Technology
New cell sites in the state of Georgia will bring improved coverage to first responders across 11 different counties. The new sites are part of the FirstNet network’s expanding infrastructure for the state.
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.
A new cell site in Earleville, Maryland, brings improved coverage to the first responders of Cecil County. The new site is part of the FirstNet network’s expanding infrastructure for the state.
Mississippi’s first responders are getting a major boost in their wireless communications with the addition of new, purpose-built FirstNet cell sites as well as the addition of Band-14 to more than 400 sites across the state. This new infrastructure is a part of the FirstNet network expansion that is bringing increased coverage, capacity, and capabilities for public safety.
Maine’s first responders got a major boost in their wireless communications with the addition of new, purpose-built FirstNet cell sites – located in Aroostook, Penobscot, Oxford, Somerset, Hancock, Kennebec and Knox counties. This new infrastructure was a part of the FirstNet network expansion taking place across the state, bringing increased coverage, capacity and capabilities for public safety.
Edward Horowitz reflects on his time as Chair of the FirstNet Authority Board and shares how his career and personal experiences led him to serve the nation’s public safety community.
The Office of Unified Communications (OUC) in Washington D.C. is responsible for 9-1-1 and 3-1-1 calls in the nation’s capital, as well as dispatch services and radio communications for D.C. first responders. The OUC handles nearly 3.5 million emergency and non-emergency calls each year. When the pandemic hit, the OUC turned to FirstNet MiFis to support remote telework for 3-1-1 and non-emergency 9-1-1 call takers, keeping staff safe while answering the call for D.C. residents and visitors.
Goshen’s first responders got a major boost in their wireless communications with the addition of a new, purpose-built cell site. The site – located in Northwestern Connecticut – is part of the FirstNet network expansion taking place in Connecticut which is bringing increased coverage, capacity and capability to first responders across the state
The FirstNet Authority joined U.S. Department of Commerce’s EDA and NIST in announcing the awardee of the Accelerate R2 Network Challenge. The R2 Network Challenge is an interagency program that connects stakeholders in the response and resilience (R2) industries, accelerating the speed at which startups and other organizations can bring innovations to the public safety market, create new businesses and jobs, and support community resilience.
The Texas A&M Internet2 Technology Evaluation Center (ITEC) in College Station, Texas plays an important role in developing public safety broadband technologies. Through its annual Winter Institute Workshop and Exercise, ITEC has brought together industry and public safety leaders to test and developing apps and services that benefit first responders.
As EMS providers expand their use of technology, FirstNet gives them a wireless broadband platform to connect in the field. FirstNet Authority Senior EMS Advisor Brent Williams highlights three EMS agencies using FirstNet to communicate in rural areas, send vital patient information to hospitals, and access the resources to enhance patient care.
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.
The FirstNet Authority is supporting NIST’s Public Safety Communications Research Division on a new prize challenge that aims to leverage augmented reality solutions and Internet of Things data to help public safety officials respond more effectively and efficiently.
In this episode, Ellen Ryan, Deputy Division Chief for the National Institute of Standards and Technology’s Public Safety Communications Research Division, discusses the division’s Open Innovation program, including current and future grant and prize challenge opportunities.
Emergency communications professionals across the country utilize FirstNet to support innovative approaches to 9-1-1 and dispatch. FirstNet’s secure, reliable broadband connection helps telecommunicators deliver accurate, robust information to on the scene responders. FirstNet, and the technology ecosystem that has built up around it, is especially helpful for dispatchers placed in uncommon situations.
In December 2019, the Third Generation Partnership Project (3GPP) held its final quarterly meeting of the year in Sitges, Spain. Dean Prochaska, FirstNet Authority Director of Standards, summarizes the discussion and what the standards body is working toward next.
The Brazos County Sheriff's Office in Texas uses FirstNet to turn their police vehicles into mobile offices and stream dashboard video back to headquarters.