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Race cars driving on the Iowa Speedway’s seven lane, oval racetrack in Newton, Iowa with thousands of spectators sitting in the surrounding stadium.

Off to the races: FirstNet keeps Iowa responders in the fast lane

When the fiber connection for public safety cameras failed during a major race weekend in Newton, Iowa, Jasper County emergency management turned to FirstNet. Broadband brought critical situational awareness back to responders, ensuring they could keep fans safe.
A sky backdrop overlaid with connected lines and images depicting FirstNet deployable assets, including a flying Cell on Wheels, a FirstNet device cache, a compact rapid deployable hitched to an SUV, mini-compact rapid deployables, Satellite Cells on Light Trucks, a Cell on Wheels, a compact rapid deployable in a wooded area, a compact rapid deployable in Times Square, and a compact rapid deployable on an amphibious vehicle traveling across water.

FirstNet deployables provide on-demand coverage for public safety

Since the earliest days of FirstNet, first responders have emphasized the need for temporary coverage solutions that are readily available and can support planned and unplanned incidents. The FirstNet Authority created the deployable program to bring these solutions to public safety. FirstNet deployable assets provide first responders with portable coverage solutions designed to restore and enhance communication capabilities where they are needed.
High Power User Equipment; Two Shawnee County Fire District #4 response vehicles parked in front of the firehouse.

Ensuring the ‘safe’ in public safety: How technology is changing incident response

In northeastern Kansas, volunteer firefighters respond to incidents that have increasingly grown more intense in the area. Bigger and faster fires mean dependable communications are key to protecting the community. Shawnee County Fire District #4 installed FirstNet High Power User Equipment and routers in their firetrucks, keeping firefighters connected across the rural landscape.
Staff at the Redstone Arsenal look at maps simulating a chemical plume response

Multi-Agency Response: FirstNet at U.S. Army’s Redstone Arsenal

Redstone Arsenal is home to multiple U.S. Army commands, NASA’s Marshall Space Flight Center, 2 federal law enforcement agencies, and even a 35,000-acre wildlife refuge. When there’s an emergency, it is critical that first responders on base can communicate across agencies, as well as with their counterparts from the surrounding area. They look to FirstNet, the nationwide public safety broadband network, to ensure seamless communication during complex federal public safety operations.
Emergency telecommunicators take calls at a desk with multiple monitors.

Public Safety Answering Points: The Backbone of Emergency Communications

When a person calls 9-1-1 to report an emergency, they rely on Public Safety Answering Points (PSAPs) to quickly and efficiently send help to the right place. As emergency communications technology evolves and the needs of responders change with it, the FirstNet Authority is committed to ensuring PSAPs have the tools and connectivity they need to answer the call and save lives.