At TUSA, our consulting engagements are rooted in the PHASE I Needs Assessment, which helps agencies identify mission-critical requirements and opportunities for technological improvements without being driven by vendor sales goals. Here’s how we support your modernization journey:
Emergency 911 / NG911 Assessment
We evaluate:
- Current 911 call handling, including workflow bottlenecks
- Staff workload and training needs
- Call triage processes and potential AI integration points
- Interoperability with CAD and public safety data systems
- Data quality and information sharing readiness for next-generation IP-based services
In 2026, many agencies face increased public expectations for faster, more accurate response times while simultaneously dealing with staffing shortages, rising call complexity (multi-modal text, video, and third-party app data), and the rapid convergence of AI tools into operations.
PHASE I Needs Assessment: The 3 I’s
Interview
We engage dispatchers, supervisors, IT staff, and leadership to understand real-world operational challenges, performance gaps, and future needs.
AI-related topics we explore in interviews include:
- Dispatchers’ comfort level and experience with AI-assisted workflows
- Perceived barriers to AI trust and human-machine teaming
- Organizational readiness for real-time AI support in high-stakes decision making
Investigate
We analyze your 911 systems, performance data, and lifecycle status to identify risks, capacity issues, and opportunities for improvement including AI readiness.
Trending AI evaluation areas include:
- Real-time call classification and automated prioritization: Can your systems ingest and act on AI insights during an active call to reduce latency?
- Predictive analytics for demand forecasting: Leveraging AI to predict surges (e.g., weather events, community incidents) and optimize staffing before impacts occur.
- Bias detection and fairness: Ensuring AI models aren’t unintentionally disadvantaged by certain populations based on language, accent, or behavior patterns.
Inspect
We verify system conditions through on-site inspections of infrastructure, redundancy, power, and resilience to ensure reliability today and into the future.
As more AI tools are used in operations, agencies must also validate network performance, cybersecurity protections, and data integrity practices that support safe and reliable AI integration in a mission-critical environment.
Operational Efficiency & Strategic Roadmaps
Based on assessment findings, TUSA delivers tailored recommendations that may include:
- AI adoption strategies that improve call handling and operational outcomes
- Integration roadmaps for AI assistants, real-time analytics, and automated case support
- Infrastructure migrations (e.g., NG911 upgrade planning with AI readiness considerations)
- Cost-benefit analysis, modernization phasing, and risk assessment for emerging tech
- Workforce support, change management, and training frameworks to build human-AI teaming capability
Trends in AI & 911 Operations
AI isn’t just another technology, it is rapidly reshaping emergency communications, and agencies that plan wisely will be better positioned to serve their communities. Key trends in 2026 include:
- AI-Assisted Call Triage and Decision Support
AI models are increasingly capable of interpreting voice, text, and multimedia data to assist call takers in identifying critical cues faster. This is helping reduce response times and error rates, especially in high-volume or high-stress situations.
- Multi-Modal Data Integration
Beyond voice, callers submit images, video, and text. AI systems are emerging that can analyze this multi-modal input in real time, extract context, and support dispatch decisions, helping provide better situational awareness before responders arrive on scene.
- Predictive Resource Allocation
Leveraging historical data and external sources (e.g., social media trends, event data), predictive analytics powered by AI can forecast periods of increased demand or atypical incident patterns, enabling preemptive resourcing.
- Human-AI Collaboration
Rather than replacing human judgment, the leading practice in 2026 is human-AI teaming where AI provides suggestions and insights, but certified personnel make final decisions. This approach maintains accountability, mitigates over-reliance on algorithms, and improves trust in AI outputs.
- Ethics, Transparency, and Bias Mitigation
As AI becomes embedded in public safety, agencies are prioritizing ethical governance frameworks, transparency in model decisions, and ongoing monitoring to avoid bias, particularly for communities with diverse languages and needs.
- Workforce and Training Transformation
AI adoption is driving new workforce competencies, including data literacy for call center staff, AI oversight roles, and continuous training programs to maintain proficiency with evolving tools.
In Summary
AI in emergency communications is not a silver bullet, but it is a transformative force, improving efficiency, enhancing situational awareness, and offsetting staffing challenges while retaining the human judgment essential to life-critical decisions. From AI-assisted dispatch to predictive analytics and ethical human-AI teaming, agencies that plan strategically for these technologies will be better equipped to serve their communities effectively in 2026 and beyond.
TUSA Consulting Services is ready to partner with your agency to assess needs, evaluate operations, and help you adopt the right blend of technology and practices for reliable, resilient emergency communications.
TUSA is an independent consultant providing professional services to public safety. TUSA does not sell, provide, or represent any equipment or managed services that could deter our professional opinion toward anything other than a vendor-agnostic solution to support customer-identified needs — because PUBLIC SAFETY MUST BE ABLE TO COMMUNICATE!
