Whoa There Folks! The Advantage of a Single Solution

By Fire Chief Jim Wamsley, Rock Springs Fire Department (Wyoming)

One of the greatest turning points in the modern history of emergency response has been the birth of the FirstNet Authority – a network envisioned by first responders, built for first responders, and still governed by those same boots-on-the-ground professionals. For those of us who live and breathe by the call tones of fire, law, and EMS, FirstNet has been nothing short of a lifeline. It’s not just another wireless plan. It’s a promise – ruthless preemption when the moment matters most, seamless integration when chaos is king, and a single trusted trail to ride when the stakes are life or death.

Now, let me take you back a spell. When this whole idea was first being floated, the big players in the telecom corral didn’t seem too eager to pony up. The risks were high, the work was long, and the territory? Rough and unforgiving. But AT&T stepped forward, cinched the saddle, and took the reins. I’ll admit plain as day- I had my doubts. Out here in Sweetwater County, Wyoming, our cell coverage was little more than tumbleweeds and broken promises, save for the faint flicker along Interstate 80- and even that was about as steady as a lantern in a windstorm.

So as the build-out deadline approached, I braced for disappointment. I figured rural Wyoming would once again be left chewing the dust of corporate neglect. But then, to my astonishment, the cavalry arrived- 19 brand-new towers rising against the big Wyoming sky, filling in dead zones where there’d never been a signal before. For the first time, the men and women who keep watch over the “Big Empty” had coverage worth its salt.

Fast-forward a few years. Now, I hear talk from other companies circling around like coyotes on the ridge, claiming they can do what FirstNet has already done. Some are whispering that splitting the herd and turning oversight over to a patchwork of systems would somehow make us stronger. But let me ask you straight- when has scattering the herd ever made anyone safer?

Back in the old West, cowboys knew better. They carried both a sidearm and a rifle chambered in the same caliber. One cartridge, two tools – simple, efficient, reliable. If the revolver was the close-quarters answer, the rifle stretched out the reach. No fussing with different rounds, no chance of fumbling in the heat of the moment. That was smart, and it kept folks alive.

Well, today’s radios are the sidearms of the modern responder. Our cell devices, running on FirstNet, are the rifles. They share the same “caliber” – a common operating backbone designed to keep us talking, tracking, and taking care of business without a hitch. To mix and match systems, to cobble together solutions from different barns with no single rancher to keep them honest- that’s courting disaster.

FirstNet isn’t perfect, but it’s the only outfit proven to put the needs of responders above the profits of shareholders, the only one with oversight in the hands of the people who actually pull the hose, walk the beat, or treat the patient. Out here in the wide-open West, you don’t gamble with your horse or your rifle- and in emergency response, you sure don’t gamble with your lifeline.

So, hold your horses, partner. No need to reinvent the wheel or chase after a half-broke bronc. FirstNet has you covered, tried and true.

About the Author

Fire Chief Jim Wamsley is Chief of the Rock Springs, Wyoming Fire Department and the International Director for the Missouri Valley Division-IAFC. A longtime advocate for interoperability, broadband innovation, and first responder situational resilience, Chief Wamsley’s is passionate voice for America’s first responders having access to reliable, mission-critical communications- anywhere, anytime under any circumstances.