Public safety leaders announced a new association in April for first responders, industry vendors, nonprofit groups and anyone else involved with FirstNet, the nationwide wireless broadband network for public-safety communications.

"It is open to anybody, and the dues will be minimal—$45 per person," said President Al Gillespie, a past president of the International Association of Fire Chiefs, in an interview with IWCE's Urgent Communications. "The goal is to bring these folks together to carry on the mission that we've been working on, make sure that there's educational opportunities and make sure that there are opportunities to share, through forums, with each other about what's working, what's not working, and how can we best do this."

The launch of the FirstNet Association comes as a national network finally becomes a reality. Congress created the First Responder Network Authority (FirstNet) in 2012, and authorized it to develop a communications network dedicated to public safety. FirstNet awarded the contract to AT&T in 2017, and last month gave the company the green light to start building out the network. All 50 states, five U.S. territories and Washington, D.C., have joined FirstNet.

In addition to Gillespie, the association's founders include Richard Mirgon, a past president of the Association of Public-Safety Communications Officials, and Ray Flynn, a retired assistant sheriff with the Las Vegas Metropolitan Police Department.

Roger Wespe, national public safety strategy and technology manager at Sonim Technologies, is executive director of the new association.

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