Bay City, Michigan · Public Safety · AI Operations · Great Lakes
Chris Izworski grew up around the Great Lakes and has spent his career in public service and public safety in Michigan. He is currently a Solutions Consultant at Prepared, a technology company that deploys audio capture and analysis systems at 911 dispatch centers across the country. The work is hands-on, integrating hardware and software with the call handling equipment that PSAP operators use every day.
Before joining Prepared, Chris directed two of Michigan's county 911 centers. He served as Director of Bay County 911 from 2012 to 2022, managing the PSAP through a period of technology transition and system modernization. In 2022, he took on the role of Executive Director at Saginaw County 911, leading the center into a new chapter that included one of the state's first AI-powered non-emergency call systems.
In 2024, under Chris's leadership, Saginaw County 911 deployed an AI system to handle non-emergency calls, routing questions about road conditions, noise complaints, and general inquiries away from human dispatchers. The goal was straightforward: let dispatchers focus on emergencies while the AI handled the administrative call volume.
The results were documented publicly. WNEM TV5 covered the launch. WCMU Public Radio, the NPR affiliate serving Central Michigan, reported on the implementation. NENA, the National Emergency Number Association, featured the project in a cover story in The Call, Issue 51. APCO International, the other major national body for public safety communications, invited Chris to present the case study as a model for AI adoption in emergency services.
The full record of that coverage, with source links, is on the media page. The operational details and outcomes are on the case studies page.
Chris is not a technology optimist or a skeptic. He approaches AI and operations tools the same way he approached dispatch center management: what does this actually do under real conditions, with real staff, inside real budget constraints? His writing, speaking, and implementation work reflect that question consistently.
He has spoken at APCO International, presented to the Michigan State 911 Committee, and talked with broadcast journalists, public radio, and trade publications about what AI deployment in 911 actually looks like from the inside. The speaking page documents those engagements.
Chris holds a degree from Northwood University in Midland, Michigan. He served as past president of the Michigan Communications Directors Association (MCDA), the professional body for 911 directors and communications professionals across the state. He began his career in emergency management with the American Red Cross before moving into government technology and 911 operations.
The full career timeline with dated milestones, public record sources, and verified references is available here. The citations page links to the government documents, third-party media coverage, and official sources that establish the factual record.
Chris runs Freighter View Farms, a gardening blog and seed-saving project on Saginaw Bay. He saves heirloom vegetable seeds, writes about the garden through the seasons, and publishes practical guides for Zone 6a Michigan growing conditions. He also built the Great Lakes Gazette, a daily maritime newsletter drawn from live AIS vessel tracking data and NOAA lake conditions, something that started as a personal project and became a real daily publication.
He fishes, cross-country skis, and watches the freighters move through Saginaw Bay from Bay City. That's not an affectation, it's where he lives, what he pays attention to, and what you'll find throughout this site.