Push-to-talk
When sudden, intense rainfall caused flash flooding and washed out roads in Washington County, Maine, the county’s emergency management director was stranded in town and unable to physically reach the emergency operations center. FirstNet enabled her to remain connected to her staff and other officials to coordinate their response remotely.
The second quarterly Third Generational Partnership Project (3GPP) Plenary e-meetings of 2021 focused on the completion of Release 17 (R17) stage 2 (architecture) work and preparation for prioritization of features for R18. The group declared the stage 2 work frozen, while allowing some work items to continue into the third quarter of 2021. At this time, the R17 stage 3 (protocol) freeze date remains on schedule for March 2022.
Penn State University Police and Public Safety joined FirstNet, connecting department personnel to a reliable, dedicated network. Using phones and tablets, officers can access tools and communicate during everyday incidents, packed football games, and emergency situations.
At APCO International’s Annual Conference and Expo, stakeholders from across disciplines come together to discuss topics impacting emergency telecommunications. For the second year, the FirstNet Authority will participate and lead sessions in a FirstNet-specific track, highlighting how the network is supporting emergency communications centers.
Law enforcement agencies in Michigan are taking advantage of mission critical capabilities on FirstNet, such as priority and preemption. For the Grand Rapids Police Department and the Oakland County Sheriff’s Office, this means officers and deputies are able to communicate and have access to the tools they need in the field, ultimately helping them better serve their communities.
Broadband infrastructure can be sparse and inconsistent across many parts of Indian Country. When the COVID-19 pandemic struck, this lack of infrastructure complicated efforts to provide tribes with critical food supplies and personal protective equipment. FirstNet deployable assets enabled the National Tribal Emergency Management Council to coordinate logistics and deliver millions of pounds of food and resources to tribes across the nation.
Officers with the City of Dallas Police Department are now connected to FirstNet. With connectivity in in-vehicle routers and on department-issued phones, officers have access to tools like push-to-talk and applications that increase situational awareness, helping them better serve their community.
The first quarterly Third Generation Partnership Project (3GPP) Plenary e-meetings of 2021 recently concluded. At the March meetings, the 3GPP momentum continued with more Release 17 progress and a focus on the upcoming June deadline for stage 2 (architecture) work. There were major discussions on the use of the 5G New Radio (NR) sidelink interface to support both user equipment (UE) to network (U2N) relay and UE to UE (U2U) relay.
FirstNet is making a difference for law enforcement agencies across the nation—in both daily operations and at big events, whether planned or unplanned. In northern Virginia, the Loudoun County Sheriff’s Office relies on FirstNet for everyday use, emergencies, and large events. They also partner with other FirstNet users in the region to collaborate on how to best use the network.
At the December 2020 3GPP Plenary meetings, there was continued momentum with Release 17 and mission critical features, including continued inclusion and clarification of 5G direct mode and broadcast mode communications. Many public safety agencies from across the globe co-signed two contributions authored and led by the FirstNet Authority to emphasize the importance of these features.
Buses taking students to and from schools in Carroll County, Maryland are now equipped with FirstNet. With these advanced communication capabilities, the fleet can stay in touch with school headquarters at all times, enhancing the safety and security of students.
Brian Schoonmaker was named Chief of Police in Hazleton, Pennsylvania in the midst of the COVID-19 crisis. With FirstNet, Chief Schoonmaker jumped right into developing policies to keep the community and police officers safe during this unprecedented event.
Carroll County Public Schools in Maryland are utilizing BusPatrol to ensure the safety of their students. The program, which utilizes FirstNet’s dedicated public safety network, helps to deter illegal passing of stopped school buses.
The momentum continued at the September 2020 3GPP Plenary meetings with Release 17 (R17) work fully underway. Several studies are moving into the normative work phase and address public safety areas of interest, including enhanced location services, unmanned aerial vehicles (UAV) such as drones, direct mode enhancements including sidelink relay, and 5G multicast-broadcast.
The FirstNet Authority Public Safety Advocacy team is engaging with public safety to better understand the operational and technical needs of first responders. These engagements give the public safety community important information on the network, the FirstNet Authority Roadmap, and the many resources available for public safety operations.
The U.S. Coast Guard acts as a key part of our nation’s maritime safety, supporting a wide range of missions—from search and rescue to counter-drug operations. The Coast Guard has equipped more than 1,300 pilots and aircrew with FirstNet-enabled devices to aid in day-to-day operations as well as during major events and incidents, such as Fleet Week and the Super Bowl.
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.
The Saint Louis region is home to 88 municipalities across 523 square miles. For public safety officials in this area of Missouri, interoperability is key. To meet this need, the Clayton Fire Department is using FirstNet to connect to other first responders, access data on the scene of incidents, and enhance situational awareness and patient care.
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.