Cybersecurity

Tennessee is upgrading its 9-1-1 network and leading the nation by instituting FirstNet as backup for every primary public safety answering point or PSAP. Curtis Sutton, Executive Director of the Tennessee Emergency Communications Board, discusses the lessons learned, the benefits of FirstNet, and the future of 9-1-1 in Tennessee.

Enhancing communications for public safety has been at the heart Captain John Vallarelli’s career. As he rose through the ranks of the Metropolitan Transportation Authority Police Department in New York, he oversaw many aspects of the agency’s communications systems, and he was instrumental in supporting interoperability for officers using the regional radio system and FirstNet.

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.

At the annual Winter Institute Workshop and Exercise, hosted by the Texas A&M University’s Internet2 Technology Evaluation Center (ITEC), public safety officials evaluate technologies in real-life scenarios to help shape future technologies and research. During the 2020 exercise, participants practiced integrating new technologies, including a FirstNet deployable, into disaster operations during a simulated cyberattack.

At the 2020 Winter Institute Workshop and Exercise, hosted by the Texas A&M University’s Internet2 Technology Evaluation Center, public safety officials practiced integrating new technologies, including a FirstNet deployable, into disaster operations during a simulated cyberattack. Participants included unmanned aircraft systems (UAS) teams from Florida State University, which integrated their UAS with the deployable to share information with command posts.

The Charleston County Consolidated 911 Center in South Carolina is upgrading its computer-aided dispatch system. With the new, cloud-based system in place, the 911 Center will use FirstNet as a backup system, ensuring they will always be connected and able to operate.

FirstNet continues to gain rapid momentum with over 750,000 device connections being used by more than 9,000 public safety agencies.

Members of the FirstNet Board’s Technology and Public Safety Advocacy Committees visited the Georgia Cyber Center in Augusta, GA to learn more about the evolving cyber threat landscape and the center’s focus on promoting and fostering innovation and technical collaboration.  

Following the terrorist attacks of 9/11, public safety from all disciplines joined together to advocate for a single nationwide public safety broadband network.