"Project Responder 5 (PR5) is the fifth iteration in the Project Responder series of studies. The purpose of Project Responder is to identify, validate and prioritize capability needs for emergency response to critical incidents, including complex, multi-jurisdictional, large-scale, high-risk, high-probability or high-consequence incidents, or incidents that have important social or economic impacts. Capability needs are not static, but evolve as operating environments and organizations themselves change. This argues for a process of continuous assessment of these needs. Since the first Project Responder report was published, the U.S. Department of Homeland Security (DHS) has funded a periodic re-examination of capability needs based upon changes in the response environment and technological advances. The timing of PR5 is appropriate because the threat environment continues to change, requiring capabilities to address a wide spectrum of threats and hazards. Increased incidence of weather-related natural disasters, mass civil disturbance and riot events, violent acts against emergency response personnel and terror events emphasize the need for evolving capabilities. This document also describes how other factors, including the actions of bystanders, societal perceptions of mistrust, the growing involvement of traditional and social media, and advances in technology, have changed how responders operate during routine daily events and on large-scale incidents."
I highlighted in bold some key aspects that have been covered previously in this blog: citizen responders, lack of trust, social media, advances in technology.
As a side note, the number of jurisdictions that have opted in for FirstNet is now up to 33. We will need high-capacity communications channels to take advantage of all the technological systems that are coming online soon.
