When sudden, intense rainfall caused flash flooding and washed out roads in Washington County, Maine, the county’s emergency management director was stranded in town and unable to physically reach the emergency operations center. FirstNet enabled her to remain connected to her staff and other officials to coordinate their response remotely.

The FirstNet Authority’s Public Safety Advisory Committee (PSAC) held a business meeting to report on committee operations, the progress of strike teams and working groups, and FirstNet’s most recent accomplishments and activities.

The International Municipal Signal Association (IMSA) is dedicated to the safe installation, operation, and maintenance of public safety systems, representing over 8,800 members employed by government organizations and industry. IMSA has been an important member of the Public Safety Advisory Committee, working to ensure the FirstNet network is designed to support all aspects of public safety’s critical communications needs.

The second quarterly Third Generational Partnership Project (3GPP) Plenary e-meetings of 2021 focused on the completion of Release 17 (R17) stage 2 (architecture) work and preparation for prioritization of features for R18. The group declared the stage 2 work frozen, while allowing some work items to continue into the third quarter of 2021. At this time, the R17 stage 3 (protocol) freeze date remains on schedule for March 2022.

Last year, firefighters on the west coast battled a relentless string of fires prompting mass evacuations, destroying thousands of homes and threatening dozens of communities. As the fires and the pandemic continue to pose a double threat, FirstNet worked as it was intended by giving first responders prioritized and preemptive service to make sure that emergency communications always comes first. FirstNet prioritizes first responder communication ahead of non-emergency communications – and that has made all the difference in keeping firefighters safe as they protect communities and save lives.