Public Safety First
The FirstNet Authority Podcast
The Public Safety First podcast takes a deep dive into public safety communications, highlighting the creative ways responders are using technology to serve their communities. Join FirstNet Authority experts and public safety leaders to hear success stories, best practices, and lessons learned related to broadband in public safety operations.
Subscribe on iTunes, SoundCloud, and YouTube.
Latest Episode
All Episodes
The Wilmington Police Department in Delaware serves the state’s largest city. Recognizing the need for more efficient and effective aerial video capabilities, the agency invested in unmanned aerial vehicles (drones) in 2014. The agency relies on FirstNet to stream video footage from the drones back to the ground in real time, providing responders with critical information to make in-the-moment decisions.
Teton County is a rural county in northwest Wyoming. Situated in the Teton Range, the county experiences weather hazards including fires, floods, and wintery conditions, as well as earthquakes, landslides, and avalanches. Teton County first responders rely on FirstNet’s hardened network to stay connected in the most remote parts of the county and during tourist season when cell networks grow congested.
Females are statistically underrepresented in public safety and in science, technology, engineering, and math (STEM) career fields. At the intersection of STEM and public safety, there are women developing innovative solutions to make first responders’ jobs easier and more efficient. Working on this technology takes tenacity – but those who rise to the challenge are making an incredible difference.
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.
Paul Patrick, FirstNet Authority Board Member and Division Director for Family Health and Preparedness at the Utah Department of Health, reflects on his career and how FirstNet has advanced capabilities for EMS, including telehealth. He also explains how the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services’ Emergency Triage, Treat, and Transport Model is changing the field of emergency medicine.