From Dispatch to Impact: Evaluating ICT-enabled Co-production of Emergency Response

Sammanfattning

This study explores the conditions and outcomes of information and communication technology (ICT)-enabled co-production of emergency response through the involvement of volunteer first responders in frequent emergencies. It focuses on a growing Swedish initiative where volunteers are recruited, trained, and equipped by local rescue services and dispatched to pre-defined smallscale incidents via mobile applications. Using a mixed-methods approach, we assess the volunteers' on-site performance and the conditions influencing their engagement. The results show that the volunteers often arrive before professionals and perform tasks such as cardiopulmonary resuscitation (CPR), traffic control, and fire extinguishing, contributing to reduced first response times and improved incident management. The volunteers also remain active after professional emergency responders arrive, reflecting a growing relationship of trust and shared responsibility. Key enabling factors include reliable ICT dispatch systems, proper training, sufficient equipment, and collaboration with professionals on-and off-site. Delayed alerts, app malfunctions, and limited volunteer influence over strategic decisions may, on the other hand, affect long-term motivation and performance. The study also reveals strong willingness among the volunteers to contribute to large-scale crisis response, provided that clear roles, coordination, and preparedness mechanisms are in place. In a broader public sector perspective, the findings can be seen as interdependent digitalised co-production, which has characteristics that previous typologies of ICT-enabled co-production do not capture, and which require increased institutional support and integrated ICT systems. The findings can also be used in the integration of volunteers into formal response systems.