READY21 Recap: An Annual Event Dedicated to Our RapidSOS Emergency Community

On November 10th, 2021 we hosted our annual public safety event READY21, where over 1,700 public safety and technology leaders gathered to discuss the future of emergency response.

READY21 Event Overview

The READY21 public safety conference was a virtual, full-day event that included over 30 live sessions across five content tracks in addition to pre-recorded on-demand sessions. We were joined by over 110 speakers including 30+ Emergency Communications Center (ECC) Directors and thought leaders, current and former leadership of NENA, APCO, IACP, IAFC, NG911 Institute, and iCERT, 3 former FCC Chairmen, a former U.S. Secretary of Veterans Affairs, the former Vice Chair of AT&T, former SVP of Research and Development at Apple, and many more! 

Did you miss the live event? Watch our sessions on-demand by registering at rapidsos.com/READY21.

Changemakers Track Summary 

The Changemakers track featured industry leaders who covered topics ranging from community outreach and 9-1-1 empowerment to evolving emergency response and tech interoperability. Some session highlights included: 

Empowering the 9-1-1 Community at the National Level

This session was moderated by George Rice, Former Executive Director of APCO and iCERT, and Brian Fontes, CEO of the National Emergency Number Association (NENA), Patrick Halley, Senior Vice President at UsTelecom, and Wes Wright, NG911 Institute Executive Director joined as panelists. In this discussion, they examined the challenges faced by the 9-1-1 community and the government’s role in identifying solutions. 

Topics of discussion:

• Current efforts to secure funding for 9-1-1 services, as well as the state of NG9-1-1 funding.
• Looking ahead to what needs to be done at local, state, and federal levels to continue to obtain funding.
• Facilitating the transition to Next Generation 9-1-1.

Bridging Technology and 9-1-1

In this session, moderated by Danny Crichton, Managing Editor of TechCrunch, Dave Nagel, Former CEO at PalmSource and Former CTO at AT&T, and Ralph de la Vega, Former Vice Chairman, AT&T, discussed a range of topics surrounding tech solutions.

Topics of discussion:   

• The challenges of merging new technology with the mission-critical nature of 9-1-1.
• What lessons could be learned — and applied in the public safety space — from other industries. 
• The importance of human-centered design and how changes in technology over the last 53 years that have transformed our everyday lives are ripe to be applied to 9-1-1.

Trends Track Summary

ECC leaders discussed ways to navigate public safety industry trends and challenges, foster an inclusive and supportive culture, and create cultures and policies that set ECCs up for success.

Prioritizing the Health of our First First Responders

Karin Marquez, Senior Director of Public Safety at RapidSOS, moderated this session, was joined by  Michelle Lilly, P.h.D, Associate Professor at Northern Illinois University and Jim Marshall, Director, 911 Training Institute in this live session. The group discussed how telecommunicators are exposed to traumatic events on a daily basis and in some cases, those experiences can take a toll on mental health. 

Topics of discussion:

• Indicators to look out for in both self and co-workers that may indicate internal struggles.
• Helpful tips for stress management.  
• What ECCs can do to build a strong agency culture that promotes the well-being of staff.

Removing Bias-Based Inequalities from 9-1-1

Leslie Whitham, Training and Engagement Manager at RapidSOS, moderated this session, joined by thought leaders Karima Holmes, Board Member of FirstNet Authority, Rosa Ramos, Dispatch Manager at The Alameda County Regional Emergency Communications Center, and Sara Weston, Founder of 9-1-1der Women, who shared their insights and experience on how to bridge and manage diverse teams, how to ensure that all voices are represented in the center, and how to empower friends and colleagues to engage with each other in meaningful ways. 

Topics of discussion:

• Understanding how diversity and inclusion strengthen communities within public safety.
• Learning the fundamentals of building a work environment where respect is the foundation.
• Learning how to explore differences and build trust among peers within the workplace.

Tips for Maintaining ECC Policies and Procedures

In this session, Leslie Whitham was joined by industry experts Bob Finney, Director of Communications Technology at Collier County Sheriff’s Office, Nathan Lee, CEO/Founder, Denise Amber Lee Foundation, and Ryan Chambers, Account Executive, Frontline Public Safety Solutions, who discussed how maintaining up-to-date policies can streamline internal processes and ensure safer incident response, and shared tips for training staff to follow updated procedures. 

Topics of discussion: 

• What best practices ECC leaders should keep in mind when reviewing their agency’s policies and procedures.
• How to create policies that are in compliance with national standards.
• How to provide the necessary tools, training, and guidance to agency staff to help them comply with the agency’s policies and procedures.

Partnerships Track Summary

Industry experts from our partners discussed security, vehicle telematics, medical/health history and mapping data. We were joined by representatives from ZeroEyes, Rave, SiriusXM Connected Vehicle Services, Denver 9-1-1, MedicAlert, Pink Lotus, Critical Response Group (CRG), GeoComm and what3words (W3W).

Building a Partnership: 9-1-1 and Law Enforcement

We were honored to have (Ret.) Chief of Police Donald W. De Lucca moderate this session. He was joined by current and former Chiefs of Police, including Keith Kelley, Deputy Chief of Police at Athens-Clarke County Police Department, Chief Janeé Harteau,CEO of Vitals Aware Services, Inc., and Don White, Chief of Police, Lenoir City Police Department.

Topics of discussion:

• How 9-1-1 and Law Enforcement work together in emergencies.
• Understanding the critical need to bridge gaps in the relationship between the two, as well as the technologies they use. 
• Communication challenges they are facing today and the technological solutions they see coming that they are excited about. 

Products Track Summary

ECC users and the RapidSOS product team introduced new RapidSOS features and solutions that streamline ECC communications and empower faster, data-enriched emergency response.

RapidSOS Portal 

RapidSOS Portal users from the Chandler Police Department and the City of Rockford shared how their agencies have utilized RapidSOS Portal to respond to incidents in their jurisdictions and RapidSOS’s ECC Engagement and Training Manager, Leslie Whitham, shared valuable insider tips and unique use cases where RapidSOS Portal can help agencies drive faster data-enriched emergency response.

RapidSOS Partner Network 

Transforming emergency response requires a partnership approach to empower safer, stronger communities with intelligent, data-driven emergency response worldwide; to that end, members of the RapidSOS Partner Network – 911inform, Axon, Everbridge, and NICE – discussed how we’re working together to provide the tools and resources 9-1-1 needs to save more lives. 

RapidSOS Alerts

Greg Eusden, Product Manager at SimpliSafe discussed why SimpliSafe decided to work with RapidSOS to develop this important feature; sharing firsthand how the product works and what the experience is like from ECC Directors – Jennifer White (Loudon County) and Dan Wright (Baldwin County), who have participated in the alpha rollout of the solution.

RapidSOS Monitoring

Kristen Donnino, VP of Product, and Trish Beesley, Product Lead, highlighted RapidSOS Monitoring — a turn-key, white-glove solution for connected device companies that redefines the monitoring experience for both consumers and 9-1-1 centers alike: RapidSOS Monitoring will provide rich data for verified incidents directly to 9-1-1 giving frontline telecommunicators and users a superior experience during emergencies.

9-1-1 Excellence Track Summary

In these live Q&A sessions, we were joined by our ECCs leaders, Tyrell Morris, Domonique Curry (Orleans Parish Communications District), Halcyon Frank (The Dispatch Lab), Doug Campbell (Alexandria 911), Joe McCarville (Cedar Rapids Emergency Center), Carla Even (Chula Vista PD), Nick DiCicco (Chagrin Valley Regional), Erik Nielson (Outagamie, County Sheriff’s Office, WI), Curtis Sutton (Tennessee Emergency Communications Board), Sandi Stroud (Minnesota State 911), and Leah Missildine (Alabama 911), as we discussed how to elevate excellence across departments and organizations.

Overcoming Challenges and Obstacles No Matter the PSAP Size

This session focused on the need to get accustomed to the new normal, and how 9-1-1 was forced to be innovative and resourceful during the past 1.5 years. Specifically highlighted was the Orleans Parish Communications District’s journey to becoming more proactive and flexible, in order to quickly respond to the needs of the public while integrating with 3-1-1.

Key takeaways included:

• The importance of developing a culture of transparency.
• The benefits of getting top-down buy-in for the concepts of introducing and leveraging new technology. 
• The need to lean on resources like videos and other materials to facilitate training in both small and large PSAPs.

Taking Care of Your Team: Wellness Starts Here! 

This session was a frank and honest discussion around the challenges of facing and handling strong emotions like grief, loss, fear, and anger among team members, and ensuring that all staff are encouraged to reach out and utilize resources when needed, without hesitation or reluctance.

Key takeaways included:

• A reminder that resources must be accessible as well as available.
• The importance of compassion.
• How to create an environment that supports all staff.

Achieving Operational Excellence: Becoming an Operational All-Star 

This session was an overview of how to promote and drive operational successes within teams by nurturing an organization’s most valuable resource.

Key takeaways included:

• The core concept that the infrastructure is the people.
• How making team members’ lives easier is key to improving operations and engagement.
• The importance of creating a culture of responsiveness and technological agility.

Imagine Listening Session

We were honored to have Ricardo Martinez, CEO of Within The Trenches Media, deliver the closing session for the event. He shared powerful stories from live calls dispatchers have received, to highlight the impact of these calls in dispatchers’ own lives and mental health. Martinez, along with Karin Marquez, and Michael Martin closed the conference with a quick word of thanks to all attendees, panelists, and participants, followed by a salute of gratitude to the ECCs who work tirelessly to protect the lives of 9-1-1 callers.

Did you miss the live event? It’s not too late to catch up. Watch our live session recordings on-demand by registering at rapidsos.com/READY21.