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First Responders

Stories that highlight or include the work of professionals that are first to respond to emergency situations. Includes law enforcement, firefighters, paramedics and emergency medical technicians (EMTs).

Following issues when 911 dispatch was disrupted by telecom outages, the state has signed a five-year deal for RapidSOS's public safety tech platform to streamline services and ensure critical communication.
A proposed Emergency Response Standard would increase training requirements for firefighters, which could prove too costly for volunteer brigades or mean some volunteers have to drop out of the programs.
Thanks to Apple, rich communication services are in the news, and now a new partnership could help spread those tools deeper into the public safety space. RapidSOS is coming off a major funding round.
If approved by the full county board in June, the project will bring together dozens of local law enforcement and fire agencies at a new $53.8 million Regional Operations and Communications Facility.
Police departments and emergency dispatch centers need more workers. Gov tech suppliers are rushing to the rescue, promising new software, data integration and other tools to make up for vacant positions.
Two new tools from the public safety tech provider, fresh off an Innovation Day, offer AI assistance during emergencies and wider, unified views of data vital to first responders. The move reflects wider gov tech trends.
The move comes amid wider debate about the role of green energy in law enforcement. Flock Safety says the flexibility of its new camera can also help ease police staffing shortages, a longstanding issue.
Lawmakers are considering spending $6 million to test the program, which allows paramedics to drive in standard vehicles directly to patients in need of care rather than waiting for ambulances, saving precious time.
Dedrone, the company Axon acquired, makes software, sensors and AI that help Ukraine defend against enemy drones — and protect utilities, prisons and public spaces in the U.S. Dedrone had raised $127 million from Axon and other investors.
The company, which sells data integration software for state and local agencies, plans a hiring spree. The company is eyeing steady growth as more governments demand better ways to assemble and use data.