SCHAUMBURG, Ill., Feb. 7 /PRNewswire-FirstCall/ -- Motorola, Inc. (NYSE: MOT) and the Association of Public-Safety Communications Officials (APCO) today released the findings of a national survey to assess how public safety organizations use current communications technology and what future capabilities they would deploy to help improve emergency response, officer effectiveness and public and officer safety.

Key survey findings reveal a strong demand for technology solutions that provide advanced situational awareness to first responders, improve incident coordination, and streamline emergency response. A top concern of first responders nationwide is their ability to react to natural disasters (65%), superseding both terrorist attacks (7%) and crime (10%). Regional fire and police officials dually note that advanced communications technology ranks as the most critical aid in preparedness and response both now and in the future.

While technologies are improving, community officials report that the greatest need for improvement from advanced technologies in public safety arises in terms of range, speed, and availability (26%), interoperability (25%), and availability of equipment (17%). Topping responders' "wish lists" were rugged notebook computers, visual identification and recognition capabilities, and smart transportation navigation.

The survey also uncovered areas for improvement within departments, as well as additional communications needs for responders and communities. Community officials in both large and small populations listed mapping technologies, or GPS tracking, as the top tool they'd hope to see utilized as technology continues to evolve in the security and safety arena.

"This national study validates how critical intuitive technology and communications tools are for public safety professionals in order to protect citizens in both rural and urban communities," said Mark Moon , senior vice president, Motorola Government & Commercial Markets, Americas. "Working in concert with organizations that represent the public safety community, industry solution providers are clearly making progress on meeting users' current needs. Motorola's future product development efforts are focused on providing advanced and fully integrated technologies essential to saving lives and combating unforeseen challenges."