The Department of Homeland Security (DHS) Science & Technology (S&T) Directorate plans to hold a Next Generation First Responder (NGFR) Operational Experimentation (OpEX) in December to evaluate first responder technology solutions.
The DHS S&T Directorate issued a request for information (RFI) on Thursday for technology developers who want to take part in the event, which will be held at the Port of Houston in Houston, Texas, Dec. 3-7, 2018. The event will showcase on-body, incident area, agency-wide or cross-jurisdictional technology that helps protect and connect first responders.
“First responders protect our communities every day, and often do so with no more than a radio and a uniform,” DHS S&T Program Manager Sridhar Kowdley said. “Commercial technology is advancing at a remarkable pace, and it’s time for public safety to leverage those advancements — but to do that, integration is essential. During this OpEx, we want to prove that diverse responder technologies can be integrated using open standards and that integrated capabilities increase first responder safety and effectiveness.”
DHS S&T Directorate requests that application submissions reflect gaps identified in the RFI, including sensors, analytics tools and interfaces with computer-aided dispatch systems. The application deadline is March 30.