By Marc Jaromin
Hurricane season in Florida has already begun.
This year, emergency managers (EMs) across the state are using AI-powered communications technology to deliver the most current, accurate and detailed information to their communities before, during and after every emergency event.
The Florida Department of Emergency Management (FDEM) is implementing an AI-powered emergency communications system called 鈥� the Broadcast Emergency Alerts and Communications Operations Network.
| Watch for more: On-demand webinar 鈥� EMS in a changing climate: Understanding the impact of extreme weather
In partnership with the University of Florida, BEACON is a pilot project designed to enhance, not replace, the traditional emergency alert system (EAS). While unifying multiple reporting agencies, this new technology simultaneously distributes critical details across broadcast, digital and mobile platforms, ensuring rural, suburban and urban communities receive official information in real time.
This new system was developed in response to widening gaps in our traditional emergency communication systems. During major disasters, like the recent California wildfires and Texas floods, the delays in receiving official emergency information in affected areas led to evacuation missteps, the spread of misinformation and, ultimately, the loss of life.
Responding to a critical need
With AI, two primary emergency communication gaps are being solved:
- Better coordination of real-time messaging among emergency officials
- Ensuring that official information reaches the right people at the right time, no matter their listening device, location or language
Too often, EMs do all the right things, but their messages are not received in time.
Today, emergency communications face a daunting challenge: delivering official information to a fragmented consumer landscape, before and after an EAS-level event, across multiple platforms, with limited time and resources.
AI-powered systems like BEACON allow emergency managers to supplement the resiliency of the broadcast EAS and wireless emergency alerts (WEAs) throughout the full lifecycle of an emergency event. AI can seamlessly and instantly consolidate, translate, geo-target and distribute critical information across broadcast, digital and mobile platforms.
This storm season in Florida, FDEM is working in tandem with the University of Florida radio network to ensure critical emergency communication efforts are amplified over broadcast, internet streams and cell services before and after every emergency event.
Here鈥檚 how an AI-powered emergency system like BEACON ensures 24/7 responsiveness during a disaster:
Boosting inter-agency communications. We鈥檝e seen time and again how a shortfall in inter-agency communication can negatively impact the deployment of emergency services. In California alone, there are over 150 different reporting agencies. An unintentional lack of coordination between responding agencies can lead to fragmented messaging, causing public confusion and allowing the spread of misinformation.
AI-powered systems ensure agencies seamlessly share information with all reporting federal, state and local officials.
Improving real-time communications as the disaster unfolds. Every local stakeholder affected by an emergency event 鈥� from residents to broadcasters 鈥� relies on information from government officials to understand the depth of the emergency and what actions to take.
Delays in official information sharing often reflect timing and limited resources. Emergency managers must first contain and control an event. In the absence of real-time official messaging, however, residents often turn to unofficial sources that may or may not be sharing accurate details.
In today鈥檚 social media world, misinformation has the powerful potential to spread quickly. During , incorrect, delayed or unofficial information erupted into a crisis of its own, requiring intervention by local officials, the governor of California and the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA).
Residents need a trusted source of official information during an emergency. In the aftermath of Hurricane Beryl, some Houstonians turned to a Whataburger app . The app showed which locations were open (in other words, had power).
While we can applaud the public鈥檚 proactivity, residents shouldn鈥檛 have to search for accurate information during an emergency. A recent national study revealed that 72% of the rural population may never receive timely emergency messaging due to a lack of access.
New technology, like the BEACON pilot project being implemented in Florida, enables emergency managers to accelerate the distribution of official life-saving updates and advisories.
Leveraging multiple platforms to ensure reach. Disasters often expose fatal flaws in an area鈥檚 communication infrastructure. For example, during California鈥檚 2018 Camp Fire, cell towers failed due to fire damage and power loss. This prevented emergency alerts from reaching residents and 911 calls from reaching first responders.
New technologies augment the resiliency of broadcast radio and television in an emergency鈥檚 most critical moments and enhance recovery messaging in the critical aftermath.
Breaking down language barriers. When minutes matter, delivering detailed information in a person鈥檚 first language is a proven lifesaver. Unfortunately, most legacy systems today are still only in English. According to FEMA, English is not the first language for 25% of the U.S. population.
The latest AI technology instantly translates and addresses nuanced differences in dialect. For example, the Spanish word for 鈥渉urricane鈥� differs between Puerto Rico and Mexico.
- Geo-targeting at the neighborhood-level. County-wide alerts may not be effective when events, like wildfires or flooding, impact neighborhoods. An AI-powered system鈥檚 hyper-local targeting capabilities can enhance the emergency manager鈥檚 ability to evacuate a specific area safely. During Hurricane Milton in Florida, storm surges hit some neighborhoods and bypassed others. Emergency managers in Tampa used AI-backed technology to implement real-time evacuations of communities, enabling officials to move tens of thousands of people efficiently. During the evacuation, it was not just north, but also east and west. This strategy proactively helped residents avoid flood zones, evacuation gridlock and even gas shortages.
| WATCH: Hurricane preparedness guide: 7 key steps to stay safe
No one left behind
Trust between a community and its public officials is essential in every emergency. As the 2025 storm season unfolds in Florida, FDEM, the University of Florida and every county emergency control center across the state will use the latest AI technology to enhance their real-time communications, from Florida鈥檚 most rural towns to its most populated urban neighborhoods.
All residents will be better informed, ensuring no one is left behind, no matter the crisis.
ABOUT THE AUTHOR
Marc Jaromin is the Director of Public Safety Platforms at Futuri Media, where he leads the expansion of BEACON, an AI-powered emergency broadcast system. Leveraging his extensive background as a broadcast executive and station owner, Jaromin is focused on revolutionizing how critical emergency information is captured, translated, and distributed from official sources to the public.Marc Jaromin is the Director of Public Safety Platforms at Futuri Media, where he leads the expansion of BEACON, an AI-powered emergency broadcast system. Leveraging his extensive background as a broadcast executive and station owner, Jaromin is focused on revolutionizing how critical emergency information is captured, translated, and distributed from official sources to the public.
