State

The FirstNet Authority attended the 2019 International Association of Emergency Managers 67th Annual Conference, meeting with emergency managers from across the nation and gathering their feedback on their critical communications needs.

Sheriff Neil A. Miller of Buffalo County has been awarded the Chief Harlin R. McEwen Public Safety Broadband Communications Award for his remarkable leadership and significant contributions to the advancement of public safety broadband communications across Nebraska.

Wyoming’s first responders are getting a major boost in their wireless communications with the addition of a new, purpose-built cell site located near Wyoming Highway 170 in Owl Creek.

Indiana’s Integrated Public Safety Commission worked to integrate the state’s land mobile radio system with FirstNet to enhance coverage, achieve significant cost savings, and expand capabilities for the state's first responders.

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.   

In January 2019, a gas outage in Newport County, Rhode Island left over 7,100 residents without heat in frigid temperatures. Ruggedized FirstNet devices, WiFi hotspots, and GIS mapping software helped the Rhode Island Emergency Management Agency and local public safety agencies ensure residents were safe.

As mobile broadband communications become increasingly embedded in public safety operations, states are updating policy and process documents to account for this new way of communicating. The Missouri Department of Public Safety updated the Missouri Field Operations Guide, a statewide reference tool that outlines established and trusted interoperable communications solutions for first responders, to include FirstNet.

In the latest podcast, FirstNet Authority National Tribal Government Liaison Adam Geisler sits down with the Inter Tribal Council of Arizona’s Executive Director Maria Dadgar to discuss the jurisdictional and geographical challenges Arizona tribes face and how FirstNet could be the solution needed.

When Super Bowl LIII came to Atlanta, the Fulton County E9-1-1 Center used FirstNet to support the backup center.

The New Hampshire Department of Public Safety’s Office of Interoperability hosted the FirstNet Authority for two User Forums – for New Hampshire and for Region I states. Public safety officials from across the region gathered to learn more about the FirstNet Authority Roadmap and had the opportunity to explore some FirstNet dedicated assets for first responders.

After rolling out FirstNet, the Mesa Police Department in Arizona developed new technology, including a mobile app, to enhance response times for law enforcement officers.

Talbot County’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 Tilghman Island – is part of the FirstNet network expansion taking place in Maryland, which is bringing increased coverage, capacity, and capabilities to first responders across the state.

The FirstNet Authority participated in PSCR 2019 to engage with stakeholders and learned about what’s next for public safety communications. PSCR’s annual meeting includes talks or demos on standards, deployables, data sharing, security, the Internet of Things, and more.

Recently, the New Hampshire Statewide Interoperability Executive Committee (SIEC) hosted the FirstNet Authority for a focused engagement session on the Roadmap.

The FirstNet Authority joined the Iowa Statewide Interoperable Communications System Board for a Region VII User Forum in Altoona, Iowa. Public safety agencies from the region gathered to learn more about the latest FirstNet developments and key initiatives underway across Iowa, Kansas, Nebraska, and Missouri.

First responders from the Commonwealth of Virginia and the State of Maryland integrated FirstNet into search and rescue exercises held in Gore, VA — a remote region in the Shenandoah Valley. The exercise gave first responders the opportunity to practice operationalizing public safety broadband in rural areas and in situations they may not experience every day.

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.

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.

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.