Outreach Team Educates and Advocates for First Responders

OnStar’s Public Safety Engagement Team is essential for raising awareness of our emergency services and technology among First Responders across the U.S. and Canada. The team’s firsthand experience working directly in public safety and/or call center operations provides a significant advantage with valuable insights to support OnStar’s mission. This highly experienced team connects with public safety professionals in a variety of initiatives, such as in-person events, technology demonstrations, participation in public safety workgroups and committees, and training sessions. They also collect feedback to share with GM policy and product teams to better meet the needs of First Responders.

Established over 20 years ago, this unique team serves as a liaison for OnStar, General Motors and the public safety sector throughout the U.S. and Canada. According to Jim Lanier, Manager of OnStar Global Public Safety Engagement & Strategy, the team is dedicated to informing First Responders about services such as Automatic Crash Response and Stolen Vehicle Assistance.

Experience Matters

The extensive knowledge of the team enhances OnStar's credibility. Sherry LeVeque, Manager of U.S. Public Safety Engagement & Strategy, states, “The public safety occupation and culture can be very complex and it’s vital to understand the intricacies.” The lengthy public safety careers and diverse disciplines of the team help address the needs of the industry effectively and contribute to the success of OnStar’s emergency services.

Kathy Sukus, Public Safety Engagement Leader, adds that OnStar supports public safety through Emergency-Certified Advisors who manage emergency calls and provide critical pre-arrival instructions. This assistance can save valuable time, which can be the difference between life and death. OnStar Advisors handled nearly one million emergency calls in 2023.

OnStar also offers technologies to help locate stolen vehicles, monitor battery management systems in electric vehicles and provide essential information during crises, ensuring that public safety professionals can focus on high-priority calls and not be inundated with unverified calls for service. With Next Generation 911 on the horizon, OnStar hopes to share critical crash response information electronically with all Emergency Communications Centers (ECCs) in North America, streamlining response efforts.

Assisting First Responders

Retired Fire Chief Mitch Petterson, Public Safety Engagement Leader, says he’s very aware of the challenges First Responders face daily. “My background of being a firefighter and paramedic helps me understand the needs and desires of our public safety partners and how OnStar can assist them in emergency situations,” Petterson says. “As vehicle-based technologies continue to evolve, it is important for our public safety partners to understand what that evolution means to them. One exciting new initiative is GM’s Battery Electric Vehicle (BEV) First Responder Training Program, which is now available in a virtual format [GM BEV First Responder Training (gmevfirstrespondertraining.com)] so responders can take training online, free of charge, to gain a better understanding of how to interact with electric vehicles in emergencies.”

Charlene Poranganel, Global Public Safety Engagement Leader, brings over 15 years of experience in emergency operations. “OnStar’s role in public safety is an extension of 911, and it’s critical to helping our Members in their most vulnerable time of need. It’s also important that we do our part in helping keep First Responders safe when they engage in a dangerous situation. We have the ability to share critical information that can be used to expedite response, and the work we do with public safety can help every situation,” she says.