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The Emergency Management Take: Summer 2021
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The Emergency Management Take with Bruce Fitzgerald
FirstNet’s advanced tool for disaster response
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Hurricane and wildfire seasons are underway, and emergency managers across the country are orchestrating disaster response. The four phases of emergency management – preparedness, response, mitigation, and recovery – all benefit from FirstNet’s advanced communication capabilities. I’d like to dive deeper into how FirstNet helps with the response phase.
Unique tool for emergency managers
FirstNet offers tools not available on other networks that enhance response operations. A particularly helpful tool for response operations is the Advanced Network Status Tool. It gives visibility into the FirstNet network, including outage information for individual towers.
Emergency managers use the Advanced Network Status Tool to see a map with the status of outages, network coverage, and other real-time information for increased situational awareness during response. They can set up alerts to be notified if network issues arise during an emergency event.
FirstNet helps during historic hurricane season
Travis Johnson, Interoperability Program Manager and Statewide Interoperability Coordinator for the Louisiana Governor's Office of Homeland Security and Emergency Preparedness, saw firsthand how the FirstNet Advanced Network Status Tool makes a difference during disaster response.
Louisiana was particularly hard hit during the historic 2020 hurricane season, experiencing five named storms from early June to late September. Hurricane Laura, a Category 4 storm with 150 miles per hour winds, was one of the strongest hurricanes on record in Louisiana as measured by maximum sustained winds.
FirstNet made a difference in Louisiana’s response to hurricanes. Travis said, “Insight and input – those are the two things that FirstNet is providing to me.”
Unprecedented network insights
During the 2020 hurricane season, Travis had unprecedented insight using the Advanced Network Status Tool to see where coverage exists, where first responders can communicate, and how to adapt operational plans to incorporate this information.
“When I look at my maps, I know where they will have LMR [land-mobile radio] coverage and then side-by-side I can pull up [a map] showing FirstNet so I know where they will have LTE and cellular coverage,” said Travis. “That's important for us. It was really helpful during the decision-making process.”
First responders have better situational awareness using FirstNet. "When we have responders going into an area, I know what to expect. I've never had that before with our commercial vendor partners – not at this level, not ‘show me your map.’ I know where towers are down,” he said. “This is the first time we've ever had that, and it was an invaluable tool.”
Input on where deployables are sent
Beyond network insights, Travis said another important distinction of FirstNet was having input into where deployables are sent to reestablish coverage affected by the hurricane. Many times, carriers may send assets into the field based on their network recovery needs, which end up focusing on population centers. With FirstNet, public safety-dedicated deployables are sent where first responders need them most.
“I go to [FirstNet] and say ‘I know this is a sparsely populated area, but we've got the parish emergency operation center, the courthouse, and the sheriff's office all at the same spot. So, I need you to put [the deployable] here,’” said Travis. “We worked together to deploy a FirstNet SatCOLT to get everybody back up and running.”
FirstNet for all types of response
FirstNet plays an important role in all types of response, including the ongoing response to the COVID-19 pandemic. My colleagues and I at the FirstNet Authority hosted a webinar with emergency management professionals called FirstNet During the Pandemic: An Inside Look.
We discussed how agencies leveraged FirstNet devices and deployables at mass testing centers and vaccination sites, integrated land-mobile radio and push-to-talk for response talk groups, and managed other response efforts during the pandemic using FirstNet.
Your experiences
What are your experiences communicating during disaster response? Send me an email with your thoughts. You can also find me or one of my FirstNet Authority colleagues at these events:
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We delivered on our promise to public safety to expand coverage with new investments in the FirstNet deployable program. Now, when faced with damaged infrastructure, remote environments, or crowded events, first responders can call on 100+ deployables, including SatCOLTS (satellite cell on light trucks), the new Communications Vehicles, or a Compact Rapid Deployable.
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Using the FirstNet Uplift Request Tool, public safety can temporarily elevate extended primary users like utilities or public works to the same priority level as primary users. When utility workers are restoring services after disaster, their uplifted devices get priority access to network resources so they can coordinate with first responders.
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The FirstNet Authority conducted a wildfire working group to examine how firefighters use FirstNet in wildfire response, and their lessons learned. Our team spoke to several agencies and firefighters told us about real-life communication challenges and successes during wildfire response and came away with five things to know about FirstNet and wildfires.
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At the intersection of STEM and public safety, female innovators are working to make first responders’ jobs easier and more efficient. Our recent podcast showcases three women in STEM as they discuss their experiences and highlight current projects.
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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.*
In a new lecture series, researchers talk about how technology innovations can help disaster response, global health, and climate change. The presenters advocate for a national remote sensing platform for disaster response. The platform would deliver critical information to emergency managers across the country by pulling sensor data, field data, modeling, and analytics provided by artificial intelligence.
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During major incidents, events, or disasters that can cause networks to become overloaded, public safety agencies rely on an extended community of support entities. This group often includes utilities, transportation, government agencies, and schools, all eligible to join FirstNet as Extended Primary users. During an emergency when communication between first responders and these Extended Primary partners is critical, the FirstNet Uplift Request Tool can be used to provide temporary elevation to the same priority level as Primary users.
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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Top photo: In June 2020, the FirstNet Authority Board approved over $200 million in investments to expand the FirstNet fleet of deployables and put FirstNet on the path to 5G. The new investments included FirstNet One – an approximately 55-foot aerostat, more commonly known as a blimp. This first-of-its-kind public safety communications solution provides extended coverage to a wider area for public safety.
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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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