Whether an 18-wheeler containing hundreds of pounds of hazardous material crashes on a highway or a category 4 hurricane hits a coastal town leaving a trail of devastation in its wake, the first 15 minutes after a disaster are by far the most critical in any response operation.  While each

In the past three years, the U.S. government has set aside nearly $3.3 billion for the bolstering and modernization of our nation’s wildland firefighting capabilities. These funds have arrived at a critical point in time as government agencies face the compounding effects of climate change that are contributing to longer

In our last article on The Last Mile, we sat down with Greg Albrecht – medic and goTenna Public Safety Technical Consultant – to discuss the conditions and impacts lack of communications and connectivity have on first responders in natural disaster environments. This week, Greg returns to discuss the critical

In natural disasters and other emergency response situations where the existing communications infrastructure may be compromised, degraded, or destroyed, it is critical that first responders dispatched to the scene have a means of communicating and sharing locations with one another. If not, the success of the mission and the lives

When the Android Tactical Assault Kit (ATAK) was released a decade ago, its situational awareness and communications capabilities completely transformed how military, law enforcement, and emergency response teams coordinate and communicate during their missions. For more than 10 years, ATAK has been enabling any warfighter with an Android device to

Those who operate in austere, geographically isolated areas outside of a cell service bubble need reliable communications for the duration of their mission. They’re either battling wildfires, searching for missing people, or monitoring border activity across huge swaths of land. Traditionally, the only way to have continuous coverage for situational

From urban landscapes to rugged terrains, American military, law enforcement and emergency response operations are often conducted in extremely varied, dynamic, and unpredictable environments. On any given workday, a first responder could be called upon to repel down the side of a skyscraper or extract an injured hiker from the

American warfighters can attest to the fact that maintaining situational awareness (SA) and communication amongst team members can be the determining factor of a successful mission. Whether warfighters are deployed on combat search and rescue (CSAR) operations, intelligence, surveillance, and reconnaissance (ISR) missions, or are a member of a special

Half of the world’s population lacks reliable internet access, with the vast majority concentrated in developing countries. As communities around the globe work to close the digital divide, there are countless nonprofits and nongovernmental organizations that need to fill critical gaps in connectivity now in order to operate safely and

When first responders and emergency response personnel respond to natural disasters, we want them to be as prepared as possible. But, historically, disaster and emergency response personnel deployed with just a traditional voice radio. This gave them the ability to communicate and collaborate via voice only. And even that capability