With the RFP to deploy the FirstNet network out on the street, 2016 is a big year for FirstNet and the future of public safety communications. Kevin McGinnis, one of the original FirstNet Board members, is a nationally recognized advocate for broadband communications within the EMS community and knows the type of impact the FirstNet network will have for our nation’s first responders. Come hear directly from Kevin about how FirstNet is working diligently with public safety and industry and encouraging innovation every step of the way as they work towards next steps – RFP Award, State Plans, Network Deployment.

The recent FCC Order on 9-1-1 location accuracy was a landmark decision based upon the prior efforts of the wireless industry, working with APCO and NENA, to develop a consensus proposal. Join us for an update on the work of multiple stakeholders toward implementing the game-changing solutions envisioned by the FCC Order.

Getting the precise location of a 9-1-1 caller has always been a challenge for public safety.  With more calls coming from indoor environments, the challenge has only increased.  The FCC mandates for indoor location accuracy are asking for initial progress in as little as two years.  Is the industry up for this challenge?  This session will explore recent advances in GPS technology and emerging technologies – such as Small cells, Bluetooth, WiFi, and metropolitan beacons – which promise to improve indoor location accuracy.  Recommendations will be presented for how these solutions can be combined to deliver unprecedented granularity, accuracy, and location trustworthiness.

FCC Public Safety Bureau Chief David Simpson joins us for an interview-style session to discuss the status of key developments in public safety communications.

This session will feature a panel from the Mid-America Regional Council addressing issues such as 9-1-1 standardization, regional dispatching, CAD standardization, radio interoperability, and governance.

Everyone is talking about how FirstNet will spur additional in-building public safety networks and the needs for in-building wireless coverage is increasing. In this session, the presenter will discuss aspects to consider to build a future proof in-building distributed antenna system (DAS) for public safety network and the convergence between cellular and public safety DAS for enterprises applications. He will also cover NFPA compliance, ways to build indoor public safety communications, and planning for future bands/technologies.

The US Department of Defense has been exploring next generation wireless communications in tactical environments for several years. This presentation will discuss some current DoD wireless initiatives and their relevance to the Public Safety community and FirstNet.

In response to FCC requirements, the Alliance for Telecommunication Industry Standards (ATIS), established a new Emergency Location (ELOC) Task Force to provide the solutions needed to improve the location accuracy for wireless 9-1-1 calls. As Co-Chair, Christian Militeau offers a unique perspective on the work of the ATIS ELOC Task Force goal to advance the improvement of North American emergency location capabilities and services. This discussion will include an overview of the National Emergency Address Database and Manager (NEAD/NEAM) as well as specific NEAD/NEAM architecture and characteristics. Attendees will learn about various interfaces and protocols used to provision external data sources as well as standards for Provisioning and Real Time Call Flows.

APCO staff will present the latest on “9-1-1” apps and describe the challenges that must be addressed to protect PSAPs and members of the public.

APCO Executive Director and CEO Derek Poarch will describe the establishment of the next in a series of projects aimed at solving the unique problems encountered by public safety communications professionals. Project 43, Broadband Implications for the PSAP, will help telecommunicators, public safety answering points (PSAPs), 9-1-1 authorities, emergency operations centers and others in the public safety community to embrace existing and prepare for evolving broadband communications technologies that will impact PSAP operations and support emergency responders.

This session will explain what NG9-1-1 means, identify issues that PSAPs should be aware of, and provide some information on how to decide what makes most sense for your comm center.

The roll-out of the FirstNet nationwide public safety broadband network presents a number of opportunities to ensure seamless integration with NG9-1-1 systems. The combination of these two advanced communications networks is the future of emergency response, and will lead to new levels of operational effectiveness and efficiency in the delivery of emergency services. Learn how the PSAP will serve as the nerve center between the general public and the first responder community.

Representatives of the Kansas 9-1-1 Coordinating Council will describe lessons learned during planning, design and implementation of NG9-1-1 in Kansas.

ASAP (Automated Secure Alarm Protocol) was launched in 2011 as a public-private partnership, designed to increase the efficiency and reliability of emergency electronic signals from central station alarm companies to PSAPs. ASAP utilizes ANSI standard protocols developed cooperatively by APCO and CSAA. With ASAP, critical life safety information is processed accurately in seconds, not minutes, through the Nlets system of state-to-state PSAP communication, insuring that complete and accurate information is transmitted to the PSAP every time. PSAPs in locations throughout the U.S. are already reporting cost savings and increased accuracy through ASAP.

The management of radio and network infrastructure resources in a nationwide interoperable network is critical to maintaining effective operations during periods of congestion, particularly when there are large incidents involving many public safety users in a small area. Quality Priority and Preemption (QPP) capabilities will provide ability to efficiently manage LTE radio and network resources. The PSCR program is researching the complete set of LTE capabilities that can enable a public safety nationwide network to implement QPP from mobile devices through the network core. This will ensure that priority public safety users gain and maintain access to critical resources when demand exceeds capacity. Public safety’s needs are diverse. End-user Quality of Experience is a key to first responders.

In very rapid succession we’ll discuss what a fusion center is and is not, where fusion centers fit in the public safety landscape, how they produce cyber threat intelligence and how the public safety sector can use that intelligence in their cybersecurity plans.  Short examples of cyber attacks will be included throughout.

Next generation communications systems bring exciting new capabilities and possibilities to our PSAPs. However, as with anything technology related, they also present new challenges. While we may be aware that threats exist, many do not understand just how vulnerable our public safety systems are to cyber attack. This session will explore the current threat environment as it relates to the networks and systems of NG9-1-1 and FirstNet, as well as the threat to public safety networks of today. This discussion should illustrate the need to implement cybersecurity best practices and begin construction of secure, monitored, redundant, and resilient core cyber capabilities sooner rather than later. In addition, the recently approved Task Force on Optimal PSAP Architecture (TFOPA) working group 1 report on cybersecurity will be discussed, including information sharing and cooperative cyber defense strategies and opportunities as well as some specific architectural options.

APCO’s Chief Counsel will provide an update on the latest regulatory and legislative developments impacting public safety communications.