FirstNet News

The National Volunteer Fire Council (NVFC) strives to provide volunteer firefighters, EMS providers, and rescue workers with the resources they need when they need it. Recognizing the gap in behavioral health support services for many volunteers, the NVFC partnered with Provident to launch the First Responder Helpline in October 2022. NVFC Responder Helpline Similar to an employee assistance program, the NVFC First Responder Helpline is there in times of crisis as well as to provide suppo...

At fire scenes, maydays are declared nearly 80 percent of the time due to a lack of firefighter situational awareness, according to Project Mayday, a collective study of mayday incidents, responses and prevention. While mayday calls are just one of many challenges facing firefighters on the fireground, MSA Safety, Inc., will showcase solutions that address these challenges at this week's Fire Department Instructor's Conference (FDIC) in Indianapolis, Indiana, USA.  FDIC is one of the wor...

MSA Safety, Inc. announced that its handheld LUNAR™ Connected Device can be used on FirstNet® to provide firefighters with a solution to help strengthen the incident response. LUNAR, a wireless, search and rescue device for firefighters that doubles as a personal thermal imaging camera, is the first device of its kind to work with the FirstNet network. FirstNet, built with AT&T, is designed with and for America's first responders and the extended public safety community that could...

The National Volunteer Fire Council held its inaugural Regional Wildland Symposium on March 17-18 in Box Elder, SD (just outside Rapid City). This new conference featured breakout sessions, panel discussions, keynote speakers, and networking opportunities focused on issues relating to wildland fire response and mitigation in the Plains region. Seventy-five first responders from 24 states gathered for two days of training, education, and idea-sharing. Eighteen of the attendees received a travel...

Faster 5G data speeds and low latency profoundly impact the speed of detection and response in the fire market. When seeking early detection of wildfires, for example, faster data speeds translate almost directly into a faster response. New intelligent detection technology New intelligent detection technology for wildfires combines artificial intelligence (AI) with Internet of Things (IoT) connectivity to achieve earlier detection of wildfires that could spread quickly in dry, windy conditions...

DMP releases its new line of alarm communication radios that are FirstNet Ready™ and approved for use on FirstNet®. FirstNet is built with AT&T in a public-private partnership with the First Responder Network Authority and is the only nationwide, high-speed broadband communications platform dedicated to and purpose-built specifically for America’s first responders and the extended public safety community. It’s the solution to decades-long interoperability and communica...

Rave Mobile Safety (Rave), the critical communication and collaboration platform that customers count on when it matters the most, announced New Mexico as the latest US state to deploy its Rave Panic Button in all K-12 schools across the state, joining the US states of Oklahoma, Delaware and Louisiana in statewide deployments. Rave Panic Button deployments The growth in Rave Panic Button deployments comes as new features are added to the platform, in order to further enhance the tool’s a...

During the COVID-19 pandemic, the trend toward working from home has accelerated. New technologies are now making it possible for 911 dispatchers to work from home, too, whether to ensure social distancing or to supplement operations during evolving emergencies. The computer-aided dispatch (CAD) systems offer web-based interfaces and mobile capabilities that enable public-safety answering point (PSAP) operators to work from anywhere. Other technologies that are paving the way for dispatchers to...

A new report highlights FirstNet’s progress in its goal of enhancing public safety communications using a nationwide interoperable broadband network for first responders. The report provides an update after three years of a public-private partnership between AT&T and the First Responder Network Authority, which oversees the development of FirstNet. Amid the COVID-19 pandemic, the need for FirstNet is more critical than ever. The report comes from the First Responder Voice project, a s...

Following a rigorous review process, Rave Panic Button is now FirstNet® Listed and accessible via the FirstNet App Catalog. The Rave Panic Button mobile app, provided by Rave Mobile Safety, instantly communicates emergencies to 9-1-1, on-site personnel and first responders for faster, more effective emergency response. Through the app, public safety officials receive critical emergency data for situational awareness, allowing them to arrive on scene armed with the information needed to resp...

Following a rigorous review process, RapidDeploy Nimbus is now FirstNet® Listed and accessible via the FirstNet App Catalog. RapidDeploy’s new native Nimbus mobile application puts modern data capabilities at the fingertips of first responders, ranging from advanced location tracking and navigation to innovative voice control features. Mobile users can now collaborate with dispatchers and other responders in near real time, maximizing efficiency and responder safety. Public safety co...

The Metropolitan “Metro” Fire Chiefs Association, a Section of the International Association of Fire Chiefs (IAFC) and National Fire Protection Association (NFPA) held its 2019 annual conference in Edmonton, Alberta June 8-14. More than 110 Metro chiefs from Australia, Belgium, Canada, China, Mexico, the Netherlands, the United Kingdom and the United States attended the conference and elected the Association’s 2019-2020 officers and board members. The officers are: Chi...

The Communications Workers of America (CWA), a labor union, is promoting awareness of the benefits of FirstNet, an independent government authority established in 2012 to build and deploy the first-ever nationwide broadband network dedicated to first responders. “Once people know what it is, they get excited,” says Bianca Garcia, CWA's FirstNet Program Coordinator. AT&T, the only unionized wireless carrier, was chosen as the private company tasked over 25 years with building ou...

The aftermath of the 9/11 terrorist attacks in New York City highlighted the critical need for dependable communications among first responders during emergencies and disasters. In response, Congress established (in 2012) the independent First Responder Network Authority (FirstNet) to deliver a nationwide broadband network dedicated to public safety. AT&T was later chosen as the private company tasked over 25 years with building out the network. This month marks the first full year of Firs...