Technology has come to play a significant role in emergency situations, meaning reliance on devices has increased. As a result, Emergency Services organizations need to examine their mobile device management strategy with a more critical lens. Instead of simply asking “do our devices work?”, they are forced to ask: “will our devices work when our people need them most?”
With severe weather and environmental incidents occurring globally, frontline teams are being asked to operate in more demanding environments and unpredictable conditions. Yet, the technology these teams rely on may not be ready to support them.
When technology fails in a controlled setting, it is an inconvenience. In the middle of a search and rescue operation, severe weather system or wildfire, the consequences are far greater. For Emergency Services, device resilience extends beyond an IT concern into an operational and safety issue.
SOTI surveyed 2,500 Emergency Services employees to better understand their experience with frontline devices. In this blog, we’ll explore if these devices are equipped to handle the environmental conditions emergency workers are faced with.
Is Frontline Technology Passing the Test?
There is an uncomfortable gap between device functionality and device readiness.
SOTI research found that 23% of respondents are experiencing more climate-related emergencies. Unfortunately, 57% regularly experience devices that are not fit for purpose, which includes devices that aren’t robust enough to withstand challenging environmental conditions.
There is some confidence in existing technologies, as 54% of respondents agree that their current devices and apps are robust enough to support climate-related incidents. However, that leaves nearly half (46%) who do not agree, causing a significant confidence gap.
The concern isn’t necessarily that the mobile device fleet lacks connectivity, security or the right apps. It’s that those capabilities become irrelevant if a device cannot physically perform in the conditions where it is being used.
Rain, extreme temperatures, dust, impact and other environmental factors are not theoretical risks for frontline workers. They are part of their day-to-day operating environment.
The Workers Who Need Resilient Technology Are Questioning It Most
The confidence gap we’ve identified becomes harder to ignore when looking at the frontline workers who are most likely to encounter extreme conditions.
Among military respondents in SOTI’s research, 72% say they regularly experience devices that are not fit for purpose. Among search and rescue personnel, 65% say the same.
Search and rescue teams, in particular, illustrate the technology-resilience gap. 34% of respondents report devices failing to withstand extreme weather or harsh environmental conditions is their biggest employer-issued technology challenge.
Only 42% of search and rescue workers believe their devices and apps can support climate-related incidents. This means the majority do not have confidence that their technology will support them in the conditions they will experience.
These statistics should prompt organizations to start asking important questions, like when devices fail:
Can workers still access critical information?
Can they communicate?
Can they report, document and coordinate effectively?
How quickly can a failed device be identified and replaced?
How much time is lost when frontline teams must work around devices instead of with them?
While these questions may seem like IT questions, they are also readiness questions. The answers can reveal where technology could create unnecessary friction during an emergency response.
Not All Extreme Environments Look the Same: A Global Challenge with Local Differences
Risk looks different across the globe, which means there isn’t a one-size-fits-all fix to this issue.
For example, in Mexico, 33% of respondents report attending more climate-related emergencies, compared to 19% in the USA and 18% in France.
84% of Australian respondents indicate they regularly use devices that are not fit for purpose in emergency situations, compared with 44% in Germany.
The takeaway isn’t that one country has solved this problem while another hasn’t. A device that performs reliably in one operating environment may face very different demands elsewhere. “Fit for purpose” cannot be defined in a vacuum.
Resilient Frontline Technology is an Essential Part of Operational Readiness
As extreme weather events become more common, technology resilience cannot be an afterthought. Frontline devices need to be connected, secure and reliable in demanding environments.
Emergency Services organizations should evaluate whether their technology strategy reflects the realities of frontline operations, not simply whether devices perform under standard conditions.
Don’t wait for a device failure to find the gaps in your technology strategy. Explore the full Emergency Services report to discover what frontline workers say about the technology they rely on, and where organizations may need to improve.
