DHS Seeks to Improve Communication Between Public Safety Agencies in Joint Emergency Response Scenarios

The Department of Homeland Security (DHS) Science and Technology Directorate (S&T) and the Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security Agency (CISA) jointly announced today that the Integrated Justice Information Systems (IJIS) Institute will spearhead a $268,000 project to develop interoperability standards for Computer Aided Dispatch (CAD) systems used by the Nation’s public safety agencies.

Managed by S&T’s First Responders and Detection Program on behalf of CISA’s Emergency Communications Division, the research project will seek to rectify the current inability of first responders (i.e., police, fire and emergency management services) to use their CAD systems to electronically exchange information with other CAD systems during a joint emergency response…

FirstNet Network Adoption Grows, New Mission-Ready Solutions Launch

The following is a statement from Edward Parkinson, CEO of the First Responder Network Authority (FirstNet Authority), on key network developments:

The FirstNet Authority is pleased to see the adoption of the FirstNet network continue to grow at a fast pace. First responders need a network that works for them, and with the number of connections almost doubling since late 2019, it is clear that FirstNet is providing them with the capabilities they want and need.

It is also exciting to see how FirstNet is transforming the marketplace for public safety. These new mission-ready solutions are delivering innovative capabilities into the hands of first responders. Through our engagements with public safety, they identified these features as essential to advancing the FirstNet user experience, so we are thrilled to see them move from concept to reality…

Caller As Customer

Once upon a time before I began my career in 911, I was a thriving, overly enthusiastic cashier with a popular grocery store chain based in the southeastern United States. Working at a store so renowned for its “premier customer service” and employees with “bright, pleasant faces” meant hours of having such principles drilled into my head like “the customer is always right” and “your smile is the most important part of your uniform.” I was trained to never walk by a single customer without asking if they needed assistance or offering them a hand in finding whatever item they were looking for…

How NIST Is Helping First Responders Stay Connected

Research focuses on ensuring first responder communication tools are designed to meet users’ operational needs. 

What do first responders do? It’s an easy question, and I used to think I knew the answer. Firefighters put out fires; police officers enforce the law; emergency medical system (EMS) workers treat injuries; 911 operators answer 911 calls and dispatch first responders to the scene. Simple, right? …

AT&T-FirstNet launches Band 14 HPUE, z-axis location

AT&T-FirstNet is now offering first responders vertical location capabilities in more than 100 markets, ahead of an April 2021 FCC deadline for having the technology in place to support 911 callers on mobile devices.

The z-axis location information is one of several new technology offerings for public safety that AT&T-FirstNet announced this week. The others are high-power user equipment in Band 14, which it has dubbed “FirstNet MegaRange”, and a new compact deployable that can be purchased by departments and used to connect to FirstNet when other coverage is not available…