The ability for emergency responders to communicate across agencies and jurisdictions is essential for a timely and effective response. Crises can easily involve a broad range of disciplines (law enforcement, fire service, emergency medical service), various sectors (local, state, tribal and federal government), and multiple jurisdictions. The bottom line is that they need to be able to talk to each other—and the Science and Technology Directorate (S&T) works tirelessly to make that happen.
S&T ensures that first responders and the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) can exchange information such as voice, video or data through any medium and that interoperability across agencies is paramount upon transition to broadband communications networks, including FirstNet.
"The significance of interoperability to emergency response operations cannot be overstated," said Russell Becker, director of S&T's Office for Interoperability and Compatibility Technology Center. "Standards-based solutions are simply vital to multi-agency response and FirstNet is an important part of that. It's the first high-speed, nationwide wireless broadband network dedicated to public safety."
This spring, S&T collaborated with local and federal partners to field test FirstNet's Push-to-Talk (FNPTT) application, which is a standards-based, mission-critical push-to-talk (MCPTT) app. The app allows voice, video and data communications with high priority and low delays with the press of a button—a necessity in critical events when reliable and quick access to information is vital.
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