Emergency Management
When Otterbein University in Ohio played host to the 2019 Democratic presidential debate, thousands flocked to the City of Westerville to attend. During the event, the Westerville Police Department used FirstNet and drones to capture live, high-definition video and relay it to the emergency operations center, improving situational awareness and decision making.
In March 2020, several tornadoes tore across middle Tennessee. In Putnam County, 80 miles outside of Nashville, an EF-4 tornado caused major damage to structures and a public safety radio tower. With communications severely limited, state and local first responders turned to FirstNet for coverage from deployables and push-to-talk on smartphones.
When a violent tornado hit northeast Arkansas in March 2020, it caused major destruction to homes, businesses, and a shopping mall, mangling vehicles, damaging an airport, and derailing a train. Despite the wreckage, FirstNet kept first responders connected and communicating throughout the storm and its aftermath.
The Putnam County Emergency Operations Center used FirstNet to bolster communications after tornadoes tore a 60-mile path through western and middle Tennessee.
Emergency Management professionals across the country are using FirstNet for many aspects of emergency planning and response, including in emergency operation centers, for incident management teams, in exercises and drills, and with deployables.
Download a quick summary of FirstNet Deployables.
In Hamilton County, Ohio, FirstNet’s robust and reliable platform is making it possible for technical dispatch teams responding to high-profile, large scale events to remain as fully functional as if they were operating within the four-walls of their Emergency Communications Center.
During an emergency management exercise of an aircraft accident, emergency management personnel at the TF Green International Airport in Warwick, Rhode Island participated in a FirstNet demonstration to test the network’s capabilities. Throughout the exercise, the FirstNet devices were used to help manage communications between care teams and the emergency communications center.
At the 2019 FireLake Fireflight Balloon Festival in Shawnee, Oklahoma, public safety officials from the Citizen Potawatomi Tribe relied on FirstNet-enabled devices for seamless interoperability among the many agencies supporting the festival.
When disaster strikes or large crowds gather, public safety officials need a broadband network they can rely on to remain connected. FirstNet’s fleet of deployables is an important resource for emergency managers for planned and unplanned events to ensure that connection is available. First Responder Network Authority Senior Public Safety Advisor Timothy Pierce describes the deployables that are available to FirstNet subscribers and how those resources can make a difference for first responders.
The FirstNet Authority attended the 2019 International Association of Emergency Managers 67th Annual Conference, meeting with emergency managers from across the nation and gathering their feedback on their critical communications needs.
FirstNet Authority Senior Public Safety Advisor Lori Stone sits down with the Commonwealth of Virginia’s Statewide Interoperability Coordinator Tom Crabbs to discuss FirstNet, how first responders are exploring and adapting cutting-edge technologies, and how the FirstNet Authority is helping public safety agencies nationwide advance operations.
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.