Cities of the Future: Creating Safer Communities with Emergency Response Technology

Liz Nguyen, CTO of Intrado, recently sat down with Authority Magazine for an illuminating interview as part of a "Cities of the Future" series. Beyond offering a glimpse into her personal journey and dispensing invaluable leadership wisdom, she delved into cutting-edge technology strategies poised to revolutionize productivity, efficiency, and public safety.

Emphasizing the critical role of Next Generation 911 (NG911) infrastructure in modernizing public safety systems to support rapid urban expansion, Liz advocates for NG911's transformative capabilities, which allow emergency services to use advanced capabilities like Locate Before Route. This technology enables precise location tracking of wireless 911 callers, reducing misrouted calls and improving response times in both densely populated and rural areas.

Liz also highlights the importance of integrating smart city data into public safety operations. By leveraging data generated from various city systems, authorities can make informed decisions, optimize resource allocation, and elevate emergency response outcomes. Additionally, she stresses the need for collaboration among public safety answering points (PSAPs), schools, and first responders to ensure that updated safety technologies are effectively utilized.

Creating cities of the future means deploying innovative technologies that not only improve efficiency but also ensure the safety and well-being of residents. This focus on public safety, combined with strategic use of smart city data, is essential for fostering sustainable, productive, and safe communities.

Key Takeaways on Creating Safer Cities

Liz stressed the importance of these four public safety initiatives to make cities more productive, efficient, and sustainable:

1. NG911 Infrastructure: Upgrading outdated 911 systems to NG911 technology is crucial for enhancing public safety in growing cities. NG911 enables advanced data and features like text-to-911 or multimedia sharing. Widespread adoption of NG911 improves emergency response accuracy and speed, equipping cities to handle complex data exchanges and multimedia communications during crises.
2. School Safety: As urban areas expand, safeguarding students and faculty in schools becomes increasingly important. NG911 tools and solutions like Safety Suite can help to facilitate facilitate direct communication channels between schools and emergency responders, allowing for quick and accurate responses to incidents. This vital link ensures swift, informed responses to protect the health and safety of children and staff.
3. Mutual Understanding of Public Safety Processes: Effective public safety requires a collaborative ecosystem where 911 call centers, schools, and first responders work together harmoniously. When these entities understand each other's protocols and communication processes, they can respond more efficiently to emergencies. Regular coordination ensures that all parties can fully leverage advanced technologies, like text-to-911, to boost public safety.
4. Using Smart City Data: As cities deploy more advanced technology infrastructure, the data generated by these systems becomes an important resource. By analyzing smart city data, public safety authorities can improve emergency response strategies, optimize the placement of first responder stations, and make data-driven decisions that propel the future of public safety operations.

For an even deeper dive into Liz's vision for safer cities – and to learn more about her, including her favorite quote and passionate stance on bridging the digital divide through equitable access to technology – be sure to check out the full Authority Magazine article.