READY for Transformation: 5 Trends for Emergency Response in 2022

From year two of the pandemic, to new wildfires, disasters and school violence – in 2021 we witnessed the unwavering heroism of 911 in responding to hundreds of millions of emergencies. While unprecedented, telecommunicators rose to the challenge and were READY to protect their communities. For RapidSOS, surrounded by the extraordinary dedication of these heroes, we felt more connected than ever to our mission; uniting with a community of first responders, technology companies and public safety software vendors converging around a vision for transforming emergency response. See our 2021 year in review here. 

2021 was a year for connection; a year where we had the opportunity to get back out in the field partnering with public safety  across the country. That work left our team re-energized, reconnected, and renewed. Looking ahead to 2022, we see the incredible work of 911 and first responders driving life-saving transformation: 

1. We see a future where phone calls won’t be the primary way to communicate with 911. Sensors will detect emergencies before humans can and will work seamlessly with 911 telecommunicators to drive the fastest, most effective response possible.  For example, through our work with Honeywell, buildings will detect and verify a fire, pass critical data including sensor information, multimedia, floorplans, and the location of trapped occupants to 911 and first responders.  We predict that by the end of 2022, 20% of all 911 calls on our platform will be initiated by sensors, instead of a phone call. 
2. Multimedia content, in the form of video from cameras, bodycams, drones, and dashboard cams, and pictures from a scene will begin to change public safety operations. A recent study published in Science found that human speech has a data transmission rate of 39 bits per second.  Put another way, a single 5 megapixel image contains as much data as a human could transmit by continuously speaking for 11.8 days.  By the end of 2022, we expect the majority of ECCs across the country to have the ability to receive multimedia content through RapidSOS and that one photo or video clip will be used in 5% of emergencies on our platform.
3. The number of devices, sensors and apps that can share data to 911 via RapidSOS will surpass half a billion by the end of 2022. This will be driven by the continuing proliferation of connected devices – with major tech companies continuing their partnership with RapidSOS to ensure that these technologies work together in harmony with public safety when it matters most. Advances in connected health will help ensure first responders arrive with key medical background and an increasing share of vehicles and buildings will be able to pass critical data to 911 when it matters most.
4. Data from RapidSOS will be used in 180 million emergencies in 2022. This number has climbed from 100 million in 2019 to 165 million in 2021. As more and more ECCs embrace cloud technology and digitize their infrastructure, the better they will be able to ingest and utilize the rapidly growing data set – harnessing technology to reduce response times and drive their life-saving mission. 
5. Data and artificial intelligence will begin to transform the way Public Safety and 911 respond to mass casualty events and natural disasters. From predictive modeling and visualizations based on previous incidents, to the convergence of multiple real-time data inputs into RapidSOS’ emergency data model, we see the fusion of humans and technology providing unprecedented situational awareness and response in 2022.  
   

The past 10 years have been a decade of growth and transformation for 911. 5,200+ 911 centers now have rich data capabilities linking critical data from 400M+ devices into the hands of first responders when it matters most. In 2021 we witnessed the power of 911 telecommunicators to use that data to save lives. We can’t wait to see how this community of first responders, technology companies, and public safety software providers will continue to transform in 2022 and beyond! 

-Michael Martin, CEO