Devices

At the Electric Daisy Carnival music festival near Las Vegas, a combination of FirstNet, innovative technologies, and comprehensive planning kept EMS operational in a challenging environment. Cody Snow, president of Prevent Medical Solutions, a mobile medical system that specializes in event staffing, talked about solutions they use to support communications during these events.

When an underground fire led to a total power outage in downtown Baltimore, first responders found themselves in the dark and without radio communications. The Baltimore City Sheriff's Office arrived on scene and deployed FirstNet devices for the first time--within minutes, they were communicating and coordinating response. In the months since, the agency has integrated FirstNet into daily operations, helping deputies capture data in the field, maintain communications during long prisoner transports across Maryland, and tackle innovative approaches to law enforcement.

After an underground fire cut power and disabled radio communications in downtown Baltimore, Maryland, the Baltimore City Sheriff’s Office relied on FirstNet devices to maintain contact and coordinate emergency response. The experience marked the first deployment of FirstNet and initiated the agency’s transition to using broadband for daily operations. FirstNet has since helped the Baltimore City Sheriff’s Office improve field reporting, stay connected during long prisoner transports, and enhance officer safety.

The Sac and Fox Tribe of the Mississippi, known as Meskwaki Nation, is the only federally recognized tribe in Iowa. The Meskwaki Police Department uses FirstNet for reliable connectivity across the reservation. FirstNet coverage helps tribal police officers communicate during everyday operations and planned events in the community, including the annual Powwow. 

The Third Generation Partnership Project, or 3GPP, held Plenary meetings in September 2024. The meetings highlighted progress reported in the 3GPP Radio Access Network, Service and System Aspects, and Core Terminal groups focusing on the Release 19 work. The group also officially approved a study on 6G.

Volunteer firefighters are the heart of our nation’s fire services community. Volunteer agencies are often smaller, rural, and have fewer resources. FirstNet offers several ways that help volunteer agencies level the playing field, including the Toms River Fire Department in New Jersey and the San Marcos Pass Volunteer Fire Department in California.

Tangier is a tiny, remote island in the Chesapeake Bay off the coast of Virginia. When local landlines were scheduled to be down, emergency management officials worked with their partners across the state to deploy a FirstNet Compact Rapid Deployable to keep the island’s first responders and residents connected in case of emergency.

Successful response to a suspicious package incident relies on good communications. Technology can make a difference in ensuring response teams have the most up-to-date information. FirstNet technologies can help with a coordinated, connected, and safe response.

Elizabeth, Colorado, is a rural area located in one of the state’s fastest-growing counties. To support communications and connect responders to the tools they need in the field, the Elizabeth Fire Protection District turned to FirstNet.

The Third Generation Partnership Project, or 3GPP, held Plenary meetings in March 2024. The meetings highlighted progress reported in the 3GPP Radio Access Network and Core Terminal groups related to completing work in Release 18. Additionally, the Service and System Aspects group activities continued to focus on Release 19 as well as planning a 6G workshop in 2025.

Maine is undertaking a statewide project to install FirstNet in all its ambulances — to keep them connected and communicating wherever the call takes them. Integrating FirstNet into ambulances improves pre-hospital care and safety for patients, responders, vehicles, and roads.

Wherever law enforcement officers work, they need fast and reliable connectivity. One of the most important innovations for public safety communications is 5G. With 5G, wireless connectivity can move more data at greater speeds in near real time. 5G will have a big impact on the ability of officers to do their jobs safely and efficiently.

Grundy County, Illinois, is a rural community 45 minutes south of Chicago. Deputy Chief Kevin Bogard of the Grundy County Sheriff’s Office shared the unique challenges the county faces - including the annual Corn Festival, which brings in thousands of tourists – and how making the switch to FirstNet helped simplify and consolidate their communication technology.

With 5G, first responders will have access to more data in near real time. And through a series of strategic investments, the FirstNet Authority is working to bring these capabilities to public safety. Discover why 5G is essential to the future of emergency response and how FirstNet’s evolution makes this a reality.

The FirstNet Authority is investing $6.3 billion to enhance 5G capabilities on FirstNet. This is a major strategic investment in the future of public safety communications. 5G on FirstNet will generate faster speeds, enhance the quality of service for first responders, and drive innovations in mission critical services.

In rural Elbert County, Colorado, a lack of connectivity posed serious safety risks for deputies and those they serve. Elbert County Sheriff Tim Norton addressed these communication challenges and brought his deputies better technology by switching to FirstNet, the broadband network dedicated to public safety. This enables faster, safer responses.

The Fiscal Year (FY) 2023 Annual Report to Congress highlights the achievements and continued progress that the FirstNet Authority has made throughout FY 2023. Details of the FirstNet Authority’s milestone successes in ensuring the deployment of the FirstNet network and securing the renewal of its Band 14 license by the Federal Communications Commission demonstrate a continued commitment to innovation and serving our nation’s public safety community.

SatCOLTS are a popular offering in the FirstNet deployables fleet, but the fleet has more to offer than just big trucks with tall antennas. Some of the newest options in the FirstNet fleet offer flexible, versatile coverage options that can help with a wide variety of response scenarios.

The Third Generation Partnership Project (3GPP) held Plenary meetings in December 2023 focused on the feature progress for Release 18, planning for Release 19, and preliminary discussions for Release 20. During these meetings, the FirstNet Authority served as an active participant working to develop standards for mission critical services.

With push-to-talk, the press of a button instantly connects firefighters with dispatch and other first responders, making it an invaluable communications tool. With firefighters increasingly needing easy access to multimedia data on the job, push-to-talk over FirstNet can be a gamechanger. It offers cost savings and added capabilities compared to only using radios.