Emergency call takers never know what’s going to happen when they answer a call. In some instances, it could be someone in distress who speaks a language that’s not easily recognizable. In other cases, critical information like the caller’s location, whether someone has a weapon or if an individual is seriously injured can be difficult to determine or understand when the situation is chaotic.
No matter what’s transpiring on the other end of the line, critical information must be gathered as quickly and accurately as possible so dispatch can send the right response the first time.
When details are delayed or unclear, responders may be sent without the full picture, creating risks for both the public and those arriving on scene.
This challenge has always been present, making the job of emergency call takers one that’s exceptionally stressful. Now, a new tool that leverages artificial intelligence is helping reduce uncertainty at the very start of an emergency response.
‘In our industry, seconds matter’
Delaware County Emergency Services serves 49 municipalities in southeastern Pennsylvania. Within its jurisdiction, there are 48 different police departments alone. DCES’ chief of emergency communications, Anthony Mignogna, has seen countless times throughout his 20-year career how a delay in receiving information related to an emergency call can impact local response times.
“In our industry, seconds matter,” he said. “Oftentimes, information is hard to ascertain or extract from a caller. Sometimes they don’t understand our questions or sometimes things can be misheard. One of the most important things is the ability to obtain a dispatchable address and have dispatchable information coming in rapidly to our call takers.”
That key piece – a dispatchable address – is just one of many critical details emergency call takers must gather to ensure the right public safety response. At Delaware County Emergency Services, those details are now arriving faster and with greater clarity thanks to Prepared, an AI-powered 911 platform that was acquired by Axon in October 2025.
From confusion to clarity
A difficult situation that many emergency call takers have experienced might sound like this: “911, where’s your emergency?” Instead of a clear response, there’s wind in the background, panicked breathing and a few unclear words – maybe “road,” maybe “home.” You ask the caller to slow down and repeat themselves. More muffled words follow. “Alley.” Or was it “valley”? After several attempts, the caller finally communicates a clear location – the alley behind Market Street Grocery.
Only then can a unit be sent. Still unsure what prompted the call, you’re left wondering how the time spent determining a location will affect what responders encounter on arrival. Instead of that scenario playing out regularly, call takers at DCES now have a very different experience after adopting Prepared, according to Mignogna.
“The first thing that comes up – a phone number populates, and it automatically gives us a dispatchable address,” he said. “It’s populated on a map and is nearly 100% accurate. We can then use that as a reference point to ask specific questions. Then, as the dialogue begins, there’s live transcription between the caller and our telecommunicator. I refer to it as real-time quality assurance, where we can see and double-check what they’re saying and make sure it’s being received properly on our end.”
This live transcription, which includes automatic translation, is especially valuable when callers speak an unfamiliar language, can’t be heard clearly or are talking so quickly that important details are easy to miss. Instead of relying solely on what can be captured in the moment, call takers can see information as it’s spoken and verify accuracy in real time.
Within seconds of the call beginning, Prepared uses the transcribed details to automatically populate an incident summary, giving call takers and dispatchers a clearer picture of what’s unfolding.
“As we go through our protocol questions, it’s going to listen for specific things and highlight some of the things that are really important to responder safety,” said Mignogna. “Let’s say one of our questions is if anyone there has a weapon. If they say yes, the platform is going to highlight that and put it in a specific area. It does that very quickly and it’s constantly updating. It’s a key benefit having the real-time information coming in and processed a lot quicker for accuracy.”
Prepared works even further to shave seconds off an emergency response by allowing dispatchers to follow along with the call transcript in real time, enabling them to prepare an emergency response before the call taker even sends the information their way.
Assisting from call to closure
An automobile accident, personal injury at home or missing child scenario doesn’t end once a unit is dispatched. In most instances, telecommunicators remain on the line as situations evolve, and Prepared continues to assist by capturing additional information in real time.
“We have the ability to get live video from the caller themselves, which can help with situational awareness and catch things that maybe they’re not verbally reporting,” said Madeline Mariuzza, vice president of customer experience at Prepared. “That can help a lot with officer safety and also as the incident progresses.
“Most agencies will do quality assurance checks after the fact, or for a major incident, an after- action report might need to happen. Supervisors can go in and see every element of that emergency, especially if they have our assistive dispatch, which also transcribes radio traffic. You can really get the full picture of an incident – the notes, the summary, the audio from the call itself – it’s all in one place so that it’s very easy for them to go back and look at what happened.”
This additional oversight both during and after a call helps those in the call center too, says Mignogna.
“One of the big things is awareness of what’s going on in the room,” he said. “The system is smart enough to alert us to keywords, so if one of our call takers is providing CPR instructions to a child, that’s a very traumatic call. We want to make sure they’re providing the proper instructions, so the supervisor can click on that call and make sure the proper protocols are being followed without standing over their shoulder. But for our own mental health and our own employees, we can also go over to them after the call and make sure they’re OK, see if they need a break and provide them with some guidance as well.”
Connecting beyond the telephone
Prepared has been instrumental for DCES call takers, but it has also helped other members of public safety to better their emergency responses and break down longstanding information silos.
The platform is designed to connect with tools in the Axon Ecosystem, offering greater visibility by integrating body-worn camera footage, digital evidence, 911 call information and more into easy-to-access case files.
Emergency call information gathered by Prepared also integrates with Fusus and can be listened to at local real-time crime centers. This further aids local first responders in providing appropriate emergency responses, whether it’s using a drone as first responder or sending additional backup to a rapidly unfolding and dangerous situation.
Together, these integrations add another layer of efficiency and accuracy during emergencies when the stakes are high and every second counts. Prepared doesn’t replace the critical work of 911 call takers – it strengthens it, giving them better tools to capture information, support responders and care for callers in moments of crisis.
By reducing uncertainty and improving clarity from the first ring to incident closure, AI-powered platforms like Prepared are helping emergency communications professionals do their jobs with greater confidence, accuracy and empathy.
Visit Prepared for more information.
