9-1-1 services. Carriers must generally give affected 9-1-1 providers at least 90 days’ notice before retiring copper infrastructure and 10 days before short-term network changes.
INSIGHT OF THE WEEK
APCO Urges Stronger Authentication and Geotargeting for Emergency Alerts
APCO has urged the FCC to strengthen checks on emergency alerts and improve how they reach people in affected areas. In comments filed September 29, it supported requiring television and radio alert systems to reject messages without a valid digital signature. It also backed more detailed location data, alerts covering only part of a county, and a review of exceptions to location-targeting requirements for mobile alerts. The recommendations aim to reduce false warnings and irrelevant notifications, helping preserve public trust and limit alert fatigue.
Resources & events
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Public Safety Conference
Oklahoma Homeland Security Conference
October 27-29 · Oklahoma City, Oklahoma
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Exposition and Summit
Florida NENA Fall Conference & Expo
December 5-11 · Fort Myers, Florida
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INDUSTRY INTEL
What Keeps Americans From Preparing for Disasters
This research surveyed 3,700 U.S. adults about disaster readiness. While 60% worried a natural disaster could affect their household within a year, only 15% felt very prepared, and 16% had created and tested an emergency plan. Cost was a barrier for 45%, while 28% did not know where to begin and 25% lacked time. Another 68% had five or fewer people they could rely on during a crisis.
