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54 JULY 2016 | EMSWORLD.com A sk 100 emergency responders who've been to a major event what their worst challenge was and every single one of them will surely tell you: communications. Their lives are getting easier, thanks to a dedicated band of the 700 MHz radio spectrum located just above that of digital TV broadcast channels. Band 14, as it's called, was reserved for public safety providers by the Spectrum Act of 2012, using the LTE (Long-Term Evolution) technology featured in most 4G-enabled smartphones. LTE has some valuable properties for emergency needs. It penetrates buildings and walls easily, and it covers large geographic areas with less infrastructure than higher frequencies. It's also lightning-fast and highly reliable. Eighteen vendors from around the United States gathered in Brighton, CO, on May 3 under the auspices of FirstNet Colorado to showcase evolving technolo- gies for about 120 participating potential users. Participants carried functional samples of personnel tracking devices and ruggedized cell phones with them throughout the day, while they kicked the tires of technology that has been in develop- ment throughout the United States for the past three years. The tracking devices recorded their attendance and movements, while the cell phones enabled them to communicate with one another, ushering them from room to room in response to a tight schedule. FirstNet Colorado is coordinating the state's efforts to prepare for a nationwide high-speed data and cellular voice network for public safety providers using LTE. Here's how that might work, using technology that has been developed so far: Imagine you've been called to a ski resort where skiers have reported a friend buried in an avalanche. The local ski patrol has called for a drone, and the drone patrols the avalanche area in search of the skier's cell phone. (A cell phone emits a constant radio-frequency signal until its battery goes dead.) The drone's operator uses a tablet to map a search area based on aerial pho- tos, using a predetermined search strategy. The drone quickly conducts the search, and provides the rescue team with a GPS location before land- ing on a nearby ridge to maximize its battery life. By Thom Dick Will a Smar tp h o n e R epl a ce Yo ur Mo b il e Ra di o? LTE technology, featured in most 4G-enabled smartphones, has some valuable properties for emergency needs DataSoft's Automatic Injury Detection system