Emergency Services Technology

A PSAP (Public Safety Answering Point) is the official term for a 911 call center — the facility where emergency calls are received and dispatched.

Technology modernization includes upgrading from legacy analog phone systems to Next Generation 911 (NG911), which supports text, video, and data in addition to voice calls. Modern PSAPs also use AI-assisted call handling, real-time transcription, advanced mapping, and integrated CAD systems.

The transition from legacy to modern infrastructure is one of the biggest challenges facing emergency services today. Read more on the AI expertise page.

Next Generation 911 (NG911) is the nationwide initiative to upgrade 911 infrastructure from the analog telephone network to a digital, IP-based system. NG911 enables 911 centers to receive text messages, images, video, and data alongside traditional voice calls.

It also improves call routing, allows for better location accuracy, and enables calls to be transferred between centers more easily. The transition is ongoing across the United States, with each state and county at different stages of implementation.

NG911 creates the digital foundation that makes AI integration possible.

CAD (Computer-Aided Dispatch) is the core software system that 911 dispatchers use to log incidents, dispatch responders, and track the status of emergency units. Every 911 center runs on a CAD system — it's the central nervous system of emergency dispatch operations.

When new technology like AI is introduced, it must integrate with the existing CAD system or it won't be adopted. This integration requirement is one of the biggest barriers to innovation in emergency services.

Carefully and incrementally. Emergency services cannot afford downtime or system failures, so technology transitions happen in phases with extensive testing and fallback plans.

The most successful transitions involve dispatchers early in the process, incorporate their feedback, and provide comprehensive training before go-live. Change management is at least as important as the technology itself.

Chris Izworski's experience directing 911 centers taught him that dispatcher buy-in is the single most important factor. He writes about this approach in "Stop Chasing AI Headlines".

Prepared is a technology company building AI-powered tools specifically for 911 centers and emergency services. Their technology helps dispatchers by providing real-time transcription, caller location data, video capabilities, and AI-assisted call handling.

Chris Izworski works at Prepared, bringing his experience as a former 911 center director to help design and deploy technology that actually works in the real-world environment of an emergency dispatch center.

The biggest challenges include legacy infrastructure that is expensive to replace, staffing shortages that leave no time for training on new systems, tight municipal budgets, cybersecurity threats, interoperability between different agencies, and the difficulty of introducing new technology into a 24/7 operation that cannot shut down.

On top of these technical challenges, dispatchers who are already stressed may resist additional change. Technology must reduce rather than add to the dispatcher's cognitive load.

Real-time transcription converts spoken emergency calls into text as they happen. This creates an automatic record for documentation, helps dispatchers in noisy environments, enables AI analysis of call content, and supports supervisors monitoring multiple calls.

For non-English callers, transcription can be combined with translation to help dispatchers communicate across language barriers — an increasingly important capability as communities become more diverse.

Emergency calls involve immediate threats to life, property, or safety — fires, medical emergencies, crimes in progress. Non-emergency calls cover everything else: noise complaints, parking issues, information requests, non-injury accidents.

In many centers, non-emergency calls make up 50–70% of total call volume, which is why AI handling of non-emergency calls can have such a significant impact on dispatcher workload.

Start with a clear problem, not a technology. Identify the specific pain point — excessive call volume, documentation burden, training gaps — and look for AI solutions that address that problem within your existing workflow.

As Chris Izworski writes, the best approach is building a small, boring AI practice: pick one use case, deploy it carefully, measure results, get dispatcher feedback, and iterate.

Chris Izworski writes regularly about 911 technology on LinkedIn and Medium. For industry news, NENA and APCO are the primary professional organizations.

For Michigan-specific coverage, Bridge Michigan and WNEM have covered 911 staffing and technology stories in depth. See the full press coverage page.