California’s public safety landscape is one of the most complex in the nation. From devastating wildfires and earthquakes to high-density urban emergencies and large-scale public events, agencies across the state face an extraordinary range of threats—all within an expansive geography of over 163,000 square miles.
In 2024, the California Governor’s Office of Emergency Services (Cal OES) emphasized that interoperability and real-time data sharing are no longer aspirational goals for the state—they are foundational requirements for a modern emergency response infrastructure. This recognition has fueled a statewide focus on solutions that connect emergency teams across jurisdictions, platforms, and disciplines.
California’s transition to Next Generation 911 is not just happening inside Public Safety Answering Points (PSAPs)—it's now reaching the field. To help bring a vision of shared data across all public safety entities to life, Cal OES selected RapidDeploy’s Lightning Mobile App as a technology to help support California’s interoperability and real-time data sharing strategy. Lightning, powered by RapidDeploy’s Radius Mapping platform, delivers mission-critical data directly to first responders’ smartphones and tablets, enabling faster, more informed decisions when seconds matter most. With statewide access now available, California PSAPs can equip their field responders with Lightning—providing the same data available in the PSAP to the front lines to enhance officer safety, communication, and situational awareness.
Lightning offers precise caller location, real-time tracking of responder positions, incident data, and modern communication tools in a single, easy-to-use app and is designed for law enforcement, fire, EMS, and emergency management teams statewide.
California Police Sergeant Steven Puryear from the Reedley Police Department emphasized the app’s immediate usability:
“I didn’t even have to teach my officers how to use the Lightning Mobile App. They figured it out on their own with little to no help. I’m not the most tech-savvy person, but this solution is incredibly user-friendly, and I appreciate that it keeps me logged in and ready to go at all times.” - Sergeant Steven Puryear, Special Response Team, Reedley Police Department, California
This low barrier to entry translates directly into immediate operational benefits—and can help save critical seconds when lives are on the line. Agencies don’t need to invest in extensive training or onboarding—teams can activate and benefit from Lightning immediately.
When someone dials 911, they’re not just requesting assistance—they’re reaching out in a moment of fear, urgency, or crisis. And in over 80% of cases, that call comes from a mobile device, not a landline. The ability to locate the caller precisely—especially when they can’t articulate where they are—is a powerful advantage of modern public safety technology.
That’s where Lightning can make a huge impact. Built to extend Next Generation 911 capabilities into the field, the Lightning Mobile App empowers California’s first responders with real-time caller location, live visual context, and immediate proximity alerts—right in the palm of their hands.
“We had a 911 call come in for a domestic violence incident at a large business. Dispatch couldn’t specify exactly where the caller was located, but one of my officers opened the Lightning Mobile App and pinpointed her location instantly. It saved us valuable time and made the search straightforward.”
- Sergeant Steven Puryear, Reedley Police Department
Together, Lightning helps ensure that callers in crisis can be located, understood, and protected—faster and more effectively than ever before. Download our caller safety guide to learn more.
The benefits of shared data goes far beyond pinpointing a caller’s location. Lightning’s precise location capabilities can increase situational awareness, allowing officers to see one another’s positions on the map in real time, giving them a shared, dynamic view of the unfolding incident. This kind of shared visibility turns situational awareness into real-time collaboration—enabling coordinated action without the noise of traditional communication gaps. Sergeant Steven Puryear, Reedley Police Department, recalled an incident where “during a stolen car call, we used the app’s AVL feature to coordinate seamlessly in the field. Without needing to rely on constant radio communication, we split up based on our mapped locations and quickly tracked down the car. The app made teamwork effortless.”
By showing responder locations, caller locations, and incident data all on one screen, Lightning creates a live operational map that helps responders make smarter split-second decisions. Officers can reroute based on unfolding activity, provide backup to nearby units, and avoid overlap or missed coverage—all without needing to check in manually. This level of situational awareness is especially critical in high-stakes, fast-moving incidents like pursuits, large event coverage, or natural disaster response. And because Lightning integrates seamlessly with Radius Mapping, responders are always working from the most current, complete picture—together, not in silos.
In high-risk and high-uncertainty situations, visibility into responder locations and access to real-time information can mean the difference between control and chaos—or safety and vulnerability, for officers, responders, and citizens.
Lightning empowers teams with real-time responder tracking, dynamic incident views, and instant alerts when emergencies occur nearby. With these tools, command staff and on-the-ground units can quickly assess risk, adjust response strategies, and provide immediate backup when an officer is at risk. Sergeant Steven Puryear, Reedley Police Department, shared this recent experience with Lightning:
“On a drive-by call, I used the Lightning Mobile app to check one of my officer’s locations and realized he was in a vulnerable position, alone. The app allowed me to immediately send backup and adjust his location to a safer spot. That kind of real-time awareness has made a huge difference in how we ensure officer safety.”
NG911-enabled tools like Lightning help eliminate safety gaps by extending authoritative mapping data and indoor and outdoor floor plans directly to field responders.
Lightning also integrates with RapidVideo and CCTV feeds, offering situational context before a responder even steps on scene—vital during high-risk calls such as active threats, domestic violence, or unknown hazards.
Lightning is part of a broader vision—one that puts shared data at the core of California’s emergency response strategy.
Available to all Radius Mapping users, ECC Messaging enables real-time, multi-agency chat across Emergency Communications Centers (ECCs). Whether coordinating during a natural disaster, multi-jurisdictional pursuit, or large public event, ECC Messaging ensures teams across regions can share information instantly and clearly—cutting down on miscommunication and increasing operational alignment.
Another data sharing tool, Exchange Link, integrates Rave Mobile Safety’s Rave Link with RapidDeploy’s Radius Mapping, allowing agencies to securely share CAD incident data, unit locations, and resource requests in real time—directly through a unified interface. With a customizable rules engine, agencies can control what information is shared, when, and with whom.
Together, ECC Messaging and Exchange Link align with California’s Data Information Sharing Initiative (CAL DIS) and Next Generation 911 (NG911) standards, building the state’s foundation for a more connected, resilient emergency response system.
California’s public safety agencies operate in one of the most demanding emergency response environments in the country. From active wildfires and devastating earthquakes to densely populated urban incidents and cross-jurisdictional pursuits, responders must act fast—and act together.
That’s why Cal OES has made interoperability and shared data cornerstones of its CAL DIS initiative. The Lightning Mobile App is a powerful extension of that vision—bringing real-time, actionable intelligence directly into the hands of field responders and bridging the data gap between ECCs and the front lines.
With caller and responder location, live video streams, indoor maps, interagency chat, and incident boards all accessible in one intuitive interface, Lightning simplifies the way data moves and is shared in emergencies. It helps agencies work smarter, coordinate faster, and keep both responders and the public safer.
As Sergeant Steven Puryear of the Reedley Police Department puts it:
“The Lightning Mobile App has been a game-changer for our team. It streamlines our workflows, improves communication, and gives us tools to respond smarter and faster. It’s a solid app that’s already made an impact in the field.”
From remote regions to crowded cities, Lightning helps to enable a new standard of shared situational awareness that aligns with NG911 goals and supports a long-term interoperability strategy.
