teams to training to faith based
and voluntary organizations.
We covered a very broad
presentation field.”
Emergency managers in
attendance spent time with
one another, building their
networks of colleagues who
could help them with everything
from planning for an incident
to helping their communities
recover afterward. “The
emergency management
community doesn’t exist by
itself,” said Westbrook. “It takes
all of us, from the faith-based
organizations to the elected
officials, it requires everyone.”
For Spencer Hawkins, EMA
Director of Macon-Bibb County
and winner of the annual EMA
Director of the Year Award,
emergency management is
definitely a team effort. “The
collaboration and teamwork
that was fostered around such
difficult topics as grant funding,
shelter operations and FEMA
reimbursement was inspiring,”
said Spencer Hawkins, EMA
Director of Macon-Bibb County.
“The EMAG Summit is such
a positive experience and
continues to keep me energized
about our field.
As the week came to a close,
each person left the conference
with a renewed energy of
bringing new ideas back to their
organizations and agencies,
as well as new connections
they could call on in case of
an incident. It takes a village to
ensure safety of citizens, and the
conferences in Savannah helped
bring those villages together.
For more information on the
2019 Hurricane Conference,
check https://www.
chathamemergency.org/.
Details about the 2019 EMAG
Summit and Training Sessions
will posted at http://www.
emagonline.com/home.
GEMA/HS first in state, nation
to adopt FirstNet wireless
By Brandy Mai
T
he first nationwide public
safety communications
network was recently
launched by FirstNet, and
Georgia Emergency Management
and Homeland Security Agency
was the first agency in both
the state and nation to adopt
it. For employees, that meant
new phones and hotspots were
received in April that allowed
them to work in locations across
the state, but for the agency, it
ensured personnel had priority
access to the cellular network
to better serve the citizens of
Georgia during a disaster.
“This is a long overdue network
dedicated to public safety,” said
Warren Shepard, GEMA/HS
FirstNet Georgia Coordinator.
“It ensures dependability, quality
of service and encrypted data
when communicating with our
employees and other public safety
personnel across the state.”
Built with AT&T, in a public-
private partnership with the First
Responder Network Authority,
FirstNet gives emergency
managers and public safety
personnel a boost in reliability by
ensuring they stay connected to
the critical information they need
during everyday situations, big
events or emergencies.
“As emergency managers, it’s
critically important that we can
reliably communicate with each
other and our partner agencies
when disaster strikes,” said Homer
Bryson, Director of GEMA/HS.
The decision to join FirstNet was
based on three main factors:
Groundbreaking
Technology – FirstNet gives
first responders priority, meaning
they’ll always have access to the
connections they need – even
when the network is congested.
This helps keep those they serve
safe and secure.
Coverage, Capacity
and Control – As Georgia’s
additional FirstNet build gets
underway, they will have access
to increased coverage and
capacity to support emergencies
in all areas of the state – from
rural to urban. Plus, they’ll be
able to allocate communications
resources in near real time to
support first responders who need
them most.
Enhanced Security – Sensitive
communications will be routed
through a physically separate,
nationwide and dedicated
network with end-to-end
encryption tools available.
“FirstNet will help first
responders in Georgia and across
the country perform at the highest
levels,” said Bill Leahy, president
of AT&T Georgia. “We’re honored
to play a part in this transformation
and applaud the Georgia
Emergency Management and
Homeland Security Agency for
helping lead the way.”
When a major event occurs,
it’s important to share data
with coworkers and other
responders. It’s also important
that communications be easily
retrievable after an event to
become part of the public record.
To learn more about FirstNet,
visit FirstNet.com or contact Lee
Ballentine at (404) 406-7085.
DISPATCH