Tag Archives: public safety

The First Responder Network (FirstNet) Authority has issued a document designed to guide emergency managers how to use the capabilities, products and services of a national public safety broadband network. The Emergency Management Resource Guide provides information on the FirstNet broadband service offered by AT&T through a contract with the FirstNet Authority and offers an overview of technology platforms and tools available to users of the service.

FirstNet: AT&T announced on Thursday that the company is introducing ‘ROG the Dog’ animal-assisted therapy to support public safety on the front lines. This new initiative builds on the launch of FirstNet Health & Wellness Coalition and reaffirms AT&T’s FirstNet commitment to first responders. The ROG is working with Global Medical Response (GMR) to provide therapy dog services.

Federal agencies are initiating measures to address the potential risk posed by unmanned aircraft systems to national security and public safety amid an increasing number of drones flying near airports and other critical infrastructure. “Remote identification will help law enforcement determine if a drone poses an actual threat that needs to be mitigated,” a spokeswoman for FAA said in a statement.

FirstNet has announced that its network now covers more than 2.71 million square miles, the company reported on Monday. In 2020, AT&T added nearly 100 thousand square miles to the FirstNet coverage footprint. “The FirstNet Authority is pleased that… we are moving closer to fully realizing the vision of a nationwide network that serves all of public safety,” said Edward Parkinson, CEO, FirstNet Authority. 

The Department of Homeland Security (DHS) has awarded $268 thousand in funds to Integrated Justice Information Systems Institute to lead an effort that seeks to optimize communications between public safety agencies during joint emergency operations. The first phase of the CAD2CAD project aims to develop a set of interoperability standards for computer-aided dispatch platforms and address first responders' inability to transmit information through CAD systems.

SAFECOM, an organization within the Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security Agency (CISA), has issued a white paper on how public safety agencies can prepare for communications issues associated with dependencies on third-party partners. The paper, titled “Public Safety Communications Dependencies on Non-Agency Infrastructure and Services,” highlights procedures on how to plan for such events, CISA's Ted Lawson said in a blog post published Monday.

The National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST) has selected 19 small businesses to develop new technologies through grants totaling over $4.4 million in value. The awardees will address various technology needs under phases one and two of the agency's Small Business Innovation Research (SBIR) program, NIST said Thursday.

The National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST) has announced its intent to gain access to Twitter’s enterprise-level application programming interface as part of a project aimed at backing research into social media analytics during natural disasters and emergencies.

The National Council of Statewide Interoperability Coordinators (SAFECOM) and the Federal Partnership for Interoperable Communications have released a fact sheet to help law enforcement and public safety agencies manage encryption keys in order to protect voice communications from unauthorized personnel.

The Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security Agency (CISA) has released a fact sheet on telephony denial of service attacks (TDoS) and how stakeholders can prevent these threats from disrupting public safety operations. CISA said Tuesday that TDoS attacks are meant to overload the networks of emergency communications facilities such as 911 dispatch centers through various attack vectors.