Nestled between the Cascades and the Coast Mountains in Douglas County, the Cow Creek Band of Umpqua Tribe of Indians is one of nine federally recognized Tribal Nations in Oregon. The Cow Creek Umpqua people have called this southwest corner of Oregon their home for thousands of years.
Each July, the Cow Creek Umpqua Tribe holds its annual Tribal Pow Wow at the South Umpqua Falls Campground in the Umpqua National Forest. The three-day event attracts hundreds of people — including drummers, dancers, and singers — to celebrate the Tribe’s culture and traditions.
While the festivities are underway, first responders are on scene to support a safe and successful event. But with the Pow Wow set in a remote region with little to no wireless coverage, the event presents annual communications challenges for local public safety agencies.
In 2023, the Cow Creek Tribal Police Department turned to FirstNet, the nation’s public safety broadband network to keep their responders communicating at the Pow Wow and across the steep terrain.
The Cow Creek Band of Umpqua Tribe of Indians and FirstNet
Before FirstNet, Cow Creek Tribal Police Chief Marty Case and his officers dealt with unreliable service, network congestion, and slow data speeds. “The mountainous region makes communications a challenge,” said Chief Case. “Even in this day and age, I needed to drive up on the highest ridge to get service for status checks.”
Chief Case’s mission critical work depends on interoperable, reliable communications. The Cow Creek Tribal Police Department not only serves and protects the members of the Cow Creek Umpqua Tribal community, but its jurisdiction also includes patrolling Tribal properties in the cities of Canyonville and Roseburg, the 40-mile stretch of Tiller Trail Highway, and the counties of Lane, Jackson, and Douglas spanning across Southern Oregon.
The Cow Creek Tribal Police Department made the decision to adopt FirstNet in 2022 to help solve their day-to-day communication issues as well as boost coverage during larger events.
On-demand connectivity in rural Oregon
Chief Case knew from past experience that the Pow Wow’s remote location meant spotty coverage and lost signals. To keep his team communicating, Chief Case requested a FirstNet deployable to bolster communications during the three-day event. FirstNet delivered a Compact Rapid Deployable (CRD) — a miniature, portable cell site — to the designated area in advance of the ceremonies, establishing a one-mile radius of coverage.
The CRD was put to the test when a car crash sparked a fire five miles from the Pow Wow. The fire began to spread up the mountain, threatening the Pow Wow and its participants, and an injured person in the crash needed to be airlifted for medical treatment.
The Cow Creek Tribal Police had to coordinate quickly to keep everyone safe. FirstNet’s robust connection allowed officers to communicate in real time as they managed the flow of traffic, developed an evacuation plan at the Pow Wow site, and identified a helicopter landing zone to airlift those injured.
“If we were not able to have phone service, officers would have had to drive 5-35 miles, depending on weather, to get service,” said Chief Case. “Response time would have been extremely delayed.”
Thanks to FirstNet, Cow Creek Tribal Police experienced seamless communication throughout the crisis. The text messages and calls between Tribal law enforcement and other responding agencies, as well as dispatch, were successful thanks to the boosted coverage provided by the FirstNet CRD.
“FirstNet provided the necessary connectivity for emergency communications both for law enforcement and emergency services,” said Chief Case. “This allowed us to better serve the public and Tribal members in their time of need.”
The future of emergency communications at Cow Creek
Looking ahead, the Cow Creek Tribal Police Department plans to use FirstNet capabilities, tools, and services at future events, including this year’s Pow Wow. The agency also intends to work closely with the FirstNet Authority to address any remaining coverage gaps and enhance overall network reliability throughout the area.
With many Tribal Nations located in remote or rural areas, Chief Case encourages Tribes facing similar challenges to consider FirstNet. In addition to coverage across rural and remote areas, FirstNet offers enhanced connectivity, improved emergency response times, and interoperability.
