In January 2019, a gas outage in Newport County, Rhode Island left over 7,100 residents without heat in frigid temperatures. Ruggedized FirstNet devices, WiFi hotspots, and GIS mapping software helped the Rhode Island Emergency Management Agency and local public safety agencies ensure residents were safe.

The FirstNet Authority has always relied on input and feedback from public safety, and with the release of the Roadmap, the FirstNet Authority is continuing this engagement with stakeholders in a new, targeted manner. David Buchanan, FirstNet Authority Executive Director of Public Safety, describes this new approach and how it will help inform the evolution and improvement of the network.

As mobile broadband communications become increasingly embedded in public safety operations, states are updating policy and process documents to account for this new way of communicating. The Missouri Department of Public Safety updated the Missouri Field Operations Guide, a statewide reference tool that outlines established and trusted interoperable communications solutions for first responders, to include FirstNet.

The Red Cliff Band of Lake Superior Chippewa’s in Wisconsin was the first tribe to participate in in-depth discussions with the FirstNet Authority, and they were the first to sign an agreement with AT&T to build a new cell tower on tribal land. This buildout will help both the first responders supporting the Red Cliff Band and the residents who live there.

Fall is here and that means International Association of Chiefs of Police (IACP) Annual Conference and Exposition is near!