AI Steps in to Rescue U.S. 911 Emergency Centers from Staffing Shortage
U.S. 911 emergency centers are grappling with a severe staffing shortage, pushing them to adopt AI technology to ease the pressure from non-emergency calls.
Aurelian, a startup that began by automating beauty salon appointments, quickly pivoted to address one of the most critical issues in the emergency sector.
Its founder, Max Keenan, discovered that dispatchers were forced to handle minor complaints like noise violations and traffic issues alongside life-threatening emergencies.
This shift prompted the company to develop an AI-powered voice assistant capable of sorting calls and handling simple reports directly, while immediately routing critical cases to human dispatchers.
Aurelian announced it raised $14 million in a Series A funding round led by the National Environmental Agency (NEA) to support its system’s expansion across more U.S. states.
Since its launch in May 2024, the system has been implemented in over 12 911 dispatch centers, including Snohomish County in Washington and Chattanooga, Tennessee.
This comes as emergency employees face difficult conditions, with many working shifts of up to 16 hours a day due to the ongoing staffing shortages.
Keenan emphasizes that the project’s goal is to give dispatchers a chance to catch their breath.
Investors describe the system as a solution that doesn’t displace current employees but instead fills a gap in positions the centers have been unable to fill.
While other companies like “Hyper” and “Prepard” are working on similar solutions, Aurelian believes its product stands out as the first to actively handle direct daily calls, giving it an advantage in a market hungry for smart solutions.
