Staying at the forefront of connected mobile operations means learning from, and sharing insights with the professionals who work on the front lines every day. One of the best places to do this is at industry trade shows, where Nomad can engage with customers one-to-one. Inevitably, we learn something that informs (and occasionally upends) old thinking.
Emergency Management Ascending
The International Association of Emergency Managers (IAEM) 2024 Annual Conference brought 2,500 attendees to picturesque Colorado Springs for a week of conversations around the future of Emergency Management (EM) as a practice and profession. For Nomad, it was a chance to share some of our expertise, technologies, and other solutions developed for the industry.
We were especially excited to visit with so many students studying EM and looking to build a career in the field. These future professionals shared insights into emerging trends likely to shape the next generation of emergency preparedness, response, and recovery.
Times Have Changed
A significant theme came out of our discussions at IAEM: there is a seismic shift underway in how on-scene incident management is accomplished. Seasoned emergency professionals were the first to agree that the days where critical incidents could be managed with a whiteboard, handheld radio, and cell phone are long gone. The modern comms and connectivity picture is more complex.
While simplistic, legacy command platforms may handle some technology needs and initial response efforts, their shortcomings can be exposed as events grow. These platforms frequently lack the redundant connectivity, power capacity, data and physical security, safety features, and ease of operation required for more complex incidents.
Many attendees shared examples of encountering these limitations in past responses.
Evolving Information and Speed Demands
In conversations around our demo vehicle (in this case a TCV-Max), IAEM attendees echoed a consistent message: today’s connected world requires mobile platforms that can help manage rapidly-changing information and adapt quickly to evolving on-scene needs. They brought to light two categories of emerging demands:
1. Information Management: Critical information flows both ways between an event and the outside world, a stumbling block that can cause pain for EM professionals. Additionally, incident personnel need access to weather data, social media and news feeds, and support from brick-and-mortar Emergency Operations Centers (EOCs). At the same time, they must supply timely updates to multiple audiences, including other agencies, government operations, and the public.
Public Information Officers (PIOs) we spoke with also highlighted the growing need to stay ahead of misinformation that spreads on traditional and social media. Students and early-career Emergency Managers offered valuable insights in this arena.
2. Deployment Speed: We heard stories of hours-long setups of legacy mobile command assets that sapped resources or required specialized operators. Today, personnel and equipment must be operational at incident scenes quickly to stay ahead of fast-changing incidents. This was another focal point of many conversations at Nomad’s exhibit, with attendees exploring how versatile and easy-to-deploy mobile platforms can overcome this hurdle.
Photos courtesy IAEM
Nomad Responds
The good news is that solutions exist to address these pain points, and many were on display at IAEM.
Nomad’s Connected Mobile Operations Centers (CMOCs) are designed with flexibility and scalability in mind. Agile platforms like the Tactical Command Vehicle (TCV) can be on-scene fast to bridge the gap in data and information sharing between initial response efforts, and the broader EM responsibilities that follow. Powered by Nomad Total Command™ (NTC), CMOCs can be deployed in mere minutes by anyone, from any device.
To remain a leader, we must allow our views to be continually shaped, and that’s why Nomad places such a high value on events like IAEM. In 2025 and beyond, we’ll continue to prioritize these opportunities in all the industries we serve: defense, EM, public safety, telco and utilities, healthcare, and others.
We hope to see you out there!