What is the Best Network for First Responders? | PSBTA

When the call goes out —- when fire, police, and EMS reach out to Dispatch and each other in the heat of a crisis — it has to go through.

Unfortunately, that doesn’t happen on commercial cellular networks, no matter what claims wireless carriers may make. Think of a first responder network as a freeway: When fire, police, and EMS have to share the road with regular traffic, sometimes there’s too much of it to let them get through.

Imagine that first responders had a highway with a lane reserved entirely for themselves. Well, when it comes to first responder wireless networks in America, this is exactly what the FirstNet public safety network has to offer. Unlike every other wireless offering that claims to provide exclusive always-available carriage to first responders — but can’t — FirstNet has been given its own exclusive swath of radio spectrum by Congress known as Band 14. As a result, FirstNet’s 7 million public safety users have the very best chance of connecting to each other on their smartphones, tablets, or network-connected land mobile radios (LMRs).

Add the best coverage across the United States plus support from AT&T, and FirstNet is the best network for first responders. But don’t take our word for it: Ask Chris Lombard why he thinks FirstNet is the best network for first responders. He is Assistant Fire Chief with the Seattle Fire Department (SFD). They respond to nearly 120,000 calls for service a year.

“Seattle was one of the early adopters of FirstNet in the state of Washington,” said Chief Lombard. “We initially used it primarily for voice communications. But now agencies in our city are transitioning most of our mobile computer infrastructure to FirstNet, including the SFD and the Seattle Police Department.”

FirstNet’s Priority and Preemption Benefits           

In addition to its exclusive access to Band 14 nationwide, FirstNet has been granted unlimited Priority and Preemption on all of AT&T’s network infrastructure. This means that FirstNet users can always count on their voice, video, and data calls going through, no matter how bad the crisis they’re dealing with. This isn’t possible on other wireless networks.

“Probably the single biggest factor in the SFD joining FirstNet was this access to ‘ruthless preemption’,” said Chief Lombard. “Before we joined this first responder cellular network, the Seattle Fire Department had probably about five to eight events a year where our members would lose their connectivity due to network saturation in a particular area. These events included New Year’s Eve at the Space Needle and the 4th of July. As the crowds would swell into the tens of thousands in a very concentrated area, the commercial cellular networks would get overloaded with traffic and our calls wouldn’t get through. But now that we have FirstNet and ruthless preemption, this no longer happens. Even in the most crowded situations, our calls go through.”

Dedicated Coverage and Reliability in Emergencies      

As mentioned above, FirstNet has the best and most reliable coverage for first responders in the United States. This is because the FirstNet Authority (which runs FirstNet) has invested in covering rural and remote areas that aren’t profitable for commercial carriers to serve. When combined with AT&T’s own coverage footprint and nationwide Band 14 service, this gives FirstNet more extensive and reliable coverage than all other commercial networks Check the map: You’ll be impressed.

“The SFD wouldn’t join FirstNet until we were sure that their coverage was better and more reliable than what we had access to at the time,” Chief Lombard said. “It was, so we signed up. We haven’t regretted making that decision.”

Specialized Devices and Services for Public Safety          

As tragedies like the July 2025 Central Texas flood have proven, public safety network providers have to be ready to repair and restore wireless broadband service as soon as possible. In such situations, the FirstNet Response Operations Group (ROG) is ready to help. ROG’s teams of disaster-trained former first responders are based in locations across the country, to reach disaster scenes fast. ROG is backed by FirstNet’s dedicated fleet of 180+ portable network assets that are distributed nationwide. This fleet ranges from Compact Rapid Deployable (CRD) portable cellular transmitters on pickups to Satellite Cells on Light Trucks (SatCOLTs) and Cells on Wheels (COWs). In one form or another, these vehicles are truck-mounted mobile cell sites that link to FirstNet via satellite, and they are all equipped with generators to make their own power.

“FirstNet’s deployable assets have also been a big help to us during wildfire events in parts of the state where the coverage is limited,” said Chief Lombard. “They also fill gaps when our fireboats go into areas of Puget Sound where coverage can also be weak.”

Why FirstNet Is the Only Choice for First Responders 

Exclusive Band 14 spectrum, ruthless preemption and priority service on AT&T’s network, the best coverage, solid reliability, and ROG’s deployable experts and mobile assets. These are all reasons why FirstNet is the only choice for first responders.

“The Seattle Fire Department is very pleased with FirstNet’s broadband performance, reliability and customer service,” Chief Lombard said. “From our perspective, it is absolutely worth switching over to FirstNet.”