ABOUT EMERGENZ
EMERGENZ was founded by experienced first responders and mobile health professionals who saw firsthand that the status quo in emergency services wasn’t keeping up with modern challenges. First Responder and Mobile Health organizations are sliding into crisis due to a confluence of factors. “Crisis breeds innovation” became our mantra. After years of working within the emergency services, responding to extreme natural disasters, public health crises like COVID-19, while dealing with dwindling resources, our founders asked: What if we could harness new and emerging technologies to help emergency response and mobile health organizations out of crisis?
OUR APPROACH
EMERGENZ is the answer to that question. We are a tech-forward nonprofit at the intersection of healthcare, public health, public safety, and disaster response. Our team is a blend of mobile health clinicians, first responders, domain experts, and technologists. We bridge the gaps for organizations and communities, providing extra hands and high-tech tools where there are shortages or inefficiencies. By doing so, we help local heroes – EMTs, firefighters, nurses, emergency managers and more – do their jobs better and safer.
Our
Story
The Problem, Defined
In the last two decades, first responder and mobile health organizations have been pushed to the brink. Heightened job demands, complex regulations, personnel retention, low reimbursements, increasing operating costs, climate-related disasters, and the strain of a global pandemic exposed critical weaknesses in the system. Many organizations lacked the expertise, resources, and long-term strategies to adapt. Our founders experienced this turmoil on the front lines and imagined a better way.
They envisioned an organization that embraces innovation to support those who save lives. EMERGENZ began as a small idea during the COVID-19 pandemic, when supply shortages and new needs (like telehealth and mass vaccinations) demanded rapid change. We saw how telemedicine became an overnight necessity, how data like wastewater analysis started guiding public health, and how communities expected on-demand testing and care. These changes proved that adaptation is possible – but not every agency could do it alone.
An Idea Evolves Into Action
EMERGENZ formally launched to be that helping hand. We started building programs that could deploy technology, data, and manpower quickly to where they’re needed:
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We set up internal “hubs” focusing on key areas (like Response, Education, Health, and Resources) to pilot new ideas and deliver services directly.
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We established a federation model to partner with existing organizations across the country, so we can share innovations and resources on a broad scale.
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We committed to being data-driven: pulling data from our programs and the field to develop innovative models and smart tools that improve over time. By learning from every response and service we provide, we can continually refine our solutions.
Where You Are
Today, EMERGENZ is based in San Francisco, the tech capital of the world and adjacent to Silicon Valley’s wealth of innovation. This location gives us access to brilliant minds, tech partnerships, and cutting-edge research. Our Response and Education hubs are based in the New York Metro region and have a heritage pedigree from some of the finest first response organizations in the world.
But our heart is wherever someone needs us – we think globally, act locally. From a small volunteer EMS department in the Northeast to a mobile health system on the West Coast, we tailor our support to fit local needs while maintaining a vision that spans the nation, and the globe.
Our
Structure
Get to Know Us
EMERGENZ operates through a federation model with multiple hubs. What does that mean? At the top level, EMERGENZ is the umbrella nonprofit that sets our mission and strategy. Under this umbrella, we have distinct hubs (program divisions) such as EMERGENZ Response, Education, Dispatch, Health, Systems, and Resources – each focusing on a critical aspect of emergency services.
Get by with a little help from our friends
Each hub has some autonomy to run programs suited to its specialty and local context, while aligning with EMERGENZ’s overall goals and standards. We also partner with external organizations (like local nonprofits, emergency response agencies, and community groups) that become part of the EMERGENZ network as affiliates. These partners retain their independence but join our “family” of organizations to share resources, knowledge, and support.
Think of our structure having three components:
Corporate (Central Leadership): A small core team (based in San Francisco and New York) coordinates major decisions, ensures quality and compliance, and drives fundraising and development. This central hub supports all other hubs with things like technology infrastructure, marketing, and strategy.
Hubs (Vertical Programs): Each EMERGENZ hub functions like a focused unit or program under the EMERGENZ banner. They design and run projects in their domain. Hubs share the EMERGENZ name, values, and resources, but have flexibility to innovate in their realm.
Federation Affiliates: These are independent organizations across the country that join EMERGENZ through partnership agreements. Some might be established nonprofits or community groups that align with our mission. By affiliating, they get access to our support (training, technology, funding assistance, and a larger network) while helping EMERGENZ expand services to more communities. Each affiliate operates locally but under our broader umbrella of mission and brand.
A Constellation for Good
This structure allows EMERGENZ to be scalable and inclusive. Instead of one big centralized organization trying to handle everything, we empower many organizations and teams to contribute in their areas of strength. It’s a bit like a franchise or cooperative model in the nonprofit space – we share a name and mission, but maintain local expertise and autonomy. The result is a united network capable of responding to national challenges (like a pandemic or major disaster) while still meeting specific local needs on the ground.
Our
Leadership
Servant Leadership
At EMERGENZ, we practice servant leadership – meaning our leaders see themselves first and foremost as servants to our mission, our team, and our communities. This philosophy creates a supportive culture and better decisions in high-pressure situations. Our leadership team is comprised of seasoned professionals in emergency medicine, technology, and nonprofit management who guide the organization with humility and vision.
Empower and Elevate
Our leaders are backed by a growing team of staff and volunteers across the country. From program directors who head each EMERGENZ hub, to advisors in medicine, technology, and training – we’re unified by a passion for helping others. We believe in elevating those around us: supporting our teams so they, in turn, can support communities. This inclusive, mission-first approach is what makes EMERGENZ not just an organization, but a family.