Cities can pose unique challenges for first responders. These larger population centers often have both physical congestion, such as traffic, and communications congestion, with many users on the same network. Because of this, mayors and leaders in local city governments across the country understand the need for a functioning and resilient broadband communications system for first responders; too often network congestion in a city, especially during large events, hinders the communications of first responders during an emergency.
The USCM is the official non-partisan association for the mayors of cities with populations of 30,000 or more; the U.S. currently has 1,408 such cities. The role of mayors within this organization is to present a united voice on organizational policies and goals to the President and Congress. Mayors from different parts of the country serve on USCM committees that research, discuss and develop policies on issues of importance to city governments – several of great interest to public safety and FirstNet – such as the Criminal and Social Justice committee and the Transportation and Communications committee. The USCM also has a Technology and Innovation Task Force (Task Force) that focuses on “bringing the necessary public and private sector participants – the technology drivers, the business leaders and the mayors - together to discuss the applications of promising technologies and innovative systems to improve our cities.”
Mayors and staff on the front lines of planning and participating in city events and emergencies know that FirstNet will vastly improve public safety communications capabilities. Many of America’s mayors have expressed anticipation for the development of the FirstNet network through their premiere national association, the United States Conference of Mayors (USCM).
At its annual conference this past June, USCM passed a resolution supporting FirstNet:
“WHEREAS, it will remain a priority of our nation’s mayor’s to support the funding, modernization, upgrade and interoperability of our first responder communications systems in the post 9/11 world in relation to the work being done by the First Responder Network Authority (FirstNet) to construct the National Public Safety Broadband Network to protect and provide for our nation’s homeland security.”
Tom Sorley, Deputy CIO- Public Safety for the City of Houston IT Services, serves as the USCM representative to the FirstNet Public Safety Advisory Committee (PSAC), and is a member of the PSAC Executive Committee (EC). In the video below, Tom articulates the need for FirstNet.
Mayors from large urban areas in the US deal with specific challenges for first responders that the FirstNet network will want to address; the participation of these mayors in the State Plan development will be invaluable in making FirstNet the best network possible. As we continue to work towards the deployment of the FirstNet network, the USCM and the mayors it represents will continue to be key partners.
USCM members and mayors from across the country come to Washington, D.C. each January for the annual winter meeting. This January 17-19th marks the 85th such meeting, with committees and task forces coming together, and newly-elected mayors, new members and attendees convening for the first time.
Hear a mayor from a small town on the island of Puerto Rico discuss the need for public safety to have the best tools available to them in the video below:
