Technology companies developing solutions for public safety face a critical blind spot. They design brilliant systems to help field responders, but they forget the essential middleman. Nine-one-one centers serve as the gateway between emergencies and response, yet they’re routinely excluded from technology conversations.
Amy Marion sees this problem daily. As Director of Public Safety for Enterprise Solutions at RapidSOS, she bridges the gap between innovative companies and the emergency communications centers that must actually use their technology.
This oversight creates serious problems. Companies sell technology to schools, enterprises, and government buildings while making promises about how their systems will connect to emergency services. They paint pictures of seamless data flows and faster response times. But they never actually talk to the 911 centers that will receive this information.
The consequences go beyond disappointed customers. When technology providers skip the 911 conversation, they create unrealistic expectations and operational headaches. Emergency communications centers suddenly find themselves responsible for data streams they never agreed to handle, using workflows they never helped design.
Marion emphasized a fundamental truth about emergency response. “Nine-one-one has to know what’s happening with their field responders,” she explained. “They have a responsibility, not just to answer their nine-one-one call, but they’re also responsible for those folks in the field.”
This means any technology that touches field responders must also consider the 911 center. Even if information flows directly to police, fire, or EMS in the field, dispatchers need visibility into what’s happening. They coordinate resources, track personnel, and maintain situational awareness across multiple incidents simultaneously.
Marion stressed that emergency technology represents just one piece of a much larger puzzle. “Your technology as valuable as it is, as important as it is, and safety it’s going to bring is not the only thing that they’re being asked to do,” she noted. “It’s not their only responsibility.”
Smart companies recognize that 911 centers handle dozens of different information sources during a typical shift. Each new technology must integrate smoothly with existing systems and procedures. The best solutions enhance dispatcher capabilities rather than creating additional burdens.
Geographic complexity adds another layer of challenge. A single school district might span multiple jurisdictions, each served by different 911 centers with unique policies and procedures. Technology vendors must account for this reality when designing their solutions.
The stakes are too high for shortcuts. Emergency technology that ignores 911 centers risks delayed response times, confused dispatchers, and missed opportunities to save lives. The path forward requires genuine collaboration between technology innovators and the emergency communications professionals who serve our communities every day.