Kevin Nida is a senior public safety advisor for the First Responder Network Authority (FirstNet Authority). He joined the FirstNet Authority in 2017.

During Kevin’s 37-year public safety career, he served in the fire, EMS, 9-1-1, and law enforcement fields. Kevin retired as a battalion chief from the Los Angeles Fire Department. He served concurrently for 25 years as a communications unit leader and communications technician and 20 years in urban search and rescue communications. He also worked on efforts related to the Los Angeles Regional Interoperable Communications System (LA-RICS) broadband technology opportunities LTE program. Kevin also worked in the private sector as a public safety consultant and in product development.

For ten years, Kevin served as president of the California State Firefighters Association, representing over 20,000 career and volunteer firefighters. In this role, he helped draft legislation to better protect the public and firefighters and promoted fire safety in many television and radio spots.

During his career, Kevin helped develop technical programs to advance the Los Angeles Fire Department, including its first interoperable mutual aid communications plan and the first tactical interoperable communications plan. He also responded to scores of wildland fires, providing technical communications assistance and supervision. Kevin served in major incidents such as the Northridge earthquake in 1994, the Salt Lake City Olympics in 2002, and the Metrolink train crash and Hurricane Katrina in 2005. He received special commendations for saving his partner from a knife attack in 1981 and for his service during the Los Angeles civil disturbance in 1992.