Ohio uses FirstNet video game to showcase public safety LTE potential

Ready, firefighter one?

Ohio’s FirstNet program has developed a first-person video game to showcase the potential of the First Responders Network Authority’s LTE network-to-be, and the value increased access to data and connectivity can have for situational awareness. The game lets players navigate a firefighter training scenario: first, under traditional circumstances with technology a firefighter would be likely to have today, and then with information that could be enabled by a mobile broadband network and applications: integrated blueprints, real-time mapping and instructions, and thermal imaging to inform their actions.
OhioFirst.Net demonstrated the PC-based game yesterday to attendees at APCO’s Public Safety Broadband Summit in Washington, D.C., and the game will be available for download from OhioFirst.Net’s website starting Friday.
Kelly Castle, program manager for OhioFirst.Net, told the federal FirstNet agency the project was inspired by her son’s love of video games and the recognition video games can be used as learning tools to engage Ohio’s first responder community.
“After the first round of outreach we decided that we needed a strategy that was going to fit hand and glove with the time frame that FirstNet put out, so that we could keep our audiences interested,” Castle said in a statement. Ohio’s FirstNet team already had a team member with the skill set necessary to build the game, she added.
OhioFirst.Net plans to use the video for demonstrations at conferences and trade shows such as the APCO event this week, with the possibility of adding more scenarios and use cases if it it resonates with people. Currently, the game is PC-based, but it could be expanded to mobile devices or virtual headsets, according to FirstNet.
The federal FirstNet agency is continuing its outreach efforts to engage state and local public safety organizations as it moves forward with the actual planning and build-out of the FirstNet LTE network. Responses to FirstNet’s Request for Proposal are due May 31, with the network contract expected to be awarded Nov. 1.