As 2024 draws to a close, organisations are looking to the future, particularly in terms of how they manage crises and emergencies. Emergency notification software (ENS) continues to evolve rapidly, driven by changes in legislation, technological advances, and the need for greater organisational resilience.
Heading into 2025, several key trends and shifts are emerging that every organisation should be aware of.
1. Legislative Changes: Martyn’s Law and the Tall Buildings Act
Two key legislative developments set to shape the landscape for emergency management in the UK are Martyn’s Law and the Tall Buildings Act.
- Martyn’s Law, named after Martyn Hett, a victim of the Manchester Arena attack in 2017, aims to enforce stronger security measures at public venues. This law, when enacted, will mandate that organisations take proactive steps to prevent terrorist attacks, including the requirement to establish clear protocols for alerting and evacuating people during an emergency. Emergency notification software will be crucial in ensuring compliance, enabling real-time, mass alerts that can be customised for different venues and scenarios.
- The Tall Buildings Act has arisen from growing concerns about fire safety and evacuation procedures in high-rise buildings. It places additional responsibility on building owners and managers to provide safe, effective means of communicating during emergencies. This will make the role of ENS even more vital, particularly when integrated with other building management systems, allowing for instant, automated notifications to residents, emergency responders, and other stakeholders.
2. AI and Automation: The Future of Emergency Notifications?
As artificial intelligence (AI) continues to permeate nearly every facet of industry, its role in emergency notification systems is becoming increasingly likely. In 2025, we expect to begin seeing AI-driven tools being more widely tested to assess its influence on speed, precision, and adaptability of emergency communications.
AI has the potential to enable smart escalation, automatically identifying the scale of an incident and triggering the appropriate responses based on the situation’s severity. For example, AI could be used to detect a fire and instantly notify building occupants, fire departments, and relevant emergency personnel based on the fire’s location, the building’s layout, and the time of day.
Additionally, predictive analytics powered by AI could be used to anticipate potential threats or risks by analysing data patterns, such as weather conditions or foot traffic, and providing early warnings. This enables organisations to take pre-emptive action, enhancing overall safety and response effectiveness.
Automation in incident response is also becoming more sophisticated, helping reduce human error and latency. Automated workflows, informed by AI, can be designed to trigger the correct communication pathways immediately upon detecting a crisis, minimising downtime and ensuring critical information reaches those who need it as fast as possible.
With any technology still in its developmental and early adoption phase, the role of AI must be approached with care and consideration.
3. The Rise of Multi-Channel and Multi-Lingual Communication
With a more globalised workforce and increasing diversity within organisations, the need for multi-lingual emergency notifications is becoming more pressing. Modern ENS platforms are now equipped to send alerts in multiple languages simultaneously, ensuring that all employees and stakeholders receive and understand critical information.
Additionally, multi-channel communication continues to gain traction. Relying solely on SMS or email is no longer sufficient. Emergency notification software now supports delivery across various platforms, including push notifications, social media, voice calls, and even digital signage. This diversification ensures that no matter where someone is, or what communication tool they use, they will receive the notification.
4. Privacy, Security, and Data Protection
As with any software that handles sensitive information, privacy and data security remain significant concerns. Heading into 2025, organisations should be vigilant in ensuring their ENS complies with data protection regulations, particularly as laws around digital security continue to evolve.
There is growing pressure for end-to-end encryption in emergency communications, ensuring that alerts cannot be intercepted or tampered with by bad actors. Organisations should also look for software providers that offer robust auditing and compliance tools, allowing them to demonstrate due diligence in managing sensitive information during crises.
5. Integration with Broader Crisis Management and Business Continuity Tools
In 2025, we expect to see emergency notification systems more tightly integrated with broader crisis management and business continuity management software. Organisations are increasingly looking for all-in-one solutions that can handle not only notifications but also incident tracking, resource allocation, and recovery planning.
The ability to integrate emergency communication software with third party systems allows for a more comprehensive, coordinated response to any crisis. Whether that's physical hardware as a method for activating alerts, or your internal contacts directory to keep employee data synchronised and up to date.
6. Continuous Improvement: Analytics and Post-Incident Reviews
Post-incident reviews are crucial for identifying gaps in communication and response strategies. Emergency notification software is evolving to include detailed analytics dashboards that track the effectiveness of notifications, response times, and user engagement. These insights help organisations improve their protocols and enhance resilience against future crises.
Ensuring the ability to conduct after-action reviews with real-time data will be critical to staying ahead of emerging threats and continuously refining emergency communication strategies.
Preparing for 2025 and Beyond
As organisations head into 2025, the landscape for emergency notification software is rapidly changing. Compliance with new legislation like Martyn’s Law and the Tall Buildings Act, the rise of AI-powered communication tools, and the need for privacy and security will all play pivotal roles in shaping the future of emergency response.
For organisations looking to improve their crisis management strategies, adopting cutting-edge emergency notification software that integrates AI, supports multi-channel communication, and offers robust data protection will be essential in staying ahead of these trends.
Cover Photo by Lorenzo Herrera on Unsplash
