"Our first responders give their all every day; we owe them the best available tools available to do the difficult job of keeping us all safe," said District Chief Technology Officer Suzanne Peck. "This is a major step toward delivering critical information to police, fire and emergency medical services workers wherever they need it to safeguard our lives."
The program includes installation, testing and operations of the network for a year. The network will use 10 transmission sites that provide citywide coverage for first responders to access this new wireless public-safety data network in the field.
"This network will enable significant new capabilities -- link hospitals and ambulances with real-time video, download mug shots to officers in the field or even convey the detection of a chemical weapons attack via wireless devices," said Peck. She added, "I'm pleased that we can now deliver broadband to our first responders where it never before seemed possible. The applications our first responders have asked to support wirelessly are only the tip of the iceberg. Just as the Internet has matured into a powerful communications tool, this network will serve as a catalyst for innovation."
The schedule is to have the initial installation completed by summer, and to test the network for a period of one year following installation.
Unfortunately, not all jurisdictions have the ability to install a broadband network such as this due to the limited radio spectrum allocated to public safety. The district government is a founding member of the Spectrum Coalition for Public Safety, a national coalition of state and local governments formed to secure nationwide spectrum in the 700 MHz band.
"Our needs are not unique," Peck said. "Every first responder across the country requires access to bandwidth-intensive applications anywhere. Only Congress can allocate this spectrum to our first responders. If we miss this opportunity, public-safety communications will be hampered for decades to come."
