First responders gather at Sunny Point terminal today to learn about FirstNet
WILMINGTON, NC (WWAY) — The Cape Fear is no stranger to natural disasters. However, now there is a new technology to help out the next time a hurricane hits our coast.
Dozens of first responders gathered at Sunny Point Military Ocean terminal in Brunswick County today to learn about the potentially lifesaving new technology.
“After emergency disasters, first responders need to figure out ways to communicate with one another in order to respond and recover. So here at Sunny Point, we’re figuring out bigger and better ways of doing that.”
That’s where FirstNet comes in. During 9/11, FirstNet’s Thomas Nicolette served as a New Jersey firefighter.
“One of the things that happened is, I didn’t have a way to talk to the Hoboken Fire Department where we were sent and deployed to take care of this. I didn’t have a way to talk to the Hudson County fire guys that were there in planning this all out. Nor did I have the communication with New York City to understand what our needs were, what we were doing, and what there needs were and what they were sending us.”
That’s why AT&T and the federal government partnered to create FirstNet, a secure program with it’s own network, giving public safety workers priority to the broadband network for communication and data.
“It means that your first responders will be able to keep communication during emergency response and provide that need to the community.”
During hurricane Florence, parts of New Hanover County lost power and cell signals. Representatives from the New Hanover County Sheriff’s office attended the training to see if FirstNet would be a good fit for the Cape Fear.
“We did lose cell phone (service). We lost data for a period of time. Having other resources and other technology available to get our first responder communications back online is critical.”
The U.S Army is already contracted with FirstNet. Sunny Point was one of the first military terminals to try out the program in 2020. Now, they’ve integrated it full-time, even for their non-emergency scenarios.
Those with FirstNet can even use the program to stay in contact with those who don’t have access to it, allowing them to stay connected with other first responders throughout rescue and recovery.
