It sounds crazy, but the future of public safety promises some awesome advancements. And AT&T is helping to make it happen.

Every day, our world becomes more digital, more connected. But as society leaps forward, there's still one industry that has surprisingly been left years behind: public safety.

Our goal is to make that the way of the past. To transform the current public safety landscape. And to create the future.

This is quite possibly the industry we rely on most. So, modernizing public safety from end to end and making emergency response more data driven holds a lot of potential for how we can help strengthen and enhance our communities.

Unveiling our vision

Imagine a truck runs a red light. It hits your car in the middle of an intersection, pushing you into another car. Before you can process what happened, sensors monitoring traffic and decibel levels on a nearby light pole report the incident to 911.

Witnesses send pictures and video of the scene to 911. Relevant information is routed to law enforcement, firefighters and paramedics being dispatched. All the while, sensors from the vehicles involved are feeding critical information to public safety for handling and distribution to those who need it. This could include speed at impact, area of impact, force of impact, airbag deployment and more. The data shared with first responders adds to their situational awareness of the incident. This helps them better prepare their response.

Near real-time traffic information is available for emergency responders, providing them with the quickest route. And smart traffic signals help clear the path, speeding response.

Once on scene, augmented reality apps accessed via a dedicated network help first responders quickly determine the best place to apply the Jaws of Life to rescue those trapped. Paramedics then send photos and videos of patients and their injuries directly to a hospital who can help triage needs and prep emergency rooms prior to arrival.

This is just a glimpse of what's possible. It's a bold vision for public safety. And we're uniquely positioned with the 3 core ingredients to make it happen.

• AT&T ESInet™ – This an IP-based call routing service that is helping emergency communications centers keep up with the current and future needs of its mobile callers. Think of it as moving 911 infrastructure from analog to the digital age. This will allow 911 communicators to receive data from a variety of sources, like texts, videos and connected sensors. Cities, counties and states across the country – like Raleigh-Wake, N.C., and Kansas – are modernizing their aging 911 networks with AT&T ESInet™.
• Smart Cities – Our work to create smarter and safer cities through connected technology has been underway since 2015. Enabling a technology-first environment within cities can help solve daily challenges and optimize public safety – both for first responders and citizens. We’re working with cities like Atlanta, Dallas, L.A., Portland and San Jose to infuse game-changing and equitable solutions into infrastructure across their communities.
• FirstNet – This is the nationwide public safety communications platform dedicated to America’s first responders. It’s purpose-built to properly handle the rigorous, specific and niche demands of first responders, so they can connect to the critical information they need every day and in every emergency. More than 2,500 public safety agencies nationwide have subscribed to FirstNet services.

Individually, each of these areas is driving unbelievable advancements in public safety. But the opportunity to blend them together has the power to completely revolutionize the field. The cohesive benefits yet to be realized will help lead to swifter, more coordinated and more informed responses. And ultimately, that will help lead to improved outcomes.

Of course, transforming the end-to-end public safety landscape doesn't happen overnight. Or alone. But we're excited for what's on the cusp of reality.

We’ll share updates as we bring new players and innovations into the fold to make your day-to-day and ours even safer.