April 14, 2026 1 min read
Strengthening Emergency Communications: A Conversation with Jason E. Kern
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In emergency communication centers, every second matters. As agencies face increasing call volumes, staffing challenges, and growing operational complexity, they need tools that help them work smarter, not harder.
For Jason E. Kern, Founding Executive Director of LakeComm 9-1-1 and past President of APCO International (2021-2022), that pursuit has been shaped by more than three decades in public safety. Getting his start in 1993 at a community college police department outside of Chicago, Kern’s career includes time spent in law enforcement, the fire service, emergency medical services, and emergency management, all of which inform his perspective on public safety today.
Today, he leads a newly consolidated public safety answering point (PSAP) serving 26 cities, villages, fire protection districts, and other local government entities in Lake County, Illinois.
As Executive Director, Kern is focused on building an operation that is efficient, data-driven, and supportive of the telecommunicators who help keep the communities they serve safe.
LakeComm 9-1-1 and Frontline
LakeComm is a newly consolidated PSAP, officially launching operations on October 28, 2025. After 10+ years of careful planning and collaboration, the agency consolidated seven dispatch centers into a single organization serving 17 law enforcement and 13 fire/EMS agencies.
With several agencies already utilizing Frontline solutions and Kern also having experience with the platform, it was an easy decision to implement Frontline from day one.
“Being so familiar with it, I knew [Frontline] was solid. Tested and true every time,” he said.
His relationship with Frontline dates back to earlier roles, where he first partnered with the Frontline team to solve a major challenge: replacing cumbersome spreadsheet-based quality assurance processes with a more efficient, data-driven solution.
“I’m very data-driven … and to try to get [in-depth analytics] from multiple spreadsheets just became a challenge,” Kern explained.
Frontline worked with his team to develop a software system tailored to their needs. That system is available today as QA Tracker, one of Frontline’s most popular software offerings for emergency communications centers.
Saving Time Through Simplicity and Self-Service
According to Kern, one of the most important benefits of modernizing past paper- or spreadsheet-based systems is the ability to be self-sufficient when accessing information and data.
“If I can be self-sufficient and turn it around quickly, not bog down people with [information requests], then that’s fantastic. It’s a win,” he said.
That self-service capability extends across every Frontline solution. Since LakeComm utilizes Frontline solutions for policy management, professional standards tracking, training management, daily observation reports, quality assurance, and community engagement, administrators have access to copious data and information, all with just a few clicks.
From training records to performance data, information that once lived in multiple systems or even in physical filing cabinets is now centralized and easily accessible.
“Everything’s in one spot, so it’s just easier to get to,” Kern noted.
Even routine processes, like tracking training certifications, have become more efficient. Instead of manually collecting and organizing records, employees can upload documentation directly into the system, saving time for both staff and leadership.
“There’s definitely return on investment on [time] savings,” he said. “And the more time we can save, we can reinvest towards other priorities.”
Having easy access to data analytics also provides benefits when it comes to budgeting.
“There’s a lot we can build into the budgetary side just by looking at and collecting the data,” Kern said. “It can take a lot of work to start, but it just makes things a lot easier down the line.”
Building a Culture of Accountability Through Quality Assurance
For Kern, quality assurance is a foundational element of a healthy, high-performing emergency communications center.
While QA programs can sometimes be viewed with skepticism, he sees them as essential tools for both individual and organizational success.
“I think some people are very uncomfortable with quality assurance,” Kern acknowledged. “But it’s also a check and balance that I and the rest of the management staff are doing things the right way.”
At LakeComm, QA is designed not as a punitive measure, but as a way to support telecommunicators and ensure consistency across the organization. By regularly reviewing performance data, leadership can identify trends that might otherwise go unnoticed.
“We’ve had instances where we’ve seen a number of individuals missing steps… it’s not just one or two on day shift, it’s afternoon shift, it’s the night shift,” he said. “We can run reports and find out that we have six or seven people over three shifts all struggling with this task… it may not be the individual, it may be us.”
That broader visibility allows the agency to take a step back and evaluate the bigger picture to assess whether systems, policies, or training methods need to be adjusted.
“Rather than waiting … we can identify the problem and correct it,” Kern said. “It can potentially reduce complaints from agencies or the community… and that helps morale.”
This approach reinforces a culture of shared accountability, where both leadership and staff are continuously learning and improving together.
Balancing Technology with Humanity
While efficiency and cost savings are important, Kern is clear about what matters most: supporting the people behind the consoles.
Throughout his career, Kern has seen how emergency communications has evolved and, while technology like Frontline plays a critical role in supporting operations, he emphasizes that people remain at the center of everything.
LakeComm itself reflects that reality. Bringing together seven dispatch centers meant blending different teams, processes, and cultures into one cohesive organization.
“We took seven families and blended them into one,” Kern said.
Kern also highlighted the importance of flexibility in areas like training. While in-person learning will always be a necessity in every public safety discipline, online training provides a practical alternative when staffing and scheduling constraints make traditional options difficult.
“If we can pull them off the radio console occasionally, there is benefit to that,” he said.
The ultimate goal is to leverage tools and technology to reduce the strain on telecommunicators and ensure they have the support they need to succeed.
Building Morale and a Strong Foundation for the Future
In a profession where staffing shortages are common and the demands of the job can be relentless, recruiting and retaining strong telecommunicators requires more than filling positions. It requires creating an environment where people feel supported, valued, and set up to succeed.
A key part of that effort is consistency. Whether it’s in training, expectations, or performance feedback, Kern believes that clear and fair processes help build trust across the organization.
That consistency becomes especially important in a consolidated center like LakeComm, where telecommunicators come from different agencies, each with their own prior processes and expectations. Establishing a unified approach helps eliminate confusion and ensures everyone is working toward the same standards.
It also reinforces accountability in a way that supports team morale. When expectations are clear and applied evenly, high performers feel recognized, and those who need improvement have a clear path forward.
“When telecommunicators receive consistent feedback on their performance, they can see what they’re doing well and what they need to correct. And then the next month, they can compare to see their progress,” Kern said. “That accountability really helps maintain a high standard for performance.”
At LakeComm, Frontline plays a major role in providing consistency across training, performance, quality assurance, and more.
“I think the consistency, from the top down to the bottom … I think that helps us,” he said.
By reducing administrative burden and providing clear, consistent processes, Frontline allows telecommunicators to focus on what they do best: serving their communities.
