NENA Insights: NG911, Public Safety AI, Workforce Welness Updates

A previous blog shared observations from MCP subject-matter experts gathered at the recent National Emergency Number Association (NENA) trade show and conference in Columbus, Ohio, on key developments and trends shaping the public safety sector, especially the 911 community. These insights also reflect ongoing 911 modernization priorities across the ecosystem. Here are their remaining observations:

The human element took center stage

The conference reinforced that workforce culture remains one of the 911 community's most persistent challenges. Despite years of discussion, burnout, staffing shortages, and workplace dynamics continue to affect ECCs. Technology can help reduce workloads and improve efficiency, but lasting cultural improvements also require stronger hiring practices, better leadership, and continued investment in employee well-being.

NENA made a powerful statement in this regard by selecting keynote presentations focused on workplace belonging, psychological safety, and the cumulative stress experienced by emergency communications professionals.

Personnel shortages, turnover, burnout and leadership challenges continue to place tremendous pressure on the people responsible for answering the public’s calls for help. For years, the community’s response to that pressure often has centered on resilience, i.e., helping telecommunicators better endure extraordinarily difficult working conditions.

However, the conversations heard in Columbus created the impression that a significant evolution is underway. More people are asking whether organizations also must change the conditions that make extraordinary resilience necessary in the first place. Workforce wellness is at the center of this strategic priority. Achieving it requires shared responsibility. Leadership must provide the resources, psychological safety, and organizational support necessary for healthy workplaces, but employees also participate actively in creating and sustaining a positive culture.

Most importantly, wellness must not be thought of as a temporary initiative but rather as an essential characteristic of modern, high-performing public safety organizations.

NG911 remains a journey

Discussions regarding Next Generation 911 (NG911) demonstrated that the transition remains very much a work in progress.

Progress has occurred across the country, but implementation continues to vary considerably from state to state and region to region. Some agencies are operating in advanced IP-based environments, while others remain dependent on aging infrastructure and fragmented systems.

That unevenness matters. This unevenness also complicates 911 modernization and the broader adoption and governance of NG911.

The public does not distinguish between a well-funded statewide 911 authority and a small rural center with limited personnel and resources. Callers expect the same level of service whenever and wherever they dial 911. That was the promise of ubiquitous NG911.

The 911 community therefore must avoid creating a future in which advanced technology dramatically improves emergency response in some communities while others fall further behind.

Modernization plans must consider governance, sustainable funding, staffing, cybersecurity, training and long-term system management. Replacing equipment without addressing those other factors will not create the envisioned integrated emergency response ecosystem.

NG911 doesn’t just represent network and system replacements — more importantly, it represents operational transformation.

The convergence of artificial intelligence, the cloud, and human expertise bears watching  

Agentic AI, i.e., purpose-built AI systems designed to automate repetitive, data-intensive tasks such as monitoring large datasets, analyzing video feeds, and generating dashboards, are increasing in value. In public safety AI contexts, leveraging such tools enables public safety professionals to devote more time to critical thinking, decision-making, and oversight. This is based on the "80/20 principle,” which states that AI can complete roughly 80 percent of the work in a fraction of the time, but the remaining 20 percent requires human judgment to ensure accuracy, compliance, and contextual understanding.

Accessibility of no-code AI tools is growing. Such tools enable users to build functional AI agents through natural language interactions. However, these tools must be governed by strong oversight, subject-matter expertise, and rigorous validation processes. Thus, effective prompt engineering, governance frameworks, source verification, and specialized security controls are essential components of responsible AI adoption.

Cloud computing is fast becoming a foundational requirement for advanced AI capabilities. As public safety agencies migrate from on-premises infrastructure, information technology (IT) staff must develop new cloud-focused skills and educate stakeholders on security, architecture, and compliance.

Live demonstrations witnessed at NENA illustrated AI's ability to rapidly produce draft procurement documents and synthesize knowledge from historical project artifacts. But experts are needed to refine outputs to ensure quality. Overall, it’s clear that AI is a powerful productivity accelerator, but its greatest value is achieved when paired with robust governance, cloud infrastructure, and experienced human oversight.

NENA is expanding its role

The conference represented an important moment for NENA as an organization.

The association installed Roxanne “Roxy” Van Gundy as president and highlighted several new initiatives, including a strategic plan, leadership-development efforts, the Brian Fontes Center for Excellence, and the NENA Action Council.

The creation of the Action Council is particularly noteworthy. The 911 community long has understood the need for sustainable funding, consistent national policies, and stronger recognition of telecommunicators. The thought is that more direct advocacy could help translate the community’s technical and operational needs into action at the federal level.

NENA also raised more than $90,000 for the Brian Fontes Center for Excellence, demonstrating the community’s commitment to building leadership and professional capacity for the future.

The vendor landscape is transforming dramatically

Compared with previous years, the tradeshow floor featured noticeably fewer independent public safety vendors and substantially more large companies offering comprehensive suites of products and services. This shift reflects a wave of mergers and acquisitions that has occurred throughout virtually every segment of the 911 technology marketplace, including CAD, call handling, records management, and related technologies. Rather than purchasing numerous standalone applications from different vendors, agencies are increasingly able to obtain integrated platforms from a single provider.

While this consolidation offers agencies greater integration and potentially more robust solutions, it also introduces uncertainty. Organizations that do not use a particular vendor's platform may lose access to desirable capabilities once formerly independent products become proprietary components of larger systems. Additionally, continued acquisition of smaller innovators eventually could reduce competition and slow future innovation. Although larger companies possess greater financial and technical resources to enhance acquired technologies, many groundbreaking ideas historically have originated with smaller companies.

Alternative response, nurse navigation, and predictive analytics gain traction

Alternative first response no longer is an experimental concept. Instead, it has become an expected component of modern public safety operations and is viewed as an inevitable evolution in emergency response. The central question no longer is whether agencies will adopt alternative response strategies, but rather when and how they will implement them.

When implemented effectively, alternative first response programs improve outcomes for virtually every stakeholder involved. Citizens receive more appropriate services for their needs, telecommunicators experience reduced workloads, field responders can focus on incidents requiring their expertise, and ECCs benefit from improved operational efficiency and employee wellness. However, successful implementation requires careful planning, thoughtful design.

Emerging nurse navigation services received much attention during the conference. Providers are partnering with insurance providers to place such capabilities inside ECCs. Because insurance companies fund these services to reduce unnecessary emergency room visits, ECCs potentially can implement them at little or no direct cost.

Another significant trend involves the growing use of predictive analytics to address longstanding ECC staffing and operational challenges. Opportunities are emerging for more sophisticated forecasting models that incorporate factors beyond historical call volume. Examples include weather forecasts, continuity of operations planning, remote staffing capabilities, and monitoring social media for emerging events such as large public gatherings or "teen takeovers."

These additional data sources could enable agencies to anticipate staffing needs before incidents occur rather than simply reacting after workloads increase. However, although the technologies that support this capability are advancing, significant development still is needed before predictive analytics become fully mature.

John Chiaramonte, Rich Cagle, Morgan Sava, Brian Melcer, Bonnie Maney, and Jenna Streeter contributed to this report.