Washington
Public safety K9s can be trained for a wide range of services, from search and rescue to bomb and drug detection. These dogs work across urban, rural, wilderness, and disaster settings, and can sometimes end up a mile away from their handler. As technology advances, handlers are exploring ways technology – such as trackers and live-streaming cameras – can enhance K9 operations, keep dogs and handlers safe, and improve situational awareness and mission success.
From coast to coast, FirstNet is helping those charged with coordination of the vaccine distribution across America to stop the spread of COVID-19. Through innovative solutions, public safety agencies, local and state governments, and healthcare organizations using FirstNet are helping to distribute the COVID-19 vaccine efficiently and effectively.
When Lieutenant LeRoy Sisley of the Northwest Interagency Incident Management Team #10 in Washington arrived on the Bertschi Road Fire in Glenwood, he quickly noticed cell service was spotty and limited. Within three hours of submitting a request to FirstNet, a deployable network asset arrived on scene. This deployable provided much needed coverage to the firefighters responding to the wildfire, allowing them to check weather reports, order supplies and equipment, and coordinate with other teams.
When a wildfire broke out near Glenwood, Washington, first responders quickly discovered the remote area had nearly no cell service. Needing to communicate with one another as well as check weather reports and order additional supplies, the incident management team requested a FirstNet deployable asset. Within hours, the firefighters were connected with the situational awareness they needed.
First responders in tribal nations are tackling the COVID-19 health crisis with dedication and innovation, and many are turning to technology solutions to enhance their operations. Tribal nations like the Colville Tribes in Washington have gotten a boost in coverage from FirstNet at testing sites and emergency operation centers.
The Makah Tribe has called the Pacific Northwest home for thousands of years. With over 1,100 square miles of land and sea to patrol and the looming threat of tsunamis, reliable communications are crucial for the tribe’s first responders. Like many tribes across Indian Country, the Makah Tribe is looking to FirstNet to help solve their communication challenges.
The FirstNet Authority’s Public Safety Advocacy team works hand-in-hand with public safety to make sure their needs are represented in the FirstNet network buildout and evolution. In the North region, six public safety advisors cover 16 states and bring a wealth of public safety expertise to their roles as advocates.
Washington first responders face the challenges of responding in Seattle and other growing urban areas, rural farms in Eastern Washington, the mountainous terrain of the Cascades, and on the lands
FirstNet Authority National Tribal Government Liaison Adam Geisler sits down with Crystal Hottowe of the Makah Tribe in northwest Washington to talk about what it means to respond to emergencies in a marine environment, the looming threat of tsunamis, and broadband on tribal lands.
The Washington National Guard’s Civil Support Team deployed a FirstNet SatCOLT (satellite cell on light truck) and flying COW (cell on wings) to highlight communications capabilities that can be utilized by public safety during a disaster.
Coders and developers in Seattle participated in the Tech to Protect Challenge, sponsored by the National Institute of Standards and Technology and supported by the FirstNet Authority, to develop innovative technologies to help first responders