FIRST-RESPONDERS COMMUNICATIONFor First Responders, Communication with Their Teams is Essential

When a first responder enters a building during an emergency, they count on being able to communicate with their team at all times. Their safety and their ability to carry out the mission relies on knowing they can reach help and support anywhere that they need to go within a structure. This is why most state and local jurisdictions require that buildings have first responder coverage in every part of a building. While there is not a national requirement for in-building coverage for emergency communications, the overarching need has resulted in the creation of national model codes by the National Fire Protection Association (NFPA) and the International Code Council. Although primarily driven by fire service jurisdictions these requirements are intended to address emergency communications coverage for all first responder disciplines.

The Science and Technology Directorate (S&T) discovered through its Project Responder research that maintaining adequate communications inside buildings was a capability need that first responders wanted to work with S&T to address.

“First responders need constant communications, in fact, their lives are put at greater risk when they do not have constant, reliable communications in buildings. Yet, in many instances, their ability to safely access buildings in response to, for example a fire, is hampered by loss of communications. This can force them to either accept greater risk or more slowly respond to an emergency,” said Cuong Luu, subject matter expert for S&T’s Office for Interoperability and Compatibility Technology Center.

In order to bring new technologies to bear on this problem, the topic “In-building Coverage Analysis System (ICAS) Using Existing First Responder’s Radio and Smartphone” was included in the DHS Small Business Innovation Research (SBIR) Program 20.1 Solicitation. Epiq Solutions, Inc. was selected for a Phase I award and after successfully completing their feasibility study, was awarded a SBIR Phase II contract to continue research and development on their Low Size, Weight and Power (SWAP) In-building ICAS solution for commonly used first responders’ network types.

First responders typically rely on agency-issued Land Mobile Radios (LMR) to communicate in indoor settings. The availability of the FirstNet LTE network, a communications network created solely for first responders, is increasingly providing additional indoor public safety data services, such as physiological and health monitoring and location tracking to enhance personnel safety. However, the LMR and FirstNet networks are two completely separate networks—the LMR network is managed by state/local public safety organizations, while FirstNet is built and operated by AT&T