Video

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.

After 30 years as a career and volunteer firefighter, Stephen Wantz understands the importance of clear communications. Now, as an elected official in Carroll County, Maryland, he uses his past experience to advocate for the tools and technology public safety needs to communicate.

As broadband becomes more prevalent in public safety communications, the FirstNet Authority offers the After Action Review (AAR) program — a free service available to any FirstNet subscribing agency to capture best practices and lessons learned related to event planning, logistics, operations, and technology use. The AAR program has made a positive impact on communications usage at events such as the New York International Air Show.

The Green Bay Police Department is the main law enforcement agency for the Green Bay Packers football games. Even during big plays when network congestion is the highest, FirstNet gives them faster speeds, better data exchanges, and clearer calls. FirstNet has also made a difference for Green Bay police outside the stadium, like when they tracked a fleeing shooting suspect.

The Green Bay Police Department is the main law enforcement agency for the Green Bay Packers football games. Even during big plays when network congestion is the highest, FirstNet gives them faster speeds, better data exchanges, and clearer calls. FirstNet has also made a difference for Green Bay police outside the stadium, like when they tracked a fleeing shooting suspect.

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.

A research team from Texas A&M University traveled to Hawaii when the Kilauea volcano erupted in 2018. Using small drones and the FirstNet network, they live-streamed the lava flow to the emergency operations center more than 30 miles away. FirstNet provided the connection and bandwidth needed to share quality footage in real time, enabling first responders to quickly plan and respond to impending dangers.

The Arlington Police Department in Texas is using FirstNet to support tools that help officers better serve their communities. FirstNet’s dedicated network gives Arlington Police confidence and reliability across the city to remain connected to the resources they need most.

Bobby Gelormine, the Senior Planner for the Chesapeake Fire Department’s Office of Emergency Management, helps the city plan for everything from hurricanes and flooding to terrorism and other man-made disasters. Being in a constant state of readiness means that Gelormine and his colleagues rely on FirstNet to provide reliable communications, no matter the emergencies they face.

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.

Situational awareness for first responders can come from cameras, sensors, wearables, or countless other pieces of technology. In this blog, FirstNet Authority Senior Public Safety Products Advisor Randy Kerr and FirstNet Authority Senior Director of Product Technology and Architecture Carlos L’Abbate discuss public safety’s situational awareness needs and how the FirstNet Authority is ensuring those needs are met.

Historic Annapolis, Maryland, hosts nearly two million tourists annually, and public safety officials are responsible for protecting these visitors and local residents throughout the town and in the surrounding Chesapeake Bay. Recognizing the need for reliable communications for first responders, local law enforcement, emergency management, and city services are rolling out FirstNet.

When severe rains caused rivers to flood in the Midwest, the Illinois Incident Management Team requested a FirstNet SatCOLT (satellite cell on light truck). The SatCOLT provided first responders with a secure and reliable connection, allowing them to communicate as they worked in the aftermath of the storms.

In this episode of Public Safety First, Dave Mulholland — Administrator for the Arlington Co. (VA) Emergency Communications Center — discusses the evolution of emergency communications in the National Capital Region and shares his experiences with a FirstNet demo at the Marine Corps Marathon.

Senior Public Safety Advisor Bill Schrier highlights emerging technologies that can benefit first responders and transform public safety services.

In the latest episode of Public Safety First, Dave Buchanan chats with Captain Craig Schwartz of the Santa Rosa Police Department about how drones can help law enforcement with better situational awareness to make well-informed, mission-critical decisions.

In our latest episode of the Public Safety First, host Dave Buchanan chats with First Responder Network Authority’s Harry Markley, Senior Law Enforcement Official, and Jeff King, Senior Director of Field Operations on their law enforcement careers and the upcoming International Association of Chief of Police (IACP) 2018 conference.

Coders competed in a FirstNet First Responders Hackathon at the Illinois Institute of Technology to develop apps to help first responders carry out their duties more efficiently.