2027 Agenda
Early Adopters: What We Learned Going First
Someone has to go first! Across public safety, emerging technologies promise to transform how emergency communications centers operate. AI, cloud platforms, video, new data sources, automation, GIS and other technologies are moving quickly, but implementing something new in a mission-critical environment is very different from watching a demonstration. What really happens when a 911 organization decides to be the guinea pig?
Join a panel of experienced early adopters from across the country for a candid conversation grounded in actual implementations. Their experiences include using ESInet-to-ESInet call transfers across state lines; creating testing environments and piloting multiple AI applications designed to support operational staff; adopting responder applications that deliver new information directly to personnel in the field; and implementing emerging technologies across a regional 911 environment. These practitioners will share what drove them to experiment, how they evaluated new solutions, what happened when technology met real-world operations, how telecommunicators and responders reacted, and what they learned when things didn't go according to plan.
This isn't a showcase of successful projects or the latest technology. The panel will explore the harder questions: How do you distinguish innovation from hype? When is a technology ready for 911? How do you test something new without jeopardizing mission-critical operations? How do you work with vendors without becoming their test lab? How do procurement, interoperability, integration and organizational culture affect adoption? And when should an early adopter decide to stop?
Attendees will hear the lessons that rarely make it into product demonstrations and leave with practical guidance for evaluating, testing, piloting and implementing emerging technology in their own ECC, without having to learn every lesson the hard way.
Takeaway
Identify the operational, technical, and organizational factors that determine whether an emerging technology is ready to move from demonstration to testing, pilot, and real-world 911 operations.
Apply lessons from real-world, early-adopter case studies involving cross-state ESInet interoperability, AI testing and operational tools, responder applications, and other emerging technologies to structure safer and more effective technology adoption.
Recognize the critical decision points that help leaders determine when to move forward, adjust course, scale an implementation, or stop, including telecommunicator and responder feedback, integration challenges, vendor relationships, and operational results.