Safety Gap

In this episode of The Safety Gap, Cassidy Shield and Karin Marquez sit down with Parminder Batra, CEO and founder of TrakNProtect. Parminder shares her unique journey from attorney and mom to safety tech entrepreneur, revealing how a simple desire to track everyday household items eventually evolved into a mission-driven company tackling critical safety issues in hospitality. Her personal story and background set the stage for an ...

In this episode of The Safety Gap, hosts Cassidy Shield and Karin Marquez explore a hidden challenge facing 911 centers: up to 2 million non-emergency roadside calls annually that strain emergency resources and create safety gaps.

Guest Ben Zatlin from Agero shares how he discovered this problem through direct conversations with telecommunicators nationwide. Calls from stranded drivers whose cars won't start or who need lockout...

In this episode of The Safety Gap, hosts Cassidy Shield and Karin Marquez  speak with Scott Lowry, co-founder and CEO of StrataSite, about improving emergency response through incident action plans. Scott shares how his 25-year law enforcement career led him to identify critical gaps in coordinated emergency response, particularly in the "plus one" period after the initial crisis.

Scott explains that while first responders...

In this episode of Safety Gap, Cassidy Shield and Karin Marquez talk with Dr. Michelle Lilly about the mental health of 911 telecommunicators. Michelle is a clinical psychologist and expert in 911 telecommunicator mental health. She discusses the unique stressors of the job. She also covers the impact on dispatchers.

Michelle's research reveals that PTSD rates in 911 dispatchers are similar to first responders in the field. She...

In this episode of Safety Gap, host Cassidy Shield is joined by Cait Kennedy from Vesta Healthcare and Jennifer White from RapidSOS to unpack why emergency medical calls often fall short—and what can be done about it.

Cait explains the challenges patients and caregivers face when deciding to call 911, especially when they don’t know what other options exist. She shares real examples of how repeated emergency calls can signal underly...

Eagle Eye Networks’ VP of Marketing, Cooper Briscoe, joins Cassidy Shield and Karin Marquez to explore a big leap in emergency response: live camera sharing with 911 centers. Cooper breaks down how real-time video access during emergencies gives telecommunicators faster, clearer insights—cutting down on guesswork and improving decisions when seconds matter.

The conversation covers both the private and public safety angles. Cooper ou...

In this episode of Safety Gap, hosts Cassidy Shield and Karen Marquez welcome Ryan Bennett, Director of Product Management at CENTEGIX, to discuss innovative advancements in school safety technology. Ryan provides a deep dive into CENTEGIX’s Crisis Alert solution, a wearable badge that empowers staff and administrators to respond to emergencies with unparalleled speed and precision. The discussion highlights the solution's “Id...

In this episode of Safety Gap LIVE, Cassidy Shield and Karin Marquez explore the critical issue of delays in emergency response with guest Deirdre Fike, former VP of Investigations & Intelligence at MGM Resorts International. They discuss communication breakdowns between public and private sectors and how these gaps impact safety and security.

The conversation highlights the importance of strong relationships between enterprise ...

In this episode of Safety Gap, hosts Cassidy Shield and Karen Marquez speak with Meir Berkman, Vice President of Strategy and Business Development at Avive Solutions Inc. Meir discusses the groundbreaking work behind Avive’s connected AEDs, designed to improve survival rates for sudden cardiac arrests. With survival rates stagnating at just 10% for decades, Avive aims to make life-saving technology faster, smarter, and more accessi...

In this episode of Safety Gap, hosts Cassidy Shield and Karen Marquez sit down with Mike Rodgers, CEO of Critical Response Group (CRG), to explore the life-saving impact of emergency mapping. Drawing on his military background and lessons learned in Army Special Operations, Mike shares the origin story of CRG and its mission to create accurate, accessible maps that improve emergency response coordination in schools and beyond.

Mike ...

In this episode of The Safety Gap, hosts Cassidy Shield and Karin Marquez sit down with Gordon Folkes, founder of Archer First Response Systems, to explore how drone technology is reshaping emergency response. Gordon shares the mission behind his company: saving lives through rapid delivery of critical medical equipment like AEDs, Narcan, and even whole blood to emergency scenes. With drones capable of reaching patients in as littl...

In this episode of The Safety Gap, hosts Cassidy Shield and Karin Marquez sit down with Tim Sherno, Chief Marketing Officer of NOMO Smart Care, to explore how innovative technology is transforming elder care. NOMO provides a privacy-focused solution that tracks patterns in motion and activity without intrusive cameras, enabling families to monitor loved ones while respecting their independence. Tim shares the personal story that in...

In this episode of Safety Gap, hosts Cassidy Shield and Karin Marquez sit down with David Rogers, Chief Marketing Officer of Raptor Technologies, to explore how modern technology is transforming school safety. David shares Raptor’s mission to create safer environments for students and educators, touching on their innovative suite of tools, from visitor management systems to emergency response applications. With over 22 years in the...

In this episode of The Safety Gap, co-hosts Cassidy Shield and Karin Marquez sit down with Burgess Nichols Jr., VP of Strategy at ZeroEyes, to discuss how AI technology is transforming public safety. Nichols shares the origin story of ZeroEyes, founded in the wake of a tragic school shooting, and how their innovative AI technology detects brandished firearms in real time, providing crucial alerts to law enforcement and security tea...

On this episode of Safety Gap, Cassidy Shield talks with Michael Martin, CEO and Co-Founder of RapidSOS, about the critical seconds that can determine life or death in an emergency. They discuss how RapidSOS is bridging the gap between technology and emergency response. The company's innovative platform delivers real-time data from diverse sources directly to 911 centers, including location, crash specifics, and even medical d...