By: David Blankinship, President, Emergent and Mike Duyck, President, Emergency Technical Decon
As we cross the midpoint of 2025, two things are clear across the fire service: the job is getting harder, and the expectations on leaders are rising. Whether responding to increasingly complex incidents, meeting new national standards, or protecting responders from long-term health threats, agencies are being asked to do more, often with fewer resources and higher stakes.
At Emergent and Emergency Technical Decon, we’ve spent the first half of 2025 building solutions and making strides to help meet those challenges head-on. Below is a look at what we’ve learned from the field, where our platforms are headed, and how we are advancing our mission to serve first responders.
What We’re Learning from the Field
Fire and EMS leaders are demanding more flexibility from their tools — and rightly so. The shift toward modular platforms is no longer optional. Documentation and access to data remain universal pain points, especially for EMS. From accurate call reporting to NEMSIS compliance, the burden on field personnel is growing. Data integration remains critical. Whether it’s CAD, RMS, inspections, checklists, or fleet, agency leaders want systems that communicate with each other in real time without the need for added cost or manual workarounds.
In addition, the conversation around long-term firefighter health, especially cancer risk, has become impossible to ignore. The fire service is facing a generational shift in how it handles gear care, carcinogen exposure, and environmental safety. That’s no longer a future concern — it’s a present priority.
Smarter, Simpler Tools for Incident Response
Emergent made meaningful progress across our platform and partnerships in H1, with a clear focus on modularity, interoperability, and field-readiness. Emergent EMS, the company’s electronic patient care reporting solution, was previewed at the 2025 Metro Chiefs Conference and is already generating interest for its simplicity, compliance alignment, and crew-first design. This NEMSIS-ready solution will anchor the Emergent Critical Ops bundle, which builds on the Emergent Essential Ops foundation with expanded EMS capabilities.
Emergent’s solution for a records management system reached internal release and is on track for field deployment in Q4. Designed to simplify compliance, improve records access, and streamline reporting across fire and EMS, this system reflects direct input from our agency partners. We also expanded the Emergent Essential Ops toolkit to have a modular approach that now includes Tactical Board and its fire reporting functionality, Fleet, Checklists, and Inspections. It’s built to scale, from small volunteer departments to metro agencies.
Additional highlights include an AI-powered workflow that supports auto-narrative generation for incident reports. The Rugged Edge platform is finalized, providing Class 1, Div 1-compliant devices for use in the most challenging environments. Emergent’s CAD integration with PulsePoint is live, enabling seamless data flow into both Essential and Critical Ops bundles. Emergent also launched Navigator, a grant support tool to help departments secure funding for Emergent software through SAFER, AFG, and other sources. Finally, the company welcomed Central Pierce and Boise Fire to the Emergent customer community and advanced partnerships with other progressive agencies and several large regional departments to be announced very soon.
Accelerating Decontamination Awareness and Adoption
On the Emergency Technical Decon (ETD) front, 2025 has brought a wave of renewed focus on standards, accountability, and health-forward innovation. With the rollout of NFPA 1850 and its accompanying updates later this year, departments are now being pushed toward more enforceable gear care and contamination control practices.
ETD has been deeply engaged in this shift, from national standards conversations to ground-level department support. Several proposed amendments to NFPA 1850 are actively under review, including provisions that would require agencies to comply with local, state, and federal effluent discharge regulations, a benchmark that ETD’s Liquid CO2+ process easily meets, unlike traditional water extractors. Other changes build on Urban Fire Forum recommendations and address growing concerns around lithium-ion battery fires and PFAS exposure.
Our team visited lawmakers in Washington, D.C. to advocate for stronger firefighter health protections, including support for proven decontamination methods. We’ve also seen a rapid increase in Liquid CO2+ machine inquiries as departments begin phasing out PFAS-contaminated turnout gear and look for safer, more effective cleaning methods. From increased lab testing to expanded chemistry validations, our team continues to drive innovation that’s backed by science.
International interest has also surged, with inquiries and partnerships emerging in Canada, Europe, and beyond. As organizations like Underwriter Laboratories (UL) invest in decon research globally, it’s clear that this issue is a priority for the fire service around the world.
Looking Ahead
The second half of 2025 will see both Emergent and ETD continue to expand access to smarter technology and science-backed health solutions for the fire service. We’re grateful for the trust of our partner departments and for the growing network of leaders who are demanding better tools, stronger protections, and a more sustainable future for first responders.
