RapidDeploy launches new quarterly award to recognize first responders for their excellence in action and resilience in crisis
AUSTIN, TX (October 28th, 2023) - FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE - RapidDeploy, the leading cloud-native solution provider for Public Safety, today announced the official launch of its quarterly Superstar Award, to coincide with National First Responders Day. Presented as a prestigious, engraved glass trophy, the Superstar Award is reserved for those who make a life-saving impact, demonstrate exceptional use of RapidDeploy technology, and continue to enhance emergency response throughout their community.
The Superstar Award recognizes heroes and individuals in emergency call centers and public safety answering points nationwide, by highlighting the 911 emergencies where RapidDeploy played a role in supporting a better outcome, from delivering the right mission-critical data to saving lives.
On August 18th, 2023, RapidDeploy presented the inaugural Superstar Award to dispatcher Heather Mayo from Walton County Sheriff’s Office for saving the life of a stranded boater. Using RapidDeploy’s Next Gen 911 mapping solution, Mayo initiated a live 911 video stream and was able to help the caller get her boat started. Mayo then used RapidDeploy’s enhanced 911 location feature to help the caller retrace her route back to her husband and get him back on board, ultimately saving his life.
More recently, on October 17th, RapidDeploy honored Meghan Gonzalez from California’s Riverside County’s Sheriff's Office for her pivotal role in rescuing a kidnapped victim. Gonzalez received an open-line 911 call with concerning sounds, suggesting an urgent plea for help. By leveraging RapidDeploy’s mapping solution, Gonzalez was able to locate the caller and initiate 2-way text, which helped gather the critical intelligence needed to obtain a description of the kidnapper’s vehicle, allowing teams to save the victim and apprehend the suspect.
“Meghan and Heather’s courage and commitment to public safety is truly inspiring and encapsulates the very nature of this award,” says Steve Raucher, CEO of RapidDeploy. “We are thrilled to support these first responders and highlight their dedication to their communities. RapidDeploy is committed to honoring heroes throughout National First Responders Day and beyond.”
RapidDeploy encourages first responders to nominate and submit fellow team members for their contributions and meaningful work in public safety.
The Superstar Award features three distinct criteria:
In addition to the Superstar Award and call for heroic stories, RapidDeploy has also shared a video to honor National First Responders Day. You can watch it here.
About RapidDeploy
Founded in 2016, and based in Austin, TX, RapidDeploy is the leading cloud-native platform for public safety. We provide Next Generation 911 solutions that deliver intelligent information throughout the emergency response journey, empowering agencies and first responders to drive better outcomes in mission critical situations. With a curated partner network, our platform combines mobile signals, critical datasets, and call information into a single operating system, improving emergency response with location accuracy, situational awareness, modern communications, and actionable insights. Our products improve outcomes and ultimately save lives. In 2023, RapidDeploy earned recognition for the 5th year in a row as a prominent company to watch on the GovTech 100 list, and as one of the best places to work by Built In. Learn more at www.rapiddeploy.com.
