The Next Chapter of Resilience: A Conversation with D4H Founder, Robin Blandford, on Joining EcoOnline

Today, D4H begins a new chapter — one that builds on that original mission and expands its potential as the company becomes part of EcoOnline, a global leader in safety and sustainability software. We sat down with Robin Blandford, Founder and CEO of D4H, to talk about how it all started, why EcoOnline felt like the right team to help accelerate the mission of D4H, and what this moment means for the people who rely on D4H every day.



Robin, why did you start D4H in the first place?

Almost 20 years ago, while on a search and rescue mission with the Irish Coast Guard, I had a realisation: I’d been here before. 

I was being lowered over a cliff edge on a rope, waves crashing 90 meters beneath me. There was a pattern. Not just in the motion of the sea below, but that we’d done this before. We would get the same type of call, in the same location, at the same time of day. If we could work out where and when incidents were likely to happen, then we could prevent them before they even occurred. I knew technology could do better.

I started D4H because I believed front-line workers deserved tools built especially for them and their environment; fast, uncomplicated and available wherever they were. That software would help keep them safe, while they protected other people and the planet. Today, we continue to support frontline responders as well as teams across organisations — from aviation and manufacturing to healthcare and beyond — who may need to manage a crisis or respond to critical events.

And where did the D4H name come from?‍

Previously known as "Decisions For Heroes", our original name was a nod to our roots in Search & Rescue and made us stand out in a busy crowd of start-ups at the time. When we went to come up with a shorter name, we discovered an opportunity to get a rare 3-letter domain and D4H.com was born.‍

What does this moment mean to you personally, now that D4H is becoming part of EcoOnline?‍

It’s deeply personal. My life’s work and passion has been to create D4H. I wrote the very first line of code just after university, in a product that now supports 100,000’s of emergency managers, businesses, and responders worldwide - wherever humans go.

Joining a company like EcoOnline has been something I’ve wanted to do for some time. Both of us create real, meaningful impact in our products, that are so effective and unique that they have no competition. “Make the best” is a difficult goal. It doesn’t mean “among the best” or the “best at a particular price”, it means “make the best,” period.

As teams, we have each built something incredibly special, both with exceptionally important missions - that’s what this was always about.‍

Why EcoOnline, and why now?‍

The D4H mission is so important to so many people. As its sole-founder, I feel a heavy personal responsibility to allow it to scale beyond me (while still excited to be part of its future). Having grown so quickly, D4H has developed an insatiable hunger, and our resources alone cannot feed it fast enough to reach its true potential. Everyday, we leave behind more opportunities to protect people & the planet than we can help.

EcoOnline is like a big brother from the same family. We believe in the same things - protecting people, the planet, and putting our users first. They’re just as mission driven as we are.

Now is the right time to join them, because the world is demanding better resilience. The frequency and severity of extreme events has escalated rapidly. Compounding, cascading, and complex incidents from climate risks to cyber threats are accelerating. By joining forces, we’re positioning ourselves as the world leader to meet those challenges head-on.‍

What will this change for D4H customers, and what will stay the same?

Our customers will benefit from more investment in innovation, more functionality, and more resources. We’re joining a broader safety ecosystem, bringing response readiness into a larger suite of risk and resilience. You’ll gain access to many new integrated products within our combined suite. Our ability to provide an enterprise-grade offering, with large teams of people to help us, will make a measurable difference to you. 



Our commitment to you stays the same. The products you always trusted and the team that understands you, are not changing. I remain accountable for D4H within EcoOnline, and I am heavily invested in its continued success around the world, both in the public and private sectors. 

People do business with people. While over time, logos and colours come and go, some things never change. You will still experience us as the confident, considerate and uncomplicated people you already know. Whether you manage emergency services, operational teams, site security, or crisis coordination at an executive level, we’re committed to supporting you with tools that meet your unique needs.

"Resilience Starts with Response Readiness" is the theme for this next chapter. How does that reflect D4H’s evolution and what lies ahead?


It reflects what we’ve always believed: no matter how good your plan is, your ability to respond is what determines the outcome.

The next evolution of Response Readiness will see us connecting planning, alerting, coordination and intelligence into one suite for real-time operational resilience. We’re about to pour fuel on a fire that’s already burning brightly.

What’s one moment from the D4H journey that’s stayed with you?


Seeing the software experience we crafted, actually protecting people. People who at that moment were in crisis and at the lowest point in their lives. This was the moment I knew this wasn’t just a company - we had created a human impact. Our culture focuses on achieving outcomes, over incomes. We always prioritise delivering tangible human outcomes for our customers and will do so by going above and beyond to achieve it. Getting a real-world result that actually reduces the harm caused by emergencies is our objective. Those are the memories that stay with me.

What’s your message to the customers and responders who’ve trusted you and the platform over the years?‍

When you see footage of a crisis on the news - no matter where in the world, we most likely have a customer there, or on their way there, to help. We have been so honoured over the years to get to listen to your stories about your real-world outcomes with D4H.

We have been multiplied by the communities who have been truly inspired by our work. Thank you for your service, and thank you for letting us continue to be a part of your missions. Bravo Zulu, team - job exceptionally well done.
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And what would you say to everyone else who doesn’t yet have a crisis management solution?‍

A crisis or emergency will expose all of your weaknesses at the same time. The organisations that come through the strongest aren’t always the best resourced, they’re the ones that were prepared. They built up good data and gave their people clarity, tools and structure — from the front lines to executive leadership. They were ready, they rehearsed.

The flux and volatility created by compounding disasters and global political events today, means you will face an incident in the future. If you are not prepared, you are unprepared - do not wait for the headlines to be written about you. Nobody is coming to help - build trust, protect people, and create your own resilience now. If you haven’t invested in an incident management system yet, start exploring tools like D4H from EcoOnline - your future self will thank you.