July 30, 2025 | 2:00 – 3:00 p.m.
This session explored how both federal agencies and public safety telecommunicator teams respond when disasters strike, offering practical insights and real-world experiences.
Justin Cain, Chief of the FCC’s Operations and Emergency Management Division, detailed the FCC’s role during emergencies—including activating the Disaster Information Reporting System (DIRS), issuing outage reports, and deploying staff to affected areas. He also highlighted resources available to public safety agencies, such as Special Temporary Authorizations and access to non-public outage data.
Following that, Jason Smith, Co-Chair of the National Joint TERT Initiative (NJTI), and Natalie Duran, Florida TERT representative, discussed TERT’s role in recent hurricane responses. They reflected on deployments during Hurricanes Helene and Milton, sharing lessons learned and the importance of having trained telecommunicators ready to assist during large-scale emergencies.
The session emphasizes the critical role of coordination between federal and local response efforts and the ongoing need to strengthen disaster preparedness across all levels of public safety. We thank the FCC and TERT teams for the vital work they continue to do in support of the public safety community.
