Matt Polega is a cofounder and president at Mark43, a leading cloud-native public safety software company.
Every organization has experienced some version of “firefighting.” A crisis emerges. Information is scattered. Multiple teams must coordinate under pressure. Decisions need to happen quickly, often with limited visibility.
For literal fire departments, emergency medical services, police and rescue organizations, this isn’t a metaphor; it’s the daily reality.
The challenge is that emergencies rarely belong to a single agency. A medical call may involve EMS, fire, law enforcement, hospitals and community service providers. A wildfire can require coordination across local, state, federal and nonprofit organizations. Success depends not just on how well individual teams perform, but on how effectively they work together.
At the same time, demands on public safety organizations are growing. EMS calls handled by fire departments have surged. Climate-driven disasters are stretching resources. Staffing shortages continue to strain agencies across the country.
Addressing these challenges requires more than incremental improvements. It requires agencies to think differently about how people, information and systems come together within their own organizations, across jurisdictions and with the partners they depend on.
Interoperability is an important part of that shift, but connecting systems alone isn’t enough. Leaders must consider how information is shared, who needs access to it, how operations continue when infrastructure fails and whether personnel have the processes and trust needed to act on a common operating picture. Building resilient operations requires getting the technology, people and practices right.
Build around how responders actually work.
Modern technology has reshaped expectations for speed, connectivity and access to information. Those expectations don’t disappear when someone puts on a uniform. Today’s first responders and emergency managers expect the same intuitive, connected tools at work that they rely on in their daily lives.
But coordinating seamlessly across fire, law enforcement and other entities to handle large-scale disasters such as flooding, hurricanes and wildfires involves significant complexity. Many agencies continue to rely on disconnected systems, manual processes, spreadsheets and siloed data, making coordination harder when understanding and fast action are critical.
The good news is that agencies don’t need to replace every application they rely on. Leaders should first look at where information breaks down today and what responders need to make decisions. Where are people switching between systems? Where is information being entered twice? Where does visibility disappear? Those gaps should shape an interoperability strategy.
Faster, more accurate response starts with more information and understanding.
You know the drill. The bell rings. The crew boards the fire engine. The question is, do they have all the data, tools and gear at their fingertips to respond efficiently when they arrive on scene?
Something as simple as knowing that the situation requires a 35-foot ladder versus a 12-foot one, or that hazmat suits will be necessary, can mean the difference between life and death.
But if data about the event, pre-plan and hazards that best position emergency personnel to do their jobs exists in separate systems, firefighters may not have the complete picture they need. The same is true for police, paramedics and dispatchers.
Openness requires information to move securely between the systems public safety relies on so responders can access the right context without navigating disconnected workflows. Agencies also need clear practices around what information should be shared, with whom and when, as well as confidence that the information is accurate and actionable. Bringing IT teams, users actually in the technology day-to-day and perspectives from neighboring agencies into the process early can surface gaps.
Build for failure, not just everyday operations.
Natural disasters and other catastrophic events can disrupt the systems and infrastructure first responders rely on to serve their communities. Resilience needs to be considered before a crisis occurs.
Cloud-based infrastructure can offer geographic redundancy and alternative access paths, but resilience depends on how systems are architected, connected and operated—not simply whether they are hosted in the cloud.
For example, during Hurricane Ian, the Fort Myers Police Department (a customer of Mark43) faced severe flooding and lost communication to the city network. In my work, I saw how maintaining access to its cloud-based public safety systems helped the department continue critical operations despite the disruption. Officers were able to document damaged homes, manage calls for service and support neighboring jurisdictions even as local infrastructure went down.
The broader lesson extends beyond any one platform or disaster. Public safety leaders must plan for technology resilience as an operational requirement versus an IT consideration. That means building redundancy into critical systems, establishing alternative methods of connectivity and ensuring teams can securely access essential tools when physical infrastructure is unavailable. Resilience is about ensuring that when one part of the infrastructure fails, the mission does not stop with it.
Make interoperability an operational strategy.
The majority of 911 calls today require multi-agency response across law enforcement, fire, EMS and community partners. System interoperability is critical to enabling effective coordination and response to complex situations as well as for day-to-day operations.
Departments need to see each other’s units, resources and situational data so that they can operate from a common operating picture and can coordinate the most effective response on the ground, regardless of jurisdiction or agency. True interoperability isn’t just about whether systems can talk to one another; it’s about connecting people with the information they need to make better decisions and act together.
For leaders beginning their interoperability journey, it doesn’t have to mean transforming operations overnight. Start by digging into where the data gets stuck between systems, where personnel lose visibility and where teams duplicate work. From there, prioritize technology based on the operational gaps you have identified. Look for systems that can integrate with existing tools and those used by partner agencies, support secure information sharing and give responders a consistent view of the information they need.
As emergencies grow more complex, the goal should be to remove barriers between systems, people and partners so that when the next call or emergency comes in, everyone can work from the same information and act together.
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