Technology
The Colorado Springs Police Department, Colorado Springs Fire Department, and other city emergency responders rely on FirstNet's dedicated and highly secure communication platform to improve patient care and command decisions.
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.
Once again, the CES annual conference is promising an impressive line-up of tech tools and displays tapping into 5G, the Internet of Things (IoT), and artificial
In a world where technology trends are ever changing, the FirstNet Authority and our network contractor, AT&T, are working diligently to deliver a dedicated public safety broadband network. In addition to a reliable and secure connection, we are working with AT&T to build a diverse device ecosystem that will meet the needs of public safety.
A robust broadband ecosystem for public safety demands a proven pool of mobile apps based on the needs of the responder community. The FirstNet applications strategy is to enable the creation of public safety mobile applications while maintaining support for existing commercial applications. This will establish a portfolio of resilient, reliable, secure and easy-to-use mobile applications for first responders.
As technology rapidly evolves, more and more tools are becoming available to first responders. Over the past year, the FirstNet Authority has supported several innovation contests that encourage entrepreneurs, researchers, and public safety professionals to develop solutions to assist emergency responders. Brian Hobson, Director of the FirstNet Authority Enterprise Strategy Division, breaks down some of these contests and how the FirstNet Authority is helping drive innovation forward.
First responders in Clinton County got a major boost in their wireless communications with the launch of a FirstNet cell site. The site is part of the FirstNet network expansion taking place in Pennsylvania, which is bringing purpose-built coverage, capacity, and capabilities to first responders across the state.
The FirstNet Authority supports the Tech to Protect Challenge, hosted by National Institute of Standards and Technology Public Safety Communications Research Division.
The National Institute of Standards and Technology’s Public Safety Communications Research Division announced the winners of its Haptic Interfaces for Public Safety Challenge, a contest aimed to leverage haptic technologies to enhance first responder operations.
FirstNet Authority Senior Public Safety Advisor Lori Stone sits down with the Commonwealth of Virginia’s Statewide Interoperability Coordinator Tom Crabbs to discuss FirstNet, how first responders are exploring and adapting cutting-edge technologies, and how the FirstNet Authority is helping public safety agencies nationwide advance operations.
The FirstNet Authority’s Public Safety Advisory Committee (PSAC) formed a Strike Team to examine the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services Emergency Triage, Treat, and Transport program. Chief Jonathan Olson of Wake County, NC EMS and FirstNet Authority PSAC Executive Committee member, details how the FirstNet network is uniquely situated to support this program and how under this program, patients will receive increased access to the services they need.
When disaster strikes, public safety and local officials need the best tools to save lives, and a critical response infrastructure is necessary to help economies recover and remain resilient after these events. In recognition of this, three agencies within the Department of Commerce have come together to launch the Accelerate R2 Network Challenge to foster innovations in response and resiliency technologies.
Coders and developers in Seattle participated in the Tech to Protect Challenge, sponsored by the National Institute of Standards and Technology and supported by the FirstNet Authority, to develop innovative technologies to help first responders
Tech to Protect, NIST PSCR’s national innovative challenge, introduces coding contests designed to foster communications technology solutions that will aid emergency responders in serving and protecting communities nationwide. Participants will compete for cash prizes from a pool of $2.2 million. The FirstNet Authority is pleased to have technical subject matter experts from our organization leading three contests.
Technology is revolutionizing how medical professionals work, communicate and care for patients. Nowhere is that more true than in the emergency medical services (EMS) field. As new technologies enter the marketplace and promise improved patient outcomes and access to care, EMS professionals require a reliable and effective communications network every day and for every emergency. The answer lies in FirstNet.
In May 2019, thousands of spectators met in Utah to celebrate the moment when the last spike of the first transcontinental railroad was driven into 1,800 miles of track linking East with West. FirstNet was on hand to support the event, providing the Utah National Guard with new ways to communicate and operate.
First responders in Preston County got a major boost in their wireless communications with the launch of a FirstNet cell site. The site – located in Fellowsville – is part of the FirstNet network expansion taking place in West Virginia, which is bringing purpose-built coverage, capacity, and capabilities to first responders across the state.
FirstNet Authority Acting CEO Ed Parkinson spoke at the 2019 Technical & Business Conference hosted by NTCA – The Rural Broadband Association, discussing how rural network deployment will support first responders.
Police cars and firetrucks in Shreveport, Louisiana, were outfitted with new modems that are connected to FirstNet. With this new in-vehicle technology, first responders will have access to a reliable network connection that is faster and more efficient.





