First Responders

First responders need presumptive ID technology to better assess and act on hazardous incidents

The ability to accurately identify hazardous materials at the scene provides public safety officials with enhanced personal safety, controls public risk and delivers actionable onsite intelligence.

  • By Jeff Brodeur

6G promises immersive communications for public safety

The next-generation cellular network is poised to massively upgrade situational awareness for public safety agencies, experts say.

  • By Kaitlyn Levinson

Optimization model delivers faster emergency response

Researchers used historical traffic data to develop a model that calculates the most efficient routes for police and medical personnel traveling from dispatch locations to vehicle accident sites.

  • By Kaitlyn Levinson

With updated data profiles, opioid detectors ID latest drugs

Thanks to a federal partnership, the portable detectors will get upgraded drug profiles, and their manufacturers will provide those new drug reference libraries to public safety agencies that already possess a detection device.

  • By Susan Miller

How sports data can help public safety agencies up their game

Technology originally developed for athletes can help public safety agencies to track first responders’ performance during training to sharpen real-life mission efficiency.

  • By Kaitlyn Levinson

Wanted: 3D mapping drones for indoor search and rescue

NIST’s Public Safety Communications Research Division is looking for an affordable solution that will give public safety drone operators accurate indoor positioning and high-quality 3D digital mapping in real time.

  • By Susan Miller

AI helps responders mine social media for public safety insights

An artificial intelligence platform analyzes social media photos and texts to give responders more situational awareness.

  • By Chris Teale

NextGen TV, pagers transmit enhanced emergency data to responders

A field test of digital broadcast TV and prototype pagers is giving responders across North Carolina access to audio, images, video and GIS data.

  • By Kaitlyn Levinson

3 applications driving 5G in public safety

5G’s network capacity, internet-of-things support and low latency will power the emerging technologies responders have been waiting for.

  • By Thomas Rehberg

VR trains responders for mass casualty events

Conducting a disaster response training program can be costly and time-consuming, but a virtual reality simulation can train multiple employees at once and provide performance assessments.

  • By Kaitlyn Levinson

Drones on the front lines in public safety operations

Drone networks that allow seamless communication among devices, first responders and dispatch centers enhance public safety operations.

  • By Kaitlyn Levinson

What responders really want from their tech

Communications technology is going to sit on the shelf if it’s not reliable, interoperable and user friendly.

  • By Stephanie Kanowitz

NIST cooks up modified yeast for responder biothreat training

The yeast reference material has qualities similar to harmful biological agents, enabling first responders to practice detecting biothreats.

  • By Kaitlyn Levinson

Delivering emergency alerts to vehicle infotainment systems

Drivers may soon receive real-time emergency and fire alerts and improved evacuation routing on their vehicles' infotainment systems.

  • By Frank Konkel
Featured eBooks

All eyes on the FCC as deadline for 911 overhaul approaches

By enforcing its z-axis requirements and moving toward nationwide deployment, the Federal Communications Commission can fundamentally transform national emergency response.

  • By Charles L. Werner

Sensor array maps a first responder's location, movements

A prototype developed at MIT can automatically map a hazardous environment as a responder moves through it.

  • By John Breeden II

My other car is a smart phone

Cisco wants to network and IP-enable vehicles, which could be a boon for emergency response crews, among others.

  • By Greg Crowe

Cloud mapping tools to aid first responders during disasters

Esri's GIS public information maps will be made accessible on Microsoft's cloud-based disaster portal.

  • By GCN Staff

Unified comm is the next step in 911's evolution

The FCC and Transportation Department are working to establish a transition path to the next generation of 911 services.

  • By William Jackson

DHS R&D program has a disconnect with first responders' needs, House panel told

The department has a program to help develop technology for first responders, but matching the money with state and local agencies' requirements has proved difficult.

  • By William Jackson

Crash analytics: How data can help eliminate highway deaths

Highway safety groups' strategy, called Toward Zero Deaths, is ambitious, but data analytics combined with the "Four Es" make it possible.

  • By Melissa Savage