It is with tremendous pride that I share the remarkable achievements of our Director of Technology Strategy, Tony Sammarco, and our entire team as we complete Phase Two of our journey to revolutionize emergency communications. Tony recently presented our groundbreaking Emergency Digital Paging system at the First Responder Showcase, highlighting our successful Phase Two contract completion and our Phase Three commercialization pursuits.
National Recognition for Innovation
Our dedication to improving first responder safety has garnered significant national recognition. Most notably, in April 2023, our solution won the National Association of Broadcasters' Technology Innovation of the Year Award—a tremendous validation of our team's hard work and innovative approach. We were also honored to be invited by the Department of Homeland Security to demonstrate our technology at IWCE in March, and our project has been featured in publications by DHS Science & Technology and Government Computer News.
These accolades not only recognize our technological achievement but also amplify our mission to enhance emergency communication reliability and effectiveness nationwide.
Phase Two Success: From Concept to Real-World Testing
Under Tony's leadership, our Phase Two development, completed in April 2023, yielded impressive results. We successfully built two receiver types: a standalone pager with display and a receiver-only device that pairs with smartphones. Additionally, we developed a prototype data normalization server that connects to multiple Computer-Aided Dispatch (CAD) systems, standardizes the data, and transmits it to broadcasting entities.
What truly validates our approach is the enthusiastic response from first responders during real-world testing. We conducted extensive field trials with firefighters and emergency responders across North Carolina's diverse geographic regions—coastal areas, the Piedmont region, and mountainous terrain—each presenting unique technical challenges.
Real Results with Real Responders
While demonstrating the system to Chief Moore and his team at the Winterville Fire Department, our receiver alerted them to a medical emergency. The chief initially thought it was a demonstration, but Tony confirmed it was a real call—and remarkably, the department's existing system alarms sounded a full 10 seconds later. As the firefighters mobilized, they looked back with appreciative smiles, acknowledging the life-saving potential of those precious seconds gained.
Throughout months of testing, our system maintained perfect reliability—not a single page was missed. The significantly reduced latency, improved coverage, and enhanced security impressed all end users, with some departments continuing to use our test system well beyond the official conclusion of Phase Two testing.
The Technology Advantage
Our ATSC 3.0-based emergency digital paging system addresses critical shortcomings in current emergency communication technologies:
Superior Coverage: Testing with PBS North Carolina and Capital Broadcasting in Raleigh demonstrated exceptional coverage, including improved in-building penetration.
Minimal Latency: Live field testing confirmed message delivery in less than 10 seconds from dispatch to receipt—a significant improvement over existing systems.
Enhanced Security: The IP-based paging data is securely transmitted, easily filtered by provisioned receivers, and conveniently stored and replayed.
Seamless Interoperability: With ATSC 3.0 broadcast covering wider areas, neighboring departments can receive pages simply by programming devices accordingly.
The Path to Commercialization
As we move into Phase Three, we're focused on establishing partnerships with emergency equipment providers who have established market positions and distribution networks. Our business model centers on licensing our technology for integration into their product portfolios—not just the receivers, but also smartphone applications and normalization server solutions.
The support from PBS North Carolina and the State of North Carolina First Responders Emergency Technology Program has been invaluable. We're also working with DHS on a Commercialization Readiness Program application to extend testing beyond North Carolina and gather more data on latency and scalability.
Beyond Emergency Services
What continues to excite me is how the applications for our technology have expanded beyond emergency paging. The system shows promise for various data casting use cases, including distance-based learning, training material updates, and device software configuration. Broadcasters, digital learning entities, and even drone companies are exploring ways to leverage this technology.
As co-founder of Device Solutions, I couldn't be prouder of what Tony and our team have accomplished. Their dedication to solving critical communication challenges for first responders exemplifies our company's mission to develop innovative solutions that make a meaningful difference in public safety.
Interested in learning more? Watch Tony's presentation here: