Zach LaValley, CTO and EVP of Product, Data and Engineering at RapidSOS, joins Russ Fordyce to talk about the 2026 Stratus Award win and how connected phones, cars and smartwatches are reaching 911. Zach explains why RapidSOS adds a fast lane next to existing systems instead of replacing them, and how humans and AI share the work. He closes with two practical tips: enable the emergency health profile on your phone, and ask your vendors whether your car is connected.
Guest Info Guest: Zach LaValley , CTO and EVP of Product, Data and Engineering Company: RapidSOS Award: 2026 Stratus Awards, Solution / Platform as a Service (Product) Chapters [00:00] Welcome to the Winners' Circle [00:50] What RapidSOS does [02:46] Software, hardware and the redundancy backup [04:22] Why 911 infrastructure is slow to change [06:05] What happens when a device is not on the network [08:21] Ending the game of telephone [09:59] Better responses and the Cass County crash [11:52] Layering on top instead of replacing [13:58] Synthetic data and privacy [15:14] Earning trust with a fast lane [20:27] Humans in, on and over the loop [23:28] Call metadata and intelligence [24:51] Better decision support for dispatchers [26:36] The next three to five years [28:13] Check your emergency health profile Key Takeaways The 911 call is only one signal now. Cars, phones and smartwatches can all send location and context, and RapidSOS connects them into 911 and out to responders in the field. Add a lane, do not rip out the road. Zach's team layers on top of existing systems so agencies can shift traffic at their own pace and always be able to go back. Choose the right human and AI relationship for each use case. Humans can be in the loop, on the loop or over the loop, depending on the job and the comfort level of the agency. Resources RapidSOS Zach LaValley on LinkedIn 2021 911 Profile Database Report NHTSA publication DOT HS 809 896 AARP guide to smartphone emergency info and Medical ID Nomination video on YouTube Award Promotion Congratulations to RapidSOS on winning a 2026 Stratus Award. Know a team that deserves the same recognition? Learn more and nominate at the Stratus Award for Cloud Computing .
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