Hawaii

Emergency telecommunicators are the critical link between first responders and the larger community. They are the voice of calm on someone’s worst day. In honor of National Public Safety Telecommunicators Week, Maui County Emergency Services Dispatch Coordinator Davlynn Racadio reflects on her 36-year career as a dispatcher and celebrates the exceptional work telecommunicators do 24/7/365.

FirstNet is pushing the envelope for public safety communications, opening up new capabilities for emergency managers and the first responders they work with. Through real-time data sharing, tools like the Advanced Network Status Tool, and advances in 5G, FirstNet is shaping the future of emergency management.

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 FirstNet Authority’s Public Safety Advocacy team works hand-in-hand with public safety to make sure their needs are represented in the FirstNet network buildout and evolution. In the West region, seven public safety advisors cover seven states and territories and multiple public safety disciplines. Together they bring a wealth of expertise to their roles as public safety advocates.

Located about 2,400 miles off the mainland United States, Hawaii’s residents and public safety officials face connectivity challenges.

The FirstNet Authority PSA team held a Roadmap Engagement with the City and County of Honolulu to solicit feedback from the island’s public safety community about their localized emergency communications needs.

RESTON, Va., Aug. 28, 2017 – Hawai’i is modernizing communications for first responders in the Aloha State. Governor David Ige recently announced his decision to accept the FirstNet and AT&T* plan to deliver a wireless broadband network to the state’s public safety community. This made Hawai’i the 16th state or territory to “opt-in” to FirstNet and bring advanced technologies that will help first responders save lives and protect communities.