Storm season is an unpredictable time of year, when first responders are called upon to go above and beyond in the name of public safety. And when those first responders are called upon, it is imperative their calls go through. Public safety communications are one of the most critical tools before, during and after a natural disaster.
Whether facing hurricanes, flooding or any other emergency, the ability for public safety to stay connected during natural disasters can be the difference between success and failure. The specialized needs of first responders become a priority during an emergency, like reliability and interoperability, which allows emergency management personnel to talk to one another and across agencies to coordinate tactics and response in near real-time.
The FirstNet Response Operations Group plays a pivotal role in this. Led by a dedicated team of former first responders, ROG works around the clock to support public safety’s emergency communications and has liaisons engaged with local and federal agencies. They are on the frontlines, providing unmatched support and resources to public safety agencies during critical moments, working to ensure first responders have the reliable communications they need to help save lives. So far this year, the team has supported public safety during more than 1,100 emergency response operations nationwide.
As we know here in New Jersey, the impact of weather-related emergencies can be devastating, and many signs point to a growing set of challenges. Data gathered from the Climate Risk and Resiliency Portal, a publicly available tool created by Argonne National Laboratory, FEMA and AT&T, projected a notable increase in precipitation in New Jersey over the coming decades, a trend that typically signifies an increase in storm intensity. With increasing regularity, communications networks are tested by climate-related weather events and natural disasters, which is why it is important to ensure infrastructure resilience and quality disaster response planning.
Few people know that New Jersey plays an important role in America’s public safety communications disaster response efforts. Our state is home to one of AT&T’s Network Disaster Recovery warehouses, which contains different equipment and technologies the company uses to maintain and recover wireless and wireline connectivity during major disaster situations. Everything from mobile cell sites and mobile command centers, technology recovery trailers, amphibious vehicles, helicopter-like drones, portable generators, and more roll out at a moment’s notice when needed. The team operates hundreds of assets around the country, many of which originate from New Jersey.
The NDR team and the equipment in New Jersey not only serve to restore consumer service, but also house the resources for public safety’s emergency response, including nearly 200 assets deployed and operated by FirstNet. FirstNet is a nationwide, wireless communications platform dedicated specifically to first responders and the public safety community. This network is built with AT&T, in a public-private partnership with the First Responder Network Authority (FirstNet Authority), an independent agency within the federal government. It gives first responders like firefighters, law enforcement, paramedics, 9-1-1 telecommunicators, emergency managers and others unthrottled and reliable connectivity.
FirstNet is constantly innovating and updating technology to provide public safety with new and modern resources. This is an important step in disaster response because public safety must adapt in step with the climate changes that are prompting more extreme weather. During storm season and beyond, these assets are critical to support New Jersey and the country.
To ensure first responders stay safe and successful during natural disaster response, the federal government should continue to support the public-private partnership that has yielded FirstNet. In particular, the FirstNet Authority soon will need Congressional reauthorization, and New Jersey’s delegation should fully support that measure. Continued support of the FirstNet Authority and the FirstNet network would not only benefit first responders in New Jersey, it would also benefit our state economy.
We want the resources housed in New Jersey to be available and at the ready for public safety well into the future. It’s important to first responders across the country, and especially to those dedicated women and men right here at home serving the people of New Jersey.
Raymond Heck is the mayor of Millstone Borough
