When NDeavor was invited by the 119th Wing of the North Dakota Air National Guard to observe a multi-agency search-and-rescue exercise this fall, the goal was simple: understand how today’s tools support responders in the field. The findings were clear, and they highlighted opportunities for immediate improvement.
What NDeavor Saw in the Field
During the September exercise led by the 119th Wing, NDeavor’s engineering team documented several friction points affecting mission speed and clarity:
- Heavy radio traffic on the State Interoperability Radio Network (SIRN)
- Repetition of GPS coordinates
- No simple way to connect radio speakers to their location
- Limited structured data available for after-action review
Afterward, NDeavor provided comprehensive feedback to strengthen communications, coordination, training, and technology.
From Observation to Action
On October 15, 2025, the ND Air National Guard invited NDeavor to return for the next exercise and explore whether rapid engineering could address the gaps identified just weeks earlier. The request came with clear constraints: any solution had to run entirely on existing systems: SIRN, the Team Awareness Kit (TAK), and current radios.
NDeavor welcomed the challenge and committed to delivering real, working tools.
Two Prototypes in Two Weeks
Within two weeks, NDeavor engineered and fielded two operational prototypes:
Radio Transcription System: Monitored four SIRN channels, ran an on-premise model with no internet dependency, and pushed live text transcripts into TAK to provide a real-time communications log.
GPS-Enabled Radio Accessory: A belt-clip device with GPS, cellular connectivity, and a push-to-talk (PTT)-activation sensor, enabling near real-time visibility into responder locations and identifying which radio was transmitting.
NDeavor also supplied ATVs and joined the ground search directly, giving the team hands-on insight and filling a staffing gap created by reduced participation from a partner agency.
Strong Performance in the Exercise
By the start of the October 29-30 exercise, both prototypes were fully operational. Feedback from participants highlighted clear improvements:
- The transcription system reduced repeated coordinates, helped catch missed calls, and created a searchable record for after-action review.
- The GPS accessory improved situational awareness by showing where teams were located and who was speaking over the radio.
The Takeaway
This rapid field deployment demonstrated how quickly NDeavor can move from observation to working, mission-ready solutions, and how the state’s investment in NDeavor’s engineering capabilities is already strengthening North Dakota’s emergency response community.
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