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The 9-1-1 Take: Fall 2021
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The 9-1-1 Take with John Hunt
Next steps for FirstNet
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At the FirstNet Authority, we work hand-in-hand with the public safety community to make sure your critical communications needs are represented in FirstNet, the nationwide public safety broadband network. This has led us to develop the FirstNet Authority Roadmap to focus on the advancement of FirstNet to benefit public safety, including the 9-1-1 community.
Listening to public safety
We are engaging with the public safety community across the country: from different jurisdictions, disciplines, and agency sizes; from boots-on-the-ground, executives, administrators, procurement specialists, new hires, and seasoned professionals.
As a result, we’ve gotten in-depth insights from diverse viewpoints that represent a nationwide voice of public safety. Listening to public safety helped focus our priorities for the FirstNet Authority Roadmap on six domains: coverage, user experience, situational awareness, voice communications, secure information exchange, and the network core infrastructure.
FirstNet Authority teams are working on each of these domain priorities and are asking “what if?” to envision new ideas to drive innovation in public safety communications.
Coverage
What if public safety had access to dedicated, reliable broadband services to support their mission critical communications needs? The FirstNet Authority expects that FirstNet will provide coverage to public safety personnel when and where they need it most. This includes increasing outdoor coverage at strategic locations, advocating for in-building coverage enhancements, and providing on-demand coverage solutions for unique situations.
User experience
What if public safety had devices and apps tailored to their jobs, instead of improvising with devices and apps made for the general public? For example, the FirstNet Push-to-Talk app was built on mission-critical data standards set by an international governance body called 3GPP to ensure public safety’s data receives the highest priority on the network. The FirstNet Authority plans for a user experience driven by public safety operational needs so first responders can focus on their mission. We are working with AT&T towards an expanded app catalog and more devices designed for public safety operations.
Situational awareness
What if you always knew where responders were, outside their vehicle and without voice prompts? The FirstNet Authority knows public safety needs enhanced situational awareness through real-time access, collection, and distribution of information concerning personnel, threats, hazards, and conditions. We are advocating for technology that accurately locates first responders and displays location in 3D mapping solutions on public safety’s existing platforms.
Secure information exchange
What if you could use a single login and password to access everything on your station? What if you didn’t have to memorize multiple credentials for every app, database, or software you use? The FirstNet Authority envisions reliable, easy-to-use, and secure information exchange across a variety of sources. We are working to leverage standardized security controls and industry best practices to improve access to critical data. The FirstNet Authority’s Public Safety Advisory Committee convened a strike team to focus on identity, credentialing, and access management (ICAM) to promote the safe exchange of critical and sensitive information over FirstNet.
Voice communications
What if public safety has a plethora of options for mission-critical solutions? What would result from more competition, modern technology, and affordable cost models? The FirstNet Authority’s goal is to provide a nationwide network that provides high-quality, reliable voice communications leveraging mission-critical technologies. We have prioritized operationalizing FirstNet push-to-talk and advocating for device-to-device communications, land mobile radio and LTE interconnection, and dispatch capabilities.
The core
What if public safety continued to have access to next generation communication systems? FirstNet is the only nationwide public safety broadband network built from the ground up based on what public safety told us they needed in a network. We will continue to ensure it evolves with next generation capabilities, like 5G. We are ensuring the FirstNet core, the network’s infrastructure, evolves to support mission-critical services and apps that continue to meet the public safety community’s expectations for availability, performance, and security. That’s why we’ve invested in upgrades to the core for 5G capabilities.
Endgame for public safety
What if public safety could communicate on a dedicated broadband network technology, when and where they need it most, using devices and apps designed for their needs, that securely recognize who they are, all in support of their mission-critical operational needs? That’s the endgame we're working toward – and what’s reflected in the Roadmap – because that’s what first responders have told us is important. My FirstNet Authority colleagues and I translate your public safety feedback into actionable information to inform the future of the network.
We need to hear from you. What are your “what if” ideas? What are your communication priorities in the emergency communications center?
Send me an email or find me or one of my colleagues at these events:
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FirstNet’s Z-axis capability gives first responders 3D location information not available with traditional GPS. In addition to latitude and longitude coordinates, Z-axis provides altitude data to vertically locate first responders in tall buildings.
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Tech, Innovations, and Hot Topics in 9-1-1
Read what we’ve been hearing from public safety in the field about trends and drivers for 9-1-1 and emergency communications.*
The emergency communications center in Alexandria, Virginia, is using new technology to more accurately determine the location of an emergency when someone calls 9-1-1. The new technology captures data from a caller’s cellphone and shows dispatchers the caller’s location within 3 yards. It can also update a caller's location as they move and stream live video from the caller’s phone.
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Learn how location-based services make public safety operations safer and more effective. This video gives an overview of how location-based services work through three use cases: in-building Incidents, planned events, and active assailant incidents.
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John Hunt is a Senior Public Safety Advisor and the First Responder Network Authority 9-1-1 Subject Matter Expert. Learn more about John or email him with your questions. |
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Top photo: Palm Beach County 9-1-1 in Florida answers roughly 10,000 calls per month, making reliable connectivity critical to serving the community. When the pandemic hit, this became even more important as call takers and dispatchers needed remote capabilities to stay safe. The agency is using FirstNet to keep staff connected through SIM cards in routers, on 9-1-1 busses, and in “go-bags” that enable remote capabilities.
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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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