First responder preparedness

News and Updates

Two first responders stand at the open back of an emergency vehicle, looking at a computer screen, with firetrucks in the background.

Spotlight: Gathering Intel From Social Media for Emergency Response

June 30, 2022

When someone needs help, fire departments and ambulance crews need to know what the problem is and where to go ASAP. One answer is to use artificial

NIST Launches Prize Challenge to Improve Unmanned Aircraft in Indoor Search and Rescue Scenarios

April 27, 2022

The First Responder UAS Indoor Challenge is the agency’s sixth prize competition aimed at advancing the use of unmanned aircraft systems indoors for first

Illustration shows two houses from above with distances marked between house, woodpile and shed for fire safety.

NIST Offers First-of-a-Kind Guidance for Holistic Home and Community Wildfire Protection

March 1, 2022

Once they have a foothold, severe wildfires can quickly overwhelm a community, particularly one that is densely packed. To shield houses against such a fierce

Industry Impacts

Photo of NIST scientists with the PSCR Deployable LTE Cell-on-Wheels

First Responder Communications

First responders must be able to communicate during an emergency. Too often in critical situations, communications among public safety agencies are hampered by

Projects and Programs

Indoor Localization and Tracking

Ongoing

This web page is simply a pointer to another page that covers the extensive research program in indoor localization and tracking at NIST.

Surrogate Materials to Support Training in Biological Sampling and Detection in the Field

Ongoing

Developing and maintaining a nationwide capability in field biological assessment requires routine training with biological materials. Attenuated biothreat

Sensing and Imaging of concealed objects

Ongoing

Emergency response, law enforcement and military personnel must face threats and dangerous situations as part of their jobs. These threats can vary from knives

Living Yeast Cell Reference Material

Ongoing

Confidence in total or viable microbial cell counting methods is lacking, due in part to a dearth of relevant reference materials. NIST is developing a living

Publications

Response to "Evaluation of Indoor Localisation Systems: Comments on the ISO/IEC 18305 Standard"

November 29, 2021

Author(s)

Nader Moayeri

Potorti et. al. wrote a paper [1] that was dubbed as the first critical reading of the international standard ISO/IEC 18305 [2], Test and evaluation of

Voices of First Responders – Applying Human Factors and Ergonomics Knowledge to Improve the Usability of Public Safety Communications Technology: Findings from User-Centered Interviews, Phase 1, Volume 5

February 11, 2021

Author(s)

Yee-Yin Choong, Gavriel Salvendy

With the newly created Nationwide Public Safety Broadband Network (NPSBN), the public safety community is in the process of supplementing the use of land mobile

Public Safety Communications Research Division Impact Report: Fiscal Years 2017 2019

March 31, 2020

Author(s)

Jeremy E. Glenn, Isabel Shaw, Marc Leh

The Public Safety Communications Research Division (PSCR) at NIST plays a primary role in research and development to impact public safety operational

Voices of First Responders – Examining Public Safety Communication from the Perspective of 9-1-1 Call Takers and Dispatchers: Findings from User-Centered Interviews, Phase 1, Volume 4

March 24, 2020

Author(s)

Michelle P. Steves, Mary Theofanos, Yee-Yin Choong, Shanee Dawkins, Susanne M. Furman, Kristen K. Greene, Sandra Spickard Prettyman

With the newly created Nationwide Public Safety Broadband Network (NPSBN), the public safety community has a unique opportunity to review and improve

Tools and Instruments

Large Aperture Scanner

The Large Aperture Scanner (LAS) scans a radar transceiver over a 5 meter by 20 meter aperture. Image reconstruction techniques enable a three-dimensional