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The aftermath of the 9/11 terrorist attacks in New York City highlighted the critical need for dependable communications among first responders during emergencies and disasters.
As part of our Roadmap Engagements, the First Responder Network Authority’s (FirstNet Authority) Public Safety Advocacy (PSA) team was pleased to recently hold a Mission Critical Services Workshop in Fairfax County, VA.
FirstNet deployables were used by the Yankton Sioux Tribe Police Department in South Dakota, where rough terrain physically limits LTE coverage. During a critical search-and-rescue mission, the department reached out to the FirstNet Authority and AT&T, which deployed a SatCOLT within hours.
The latest stop along our public safety roadmap led the First Responder Network Authority (FirstNet Authority) to Atlanta, Ga., last week for a regional forum with the Police Executive Research Forum (PERF). As a policy and research organization for the nation’s law enforcement community, PERF is delivering a series of forums that explore the adoption of FirstNet by police and other public safety users around the nation.
AAA Ambulance Service in Hattiesburg, Mississippi, subscribed to FirstNet to connect its 24-hour emergency and non-emergency medical transport service. FirstNet is helping the agency's EMTs seamlessly communicate while serving 1.2 million residents living across 16 counties in southern Mississippi.
The First Responder Network Authority’s mission is to be a catalyst for advancing the nationwide public safety broadband network. As part of the launch of our roadmap engagement program, we were pleased to co-host a Public Safety Innovation Day on March 6 in College Station, Texas.
At the 2018 American Birkebeiner cross-country ski race in Hayward, the Wisconsin Office of Emergency Communications deployed the state's Site on Wheels trailer along with a FirstNet Satellite Cell on Light Truck (SatCOLT). With these network assets in place, first responders were able to stay connected and operate even in the most remote areas along the race.
Despite having large crowds descend upon the relatively small area of the National Mall, first responders did not experience disrupted communications during the 2017 Presidential Inauguration thanks to extensive planning and the help of several FirstNet deployable network assets.
In 2018, the Citizen Potawatomi Tribe hosted its annual FireLake Fireflight Balloon Festival in Shawnee, Oklahoma. With FirstNet devices in hand and a deployable on site, tribal first responders were able to better handle emergencies that required a rapid response, including a lost child, heat-related incidents, and cardiac issues.
The First Responder Network Authority’s (FirstNet Authority) Public Safety Advocacy team traveled recently to Traverse City, MI, to participate in and present to more than 230 attendees at the 2019 Michigan Statewide Interoperable Communications Training Conference.