Devices

The community of Jackman, Maine, has taken an innovative approach to providing emergency care quickly and efficiently. With the help of FirstNet, paramedics in Jackman can conduct telehealth sessions and treat residents at the local health clinic or in their homes, rather than transporting patients to a hospital over an hour away.

The third-quarterly Third Generation Partnership Project (3GPP) Plenary e-meetings of 2022 concluded in September. Participants focused on 3GPP Release 18, which will become the inaugural release for 5G Advanced that includes new innovations toward the 5G vision. The plenary meetings made solid progress on the study items and work items that form the basis to advance Release 18 features.

The FirstNet Authority Roadmap lays out six domains that public safety identified as critical to the network’s success. The User Experience domain helps to provide public safety with an intuitively designed user experience on the FirstNet network. The FirstNet Authority engaged with public safety to develop a deep understanding of how first responders interact with the FirstNet network through devices and applications, as well as their needs and expectations of the network.

From missing person searches to HAZMAT incidents and holiday celebrations, first responders in Kentucky, North Carolina, and Texas use drone technology to gather critical situational awareness during emergencies and planned events. With FirstNet, footage from the drones can be streamed seamlessly back to decision makers on the ground.

The Dallas Police Department in Georgia is the first in the state—and one of the first in the country—to completely switch from land mobile radios (LMR) to public safety broadband for their communications. Dallas Police Chief Joe Duvall shared how they made the decision to switch and how it’s going so far.

Deputy Chief Gavin Babieracki of Otsego County EMS Rescue shares his experience responding when a tornado struck his community, a rare event in northern Michigan. Though the tornado was unexpected, Babieracki and his team were prepared with FirstNet and other technologies to keep first responders connected throughout the disaster.

Fire departments around the country are investing in drone technology to keep firefighters safe. Division Chief Dan Cremeans of the Durham Fire Department in North Carolina explained how their drone program helped keep firefighters safe as they battled a fire at a fertilizer plant containing hundreds of tons of highly flammable chemicals.

Thunderbird and Whale was the first-ever national-level exercise fully planned and executed by tribal nations. Lynda Zambrano, Executive Director of the National Tribal Emergency Management Council, recounts her team’s approach to the exercise and how they maximized resources to benefit tribal communities in the Pacific Northwest.

First responders in the Los Angeles Police Department (LAPD) are benefitting from FirstNet. Now with FirstNet, LAPD is equipping officers with new tools, expanded capabilities, and reliable access to critical information while in the field, allowing the department to better serve those who live, work, and visit Los Angeles.

The Orleans Parish Communications District celebrates the adoption of AT&T ESInet to support Next Generation 911 call handling systems. AT&T ESInet gives emergency call handlers greater location accuracy and added redundancy to ensure that 911 services remain operational during localized events. The new system along with acquiring a FirstNet Compact Rapid Deployable asset will provide reliable communications systems for Louisiana public safety.

Jeff Pierce has served for decades as South Dakota’s statewide interoperability coordinator and engineering manager for the Bureau of Information and Telecommunications. On the brink of retirement, Pierce shares his vantage point looking at the past, present, and future of public safety communications. No matter where Pierce looks, he sees interoperability as the key to effective public safety communications.

How do FirstNet’s Z-Axis and Push-To-Talk work in real-life scenarios? The FirstNet Authority partnered with the Major County Sheriffs of America to conduct a technology trial of these capabilities. By putting the technology into the hands of officers on the job, we can evaluate its real-world usability, discover any adjustments needed, and plan for future upgrades.

The first-quarterly Third Generation Partnership Project (3GPP) Plenary e-meetings of 2022 concluded in March. Participants completed work on 3GPP Release 17 that enhances aspects of the 5G system and marks the conclusion of the first phase of the 5G technology evolution. Delegates also made significant progress on Release 18 that will include new innovations delivering the 5G vision.

Coverage is king for public safety communications. Since its creation, the FirstNet Authority has focused on ensuring first responders have coverage and connectivity whenever and wherever they need it. Deployables, high power user equipment, and a focus on 5G are some of the new ways FirstNet subscribers can get coverage in hard-to-reach areas.

 

During a joint training exercise and demonstration at Military Ocean terminal Sunny Point in North Carolina, federal and local first responders from across the state experienced how FirstNet can connect agencies during emergencies and everyday operations.

 

Officers and public works personnel in Morris, Illinois, now have access to new capabilities and reliable network access with FirstNet. The network provides responders with interoperability and connectivity in the field.

Public safety needs a solution that allows for a single, secure authentication process across every application needed. Logging on once should make multiple mobile applications immediately available for first responder use, allowing life-saving work to begin sooner. The FirstNet Authority is exploring how Identity, Credential, and Access Management affects public safety daily and what other solutions can help solve real-world problems.

FirstNet is bringing dedicated network services to officers with the Calexico Police Department in California. Features on FirstNet built for public safety ensure officers can communicate and connect to the resources they need.

As the Marshall Fire burned through Boulder County, it quickly became the most destructive fire in Colorado state history. The fire damaged critical infrastructure and commercial networks were congested, but responders were able to communicate with FirstNet deployable assets on site, including a compact rapid deployable that was able to traverse steep terrain and establish coverage quickly.

Lineman and employees with Oklahoma Electric Cooperative are using FirstNet to connect to each other, access reports, and provide mapping while responding to natural disasters and everyday emergencies.