Melvin Musulin, Assistant Director for Pennsylvania’s Valley Ambulance Authority, says he sees FirstNet as a legacy for emergency first responders in rural communities.

For over forty years, Musulin has worked in and around the emergency medical community. He has been anticipating FirstNet’s launch since its inception in 2012. With FirstNet now on the verge of going live in communities across the country, Musulin says that FirstNet’s accessibility will have its greatest impact by reducing health care costs in rural America.

“Pennsylvania is a very large state with 67 counties that are not widely populated,” says Musulin in a recent interview with FirstNet. “The availability of services that FirstNet can provide in the rural areas will make a huge impact on the cost of health care.”

For Musulin, who also serves on the Board of Directors for the Pennsylvania Emergency Health Services Council, FirstNet’s most important attribute will be its ability to prioritize and make communications accessible for all first responders at any time and in hard to reach places.

“Coverage and prioritization is a big thing because at big events, everybody is tying up the network, but the accessibility will improve that in the rural environment," he says.  “I see FirstNet as a legacy, because they need it and they need the tools.”

Hear more from Mr. Musulin in the video below: