The FirstNet Authority honors public safety leaders who have made significant contributions to public safety broadband communications.
The FirstNet Authority has two public safety awards.
Chief Harlin R. McEwen Public Safety Broadband Communications Award
The prestigious Chief Harlin R. McEwen Public Safety Broadband Communications Award honors an individual who has displayed remarkable leadership or made significant contributions in the field of public safety broadband communications. Established in 2017, the award recognizes the spirit of service, commitment, and dedication that is a proud tradition among public safety.
The award was created in honor of Chief Harlin R. McEwen for his extraordinary expertise, experience, and leadership as the founding Public Safety Advisory Committee (PSAC) Chair.
Chief McEwen served for 13 years as the Chief of Police for the Cayuga Heights Police Department in New York before moving on to serve as the Deputy Commissioner for the New York State Division of Criminal Justice Services. He later returned to police work, serving as the Chief of Police for the City of Ithaca in New York before taking the position of Deputy Assistant Director of the FBI. In addition, he served for more than 37 years as the Chairman of the International Association of Chiefs of Police (IACP) Communications & Technology Committee. During that time, he was the principal representative and spokesperson for the IACP on matters relating to communications and technology.
From 2012 to 2017, Chief McEwen served as the Chair of the FirstNet Authority PSAC. In this role, Chief McEwen led the efforts of the 43-member PSAC to provide operational recommendations to the FirstNet Authority Board and staff as the FirstNet Authority worked to deploy the nationwide public safety broadband network.
Any sworn or civilian member of public safety (fire service, law enforcement, EMS, emergency management, and 911/emergency communications) is eligible for this award.
Patriot Award
Established in 2023, the Patriot Award recognizes individual first responders or public safety agencies that use FirstNet to make their communities safer. Recipients of the award are considered from across public safety disciplines — fire service, law enforcement, EMS, emergency management, and 911/emergency communications. The Patriot Award celebrates and recognizes trailblazers who save lives and protect communities using public safety broadband.
Any sworn member or agency of public safety (fire service, law enforcement, EMS, emergency management, and 911/emergency communications) is eligible for this award.
Nomination Process
The FirstNet Authority will determine the winner of the awards on an as-warranted basis.