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The Emergency Management Take: Winter 2023
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The Emergency Management Take with Bruce Fitzgerald
Virtual EOCs benefit from FirstNet features
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There is a new trend in emergency management: the virtual emergency operations center (EOC). Virtual EOCs emerged during the pandemic as part of the country’s larger trend toward remote work.
I recently talked about virtual EOCs with Justin Kates, Director of Emergency Management for Somerville, Massachusetts, and Vice President of the International Association of Emergency Managers. We discussed three components of successful virtual EOCs and how FirstNet’s public safety features are key to virtual operations.
EOCs primed for virtual operations
Virtual EOCs started to take off during the COVID-19 pandemic when everyone was trying to minimize contact with each other. Emergency management departments continue to use them because of additional benefits offered by a virtual environment.
“There’s always going to be a role for physical EOCs,” said Justin. “But I believe that we'll see virtual EOCs as a way to improve our coordination and collaboration across all partners during a disaster.”
Many aspects of emergency management are already done in a distributed environment. “All kinds of other resources and assets—sometimes from government agencies and sometimes from the private sector—are distributed across your jurisdiction or even outside of your jurisdiction,” he explained.
Because of the nature of the EOC, it’s an environment primed for virtual operations. “You’re already communicating with other EOCs’ command posts, critical facilities, and other partners,” he said. “It’s a misconception that everything takes place inside that big room with all the screens, phones, and computers. That’s just the tip of the iceberg.”
FirstNet supports components needed for virtual EOC
Justin highlighted three important components needed to set up a successful virtual EOC:
- Reliable connectivity
- Compliance with FEMA guidelines
- Communication platforms and apps suited to emergency management
FirstNet supports these components by providing reliable, secure, and on-demand connectivity and an ecosystem of devices and apps created for first responders.
FirstNet’s reliability is key
In Justin’s experience with virtual EOCs, one of the most important components is reliable connectivity. Reliable connectivity ensures information is easily shared among key players who would have been in the same room in a traditional EOC. Reliable connectivity ensures that everyone can comfortably and consistently communicate in a virtual environment.
“With virtual EOCs, we need more resilient communications,” he said. “It's important to put investments toward ensuring secure and resilient connectivity.”
He continued, “One of the benefits of FirstNet is that it provides resilient communications for responders.”
FirstNet delivers specialized features to public safety—such as priority access, preemption, more network capacity, and a resilient, hardened connection. Each of these features helps ensure first responders stay connected and communicating, regardless of the incident.
Establishing backup communications
Justin’s advice for other agencies that want to set up a virtual EOC is to consult FEMA guidelines, which recommend establishing backup communication options like satellite connectivity. Backup options ensure that connectivity doesn’t become a single point of failure in a virtual environment.
He said, “An emergency manager should have the ability to set up in a remote location, in an austere environment, and have different options available during a crisis.”
FirstNet has a fleet of 150+ deployable assets that can provide supplementary or backup communications during natural disasters, major incidents, and planned events. FirstNet deployables are mobile units that link to FirstNet via satellite, do not rely on commercial power, and provide similar capabilities as a cell tower.
In addition to these more temporary solutions, FirstNet has been used as a permanent backup coverage solution. In Iowa, the state’s 9-1-1 centers use FirstNet as a failover. If the fiber network experiences a maintenance window or fiber cut, FirstNet is on active standby to automatically provide connectivity.
Tested and reliable public safety apps
In a virtual EOC, Justin noted the importance of the communication platforms and applications used. Technology solutions should offer the right features and functionality for emergency management operations.
“Virtual EOCs actually make us better because we're using communications platforms and applications that allow for improved documentation and collaboration,” explained Justin.
“The benefits that FirstNet provides are the vetted apps and platforms on the system,” he said.
FirstNet offers an app catalogue that lists tested and reliable public safety apps, ranging from situational awareness tools to in-building mapping and asset tracking. To be listed, apps must undergo a rigorous vetting and approval process.
In a virtual EOC, emergency managers benefit from apps because they offer increased situational awareness and rich information-sharing. Coordinators in the EOC can stay connected to responders in the field using apps for collaboration, GPS locations, and sharing photos and videos.
Your experience
Have you used a virtual EOC? What features do you think are important to virtual EOC operations? I’d love to hear from you. Send me an email or find me or one of my colleagues at these events:
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We want to learn from you: Envisioning the FirstNet-connected responder
The FirstNet Authority always strives to understand your public safety needs at the discipline level. Understanding how you use FirstNet in your operations helps us identify investment opportunities and ways to evolve the network.
This year, we are particularly interested in your feedback on how to make the connected responder a reality. How have mission critical services changed the way you keep your communities safe? How can we operationalize public safety broadband, optimize your FirstNet experience, and maximize connection? Our engagements this year will focus on these topics.
If you have ideas or opinions, you can reach out to me or your local area public safety advisor. |
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The FirstNet Authority’s annual report to Congress for fiscal year 2022 highlights the advancements we have made in public safety communications, showcasing the forward-thinking tech that FirstNet brings to the public safety community.
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Tech, Innovations, and Hot Topics in Emergency Management
Read what we’ve been hearing from public safety in the field about trends and drivers for emergency management and emergency communications.*
A new portal is available to emergency managers and community leaders with climate change data for community risk planning. The Climate Risk & Resilience (ClimRR) portal provides free access to data about anticipated local weather and future climate risks that can be used to develop resilience strategies for communities.
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Every year during the holidays, the city of St. Augustine in Florida is transformed by millions of holiday lights that bedazzle the city’s downtown in an event called Nights of Lights. As visitors marvel at the twinkling lights, St. Augustine officials use FirstNet to ensure the event runs smoothly and safely for everyone involved.
Watch the video |
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Bruce Fitzgerald is the First Responder Network Authority Emergency Management Subject Matter Expert. Learn more about Bruce or email him with your questions. |
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*FirstNet Authority may provide hyperlinks for third-party, non-governmental websites in order to offer additional context and added value for our users. FirstNet Authority does not endorse any product or service and is not responsible, nor can it guarantee the validity or timeliness of the content on hyperlinks outside of the federal government. In addition, users may wish to review privacy notices on non-government sites since their information collection practices may differ from ours.
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