Coming on the heels of a Textron roundtable discussion airing out first responder concerns, FirstNet Board members addressed the Public Safety community last Thursday at the APCO International Emerging Technology Forum in Anaheim, CA. Acting General Manager F. Craig Farrill spoke reassuring listeners that, "We're here to serve you, the people who put your lives on the line to save lives and property."
Farrill stated the organization started with the knowledge that Public Safety communications require higher standards and greater needs than commercial networks, such as better reliability. FirstNet has received requirements documents from NPSTC and SAFECOM, and according to APCO's Public Safety Communications, the board has compiled a list of more than 1,300 detailed public safety requirements, although no prior mention of this list has been made public.
Board member Kevin McGinnis also spoke; as a board representative of Public Safety, McGinnis is Chief/CEO for North East Mobile Health Services, the largest paramedic service in Maine. He assured listeners and readers that communication lines are open, and the feedback is being leveraged. Currently, FirstNet is in a "listening phase," with plans for two tours to gather information from agencies across the country before a plan is presented.
Plans for the future include Network Operations Centers in every state, and Farrill encouraged his audience to identify their state's point of contact and get involved in the process.
Because of LTE's versatility, speed, coverage, and low cost, its benefits to Public Safety communications will be great. The Public Safety Communications Research Program has been conducting testing with LTE capabilities, working to influence standards developers to include public safety requirements in LTE, and finding ways to link commercial vendors into the NPSBN. This research also includes a test plan for utilizing LTE in-building, as well as studies on variables to determine how many sites will be needed for the NPSBN.
Andrew Seybold also weighed in on this topic, stating the currently hardened Public Safety infrastructure should be used before commercial sites. He also reiterated that the NPSBN will augment, not replace, existing systems.
The platforms being taken by FirstNet board members in presentations have been in line with what Public Safety needs, however in order to gain credibility and the confidence of first responders, the organization will need to "walk the walk." In other words, actions will speak louder than words.
Although this presentation touched on many of the concerns being voiced in Public Safety, it is safe to say that transparency and open communication will and should continue to be encouraged throughout this process.
The next FirstNet board meeting is scheduled for February 12 in Boulder, CO and can be viewed online at the NTIA's website. We encourage all interested Public Safety officials to weigh in on the board's progress and proceedings.
No comments:
Post a Comment