ASSOCIATE Magazine FBINAA Q3-2024

LEADERSHIP WITHOUT COURSE CORRECTIONS CAN BE TITANIC First Responders without leadership’s focus on evolving communication and information can be Titanic. While others flee, first responders rush toward the violence, the crisis, or the threat. Advanced training and state-of-the-art simulation provide these selfless servants with an incredible ability to problem solve, react, and virtually live the crisis before experiencing the real event. This flattens the learning curve, increases competence, and boosts the confidence of First Responders to manage a range of situations, from the mundane to a “world gone mad.” JOHN FORQUER

FBINAA.ORG | Q3 2024

T he best leaders constantly observe the operational environment, anticipate crisis, and prepare accordingly. A challenging factor impacting proactive operational planning in crisis response is the anticipation of, and preparations for, technological evolution. Keeping pace with the ever-changing and emerging technologies to accommodate the increasing number of bandwidth-hungry tools (live stream, video, CAD) can be an overwhelming process. These technological tools are becoming increasingly critical for the safety of our communities and to our brave first responders. Failure to anticipate and lead this evolution can be “Titanic” to an organization. In 2001, our nation suffered the single largest loss of life from an enemy attack on its soil. The after-action report from the 9-11 Commission noted that, “The civilians, firefighters, police officers, emergency medical technicians, and emergency management professionals exhibited steady determination and resolve under horrifying, overwhelming conditions on 9/11. Their actions saved lives and inspired a nation.” Despite the heroic actions of first responders, they were significantly operating in the blind, relying on a communication system that was severely inadequate to deal with a large scale crisis and the requisite interoperability. If leaders view technology capability as a point in time (the gear you buy and systems in place today), and not as an evolution that must be led, maintained, and constantly evaluated; their organization will quickly become increasingly and dangerously ineffective. Even the latest technological capability in use today, is only a point of departure towards the evolution of where you will need to be; 2, 5, or 10 years in the future. From the lessons learned after 911 evolved the First Responder Network Authority, and the Office of Science and Technology Policy to anticipate and prepare for future

requirements by establishing a nationwide communications platform dedicated exclusively to America’s first responder and public safety community. Significant progress has been made, particularly over the last decade, to meet the need for not only reliable communication, but also the needs and expectations of the public served by dispatch/911 centers. The increasing demand on the centers has revealed a urgent need to revamp the Emergency Communications Ecosystem to support it. Taking advantage of new technology and tools in the future will require an exponentially growing demand for data. And in terms of emergency response, data is a hungry beast that has overtaken voice in terms of importance. Despite monumental progress, many first responders today remain woefully unprepared to remain on or enter the complex and ever-changing “information superhighway.” Great leaders proactively anticipate and drive change in their organization, and strategically envision where it needs to be in 2, 5, or 10 years. They strive to change in anticipation of, NOT reaction to, an attack or event. Evolving and keeping pace with changing technology and the commensurate emergency communications ecosystem will remain critically challenging. Meeting and leading this challenge, FirstNet has evolved as the industry leader, proudly serving emergency responders, guiding their evolution from a communication and data management network and the replacement of an outdated legacy communications to systems capable of handling emergency calls in a Next Generation 911 (NG911) environment.

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