In an emergency, the first request for help starts a clock. What happens next depends on whether the people responsible for responding can quickly determine who needs help, what is happening, and where the incident is unfolding.
That information gap is at the center of Episode 7 of The Safety Signal. CENTEGIX CMO Robb Monkman sits down with Axon President Josh Isner and CENTEGIX CEO Brent Cobb to examine how connected technology could change the way emergencies are reported, communicated, and resolved across schools, hospitals, government facilities, and the communities around them.
Their conversation offers a practical view of the future of 911. A modern emergency management system should connect the person reporting an incident with onsite teams, dispatchers, and first responders. By transmitting precise location and real-time incident information, the system can reduce manual communication and help responders act with greater awareness.
Why Does the Future of 911 Depend on Better Emergency Management Systems?
Isner begins with a candid assessment of the technology available to many 911 centers.
“Ultimately, 911, I think from a technology standpoint, has been pretty underserved in the public safety space,” he says.
The federal National 911 Program provides context for that observation. Next Generation 911, or NG911, is intended to replace decades-old analog infrastructure with a digital, internet protocol-based system. In addition to voice, NG911 can support the movement of photos, video, and text through the 911 network. The program also notes that implementation requires coordination among emergency communications, public safety, legislative, and governing entities.
For Isner, the opportunity is ultimately measured in time. “The idea of consolidating the time as much as you possibly can between when a call comes in and when help is on the way,” he says, is central to improving outcomes. “Every second matters in that environment.”
Organizations have their own role in this information chain. Their emergency management software systems may be able to identify the person requesting help, the type of incident, the precise location, and the safety resources nearby. Connecting that information to emergency communications can reduce the number of details that must be collected and repeated after an incident begins.
How Can an Emergency Management System Compress Response Time?
Cobb describes time as “the most important element of a response,” adding that it is “the thing we cannot get back.”
Traditionally, a 911 telecommunicator may need to ask who is calling, what happened, the physical address, and where the caller is located within that address. Cobb says the CENTEGIX platform can know those details in less than three seconds and relay them electronically to 911.
The operational principle is straightforward: information an organization already has should not remain isolated when authorized responders need it. The CENTEGIX Safety Platform is designed to connect alert activation, precise location, notifications, mapping, and integrations so an organization can reduce delays across the response.
This is also why leaders should evaluate an emergency management platform as a complete workflow rather than as a collection of individual devices. Districts should look for several common pain points to be eliminated by any emergency management platform they’re evaluating, including delays, confusion, coverage gaps, and limited operational insight.
What Information Should an Emergency Management Platform Send to 911?
The podcast identifies a core set of facts that can make an emergency alert more useful:
- Who requested help
- What type of emergency is occurring
- The physical address
- The precise location within or around the facility
- The appropriate onsite safety contacts
- Nearby safety assets, such as AEDs and utility shutoff valves
- Relevant maps and authorized video feeds
- Updates as the incident changes
“It’s not just time; it’s situational awareness,” Cobb explains. He describes a system that can share information about onsite safety teams and nearby resources, then add mapping layers and incident-based video.
Location is especially important. The Federal Communications Commission has continued to address the accuracy of 911 location information, including requirements related to a caller’s vertical location in multi-story buildings. The FCC’s dispatchable location and z-axis proceeding reflects the broader operational need to identify more than a street address.
How Does Real-Time Information Improve Situational Awareness?
Isner discusses two sides of the same location problem during a violent event: responders need to know where victims are so they can reach them, and they may also need to understand where a perpetrator is so law enforcement can stop the threat.
“Ultimately, the more situational awareness that we can give a police officer as they’re being called to investigate something or pursue something, that alone changes the landscape and makes it a safer environment for a police officer,” he says.
His example is Drone as First Responder, which can give public safety teams an early view of a scene. The U.S. Department of Homeland Security is also researching technologies intended to improve emergency communications and information sharing through its Emergency Communications Research and Development Project.
Within a school, hospital, or government facility, situational awareness may come from a different combination of tools. A wearable alert can establish the incident location. A digital map can identify the building, floor, room, access points, and nearby equipment. Video can provide visual context during the active incident. The CENTEGIX safety integrations are designed to connect existing safety technologies to this response workflow.
Why Will Interoperability Shape the Future of Emergency Response?
Technology cannot improve information flow if each system remains an isolated endpoint. The National 911 Program reports that the lack of uniformity among computer-aided dispatch systems creates barriers to transferring calls and associated data. Its CAD Interoperability initiative addresses the standards, governance, funding, and workflow issues involved in sharing information across jurisdictions and systems.
The same principle applies inside organizations. Alerting, mapping, cameras, access control, mass notification, and public safety systems must be able to support a coordinated process.
Isner makes this one of his clearest predictions for the safety technology industry. “With how much technology is kind of arriving at the same time, I think it’s going to be incumbent on the vendors in the safety space to be really good at partnering with each other to achieve the kind of outcomes we’re looking for in society,” he says.
That view is consistent with the Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security Agency’s Interoperability Continuum, which treats interoperability as a combination of governance, standard operating procedures, technology, training, exercises, and routine use. Technology integration is necessary, but agencies and organizations also need shared policies and practiced workflows.
How Can Emergency Management Software Systems Protect Privacy?
More information can improve a response, but access to that information requires clear governance. Isner emphasizes the need to securely manage location and other data in a way that protects privacy and earns public support.
Cobb offers policy-based video as a concrete example. In the workflow he describes, an employee’s request for help can authorize the system to stream feeds from the four cameras closest to the alert. The employee’s action starts the information flow, and closing the alert stops it.
“Our platform is an on-off switch,” Cobb says. “The employee turns it on when they need the support.”
That approach gives the customer control over the policy and the data. It also creates a defined relationship between the emergency and the information being shared.
What Should Leaders Expect From the Next Generation of Emergency Management Systems?
The future Isner and Cobb describe is a connected response process. A person can request help without searching for a phone. The emergency management system can establish who needs help and where. Dispatchers and responders can receive structured information instead of rebuilding the incident picture through a series of manual handoffs. Maps, authorized video, and other inputs can then add context.
The National Telecommunications and Information Administration’s NG911 overview likewise describes the transition to NG911 as more than a replacement of equipment. It involves networks, standards, governance, cybersecurity, operations, and workforce preparation.
The people responding remain responsible for interpreting the information and taking action. The value of the technology lies in helping them spend less time searching for basic facts and more time carrying out the response.
As Isner explains, the goal is to “drive way better outcomes in the field for communities.” Reaching that goal will require emergency management systems that can communicate across organizational and public safety boundaries while respecting the policies that govern access to data.
Hear the complete conversation with Josh Isner, Brent Cobb, and Robb Monkman in Episode 7 of The Safety Signal, “Axon President Josh Isner on the Future of 911.”
Frequently Asked Questions About Emergency Management Systems
What is an emergency management system?
An emergency management system combines technology and defined procedures to help an organization identify an incident, notify the appropriate people, share relevant information, and coordinate the response. Depending on the environment, it may connect wearable alerts, mass notification, digital maps, video, onsite teams, and external responders.
How can an emergency management system improve 911 response?
An emergency management system can provide dispatchers and responders with information the organization already knows, including who requested help, the incident location, onsite contacts, and relevant facility data. Direct electronic information sharing can reduce manual handoffs and support a more informed response.
What is the difference between an emergency management system and an emergency notification system?
An emergency notification system focuses on sending urgent messages to affected people and responders. An emergency management system supports the broader response workflow, which can include initiating an alert, identifying its location, notifying people, sharing maps and context, coordinating resources, and documenting the incident.
How does Next Generation 911 differ from traditional 911?
NG911 is a digital, IP-based system designed to replace analog 911 infrastructure. According to the National 911 Program, it can support voice, photos, video, and text and improve how 911 centers manage call transfers, caller location, overload, and disasters.
Why does interoperability matter in emergency response?
Interoperability allows different agencies, technologies, and data systems to exchange useful information. Without it, responders may have to repeat, re-enter, or manually transfer details, increasing the risk of delay or incomplete information.