Emergency managers are at the center of community preparedness and response should an emergency or disaster strike. As hurricane season is upon us, it is a reminder of the important work of our nation’s emergency managers who put service to their communities first in times of need.

On the days leading up to hurricanes or tropical storms making landfall, information pours into Emergency Operating Centers (EOCs). And during an event, emergency managers must make timely decisions and ensure that the right information is disseminated to the right public safety, public works, elected officials and non-governmental organizations. Law enforcement officers, fire fighters, emergency medical services providers and countless other public safety officials working in the field rely on this time-sensitive information to improve their situational awareness and maintain the safety and security of residents in the path of incoming storms.

Emergency managers depends on reliable emergency communications to monitor and relay this vast amount of information. From WebEOC to apps like Secured Chat, emergency managers use apps to communicate data like weather updates, evacuation plans, flood information, and safety concerns. FirstNet is for emergency managers and provides them priority and preemption for an always on connection when they need it most.

Another way that FirstNet supports emergency managers is with deployable equipment. This equipment, like a cell on wheels, cells on light trucks and drone technology helps to boost communications during response and recovery efforts to nature disaster.

The First Responder Network Authority is proud to support emergency managers in their efforts for every day and in every emergency. Thank you to all the emergency managers, coordinators, and support personnel from across the entire nation for the work you do to plan and prepare for natural disasters and local emergencies. You are the unsung heroes in every disaster; working behind the scenes to support our brave first responders in the field.

More from FirstNet in the video below: