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During my 31 years with the Phoenix Police Department, we lost 21 officers in the line of duty. Each and every one of those losses was a tragedy.
Today is International Firefighters' Day (IFFD), which recognizes the men and women throughout the fire service who risk their lives each day to protect lives and property in their communities.
For Mike Worrell, becoming a first responder was personal. His brother was only 25 when he died unexpectedly of a heart ailment. The first responders who rushed to help his brother were exceptionally kind, Mike said, and he’ll never forget the way they treated him and his family. For someone interested in many different careers, that experience, ultimately, led Mike Worrell to becoming a firefighter.
During this year’s Boston marathon, the First Responder Network Authority (First Responder Authority) team and AT&T were on hand to distribute 80 FirstNet devices to fire, police and incident response teams from the cities of Boston and Brookline. Thirty of these phones were outfitted with SIM cards and connected to the dedicated FirstNet Core.
America’s first responders are on the front lines working to save lives and protect communities across the nation. During the month of May, there are a number of opportunities to recognize the hard work and life-saving sacrifices of fire service, law enforcement and emergency medical services personnel.
In the FirstNet Authority’s ongoing effort to keep you informed regarding standards development activities impacting public safety, and following our recent update on the December plenary meetings in Portugal, this blog discusses the latest developments from the 3GPP plenary meetings held in Chennai, India from March 19-23, 2018. The March quarterly meetings addressed standards in several areas relevant to the Nationwide Public Safety Broadband Network (NPSBN) during three separate plenary group meetings.
A number of public safety agencies are adopting FirstNet and gaining capabilities they have never had before. These FirstNet trailblazers are exploring the benefits of smart devices powered by a dedicated, high-speed wireless broadband connection. Capturing and sharing real-time data, live streaming, and incident mapping are just a few FirstNet-powered capabilities they’re incorporating into emergency response.
This is an exciting time for FirstNet. In the last month, the First Responder Network Authority-AT&T partnership has reached major milestones in deploying the network for first responders, including the launch of the nationwide buildout of public safety’s spectrum – Band 14 – and the delivery of the FirstNet Core.
The Brazos County Sheriff’s Department became the first Texas agency to officially subscribe to FirstNet. Whether during flooding, tornadoes, Hurricane Harvey, or even an armed standoff, the department has used livestreaming video to better assess incidents as they evolved.
Following the terrorist attacks of 9/11, public safety from all disciplines joined together to advocate for a single nationwide public safety broadband network. A wireless network they would fight for and have a say in from the start.