Bureau for Public Health

Office of Emergency Medical Services

firstNet weekly update March 19th 2018

While the information contained in this news article was current and accurate when we posted it, it may not necessarily represent current WVOEMS policy or procedure. If you have any questions, please contact our office at 304-558-3956.

Posted: Wednesday, March 21, 2018 3:50 PM

March 19, 2018- First Responder Network Authority News

 

  • Last Week, the First Responder Network Authority Board held an in-person meeting in Little Rock, Arkansas. More detailed information from the meeting can be found at https://www.firstnet.gov/content/firstnet-combined-committee-and-board-meeting-march-15-2018. While in Little Rock, Board members and staff also toured  (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Zng2ELhEhJQ&feature=youtu.be) the headquarters of the Metropolitan Emergency Medical Services (MEMS), which recently switched to FirstNet.

 

  • First Responder Network Authority staff attended the International Association of Fire Chiefs (IAFC) Division Mid-Year Conference last week in Nashville, Tennessee.

 

  • Staff presented at the Bay Area Urban Areas Security Initiative (UASI) Conference last week in Campbell, California.

 

  • Also last week, the First Responder Network Authority tribal team met with the Northwest Tribal Emergency Management Council in Spokane, Washington, and with Navajo Nation leadership in Phoenix, Arizona.

 

  • Staff also met with the National Volunteer Fire Council (NVFC) in Greenbelt, Maryland, to discuss the unique communications needs of volunteer firefighters.

 

  • This week, the First Responder Network Authority will participate in the 9th Annual Georgia Telehealth Conference on Jekyll Island; the British Association of Public-Safety Communications Officials (APCO) 25th Annual Event in Coventry, United Kingdom; a meeting of the Greater Boston Police Council in Burlington, Massachusetts; the National Governors Association Enhancing Public Safety Communications Governance: Southwest Workshop in Albuquerque, New Mexico; and an AT&T FirstNet Hackathon in San Francisco, California.

 

  • Share news about FirstNet products and services (https://www.firstnet.com/), and follow FirstNet on social media at:

Twitter: http://twitter.com/firstnet

Facebook: http://facebook.com/firstnet

YouTube: http://youtube.com/firstnet

LinkedIn: http://linkedin.com/showcase/firstnet

 

News from the PSAC

  • The PSAC in-person meeting will be held on Monday, June 4 in San Diego, California. Additional details are forthcoming.

 

  • The 2018 June Public Safety Broadband Stakeholder Meeting is just around the corner. A room block has been reserved at the Embassy Suites by Hilton San Diego Bay at the government per diem rate of $167 per night. To make your reservation online, use this link. If you prefer to make your reservation over the phone, call 619-239-2400 and use the group code "NST." There are a limited number of rooms reserved, so it is recommended that you book your room as soon as possible.

Media Watch

*The information provided is copied as-is from the media outlet source and is not edited by FirstNet. Links to non-Federal Government websites do not constitute endorsement of any product, service, organization, company, information provider, or content. Clicking on non-Department of Commerce hyperlinks will direct you to websites that are not under the Government's control.

Federal News Radio 3/13: FirstNet - at last?

https://federalnewsradio.com/tom-temin-commentary/2018/03/firstnet-at-last/

By cosmic coincidence, just last week FirstNet, an "independent authority" within the Commerce Department, says it gave AT&T a "green light" to actually start installing the long-awaited broadband network. It will use its own dedicated band. Build out and deployment will take years. But at least it looks like the 17-year deliberations are starting to result in something tangible.

 

MissionCritical Communications 3/13: .AT&T to Release RFP for Second Carrier-Integrated MCPTT Offering

https://www.rrmediagroup.com/Features/FeaturesDetails/FID/826

AT&T plans to have two carrier-grade mission-critical push-to-talk (MCPTT) options for First Responder Network Authority (FirstNet) subscribers and plans to release a request for proposals (RFP) later this year, said an AT&T executive.

 

Southern Chester County Weeklies 3/13: Chesco is first in state to transform emergency mobile communications

 

With citizen safety as a major priority, the Chester County Commissioners were briefed on the county's new link with FirstNet, a lifesaving communications platform built specifically for first responders. Making the announcement at the Commissioners' Sunshine Meeting work session, Department of Emergency Services (DES) Director Bobby Kagel noted that, as the first county in the commonwealth to subscribe, Chester County's police, fire and EMS responders will more quickly and easily connect to the critical information they need, even during times of major regional events when mobile networks are congested.

 

Web and Social Media

The First Responder Network Authority's social media presence grew at its normal rate last week. Twitter gained 61 new followers, now at 9,621. Facebook has 2,838 followers. LinkedIn now has 3,945 followers. YouTube has 798 subscribers.