City of Morristown Joins Advanced Communications Network
CITY OF MORRISTOWN, HAMBLEN COUNTY GOVERNMENT AND WALTERS STATE COMMUNITY COLLEGE JOIN TENNESSEE ADVANCED COMMUNICATIONS NETWORK
On October 14, 2022, the Tennessee Department of Safety and Homeland Security welcomed the City of Morristown, Hamblen County government, and Walters State Community College to the Tennessee Advanced Communications Network (TACN). Their decision to join TACN makes them the first local government in Tennessee to go to a full state (TACN) and AT&T FirstNet. This provides the ability to have additional coverage to talk on the radio with surrounding state communication towers and cellular capability during major events and disasters.
On October 14, 2022, the Tennessee Department of Safety and Homeland Security welcomed the City of Morristown, Hamblen County government, and Walters State Community College to the Tennessee Advanced Communications Network (TACN). Their decision to join TACN makes them the first local government in Tennessee to go to a full state (TACN) and AT&T FirstNet. This provides the ability to have additional coverage to talk on the radio with surrounding state communication towers and cellular capability during major events and disasters.
“I commend the City of Morristown, Hamblen County government, and Walters State Community College for joining TACN,” said Tennessee Department of Safety and Homeland Security Commissioner Jeff Long. “Communication and interoperability across jurisdictions should have been solved after 9/11. Communication is key to a swift response from first responders in all incidents, whether it be natural disasters, vehicle crashes, or crimes against individuals. The communication between first responders must be instantaneous, reliable, and capable of communicating across multi-jurisdictions. The City of Morristown, Hamblen County government and Walters State Community College will serve as a model to other agencies across the state as we continue to build reliable TACN service. The Sevier County wildfires, the Christmas Day bombing in Nashville in 2020, and the deadly flash flooding in Waverly in 2021 demonstrated the resiliency of TACN, and affirmed the importance of cross-jurisdiction communication,” said Commissioner Long.
Currently, TACN supports 50,000 local, state, and federal government users statewide, and that number grows daily. In the last year alone, over 30 additional agencies have made the decision to join TACN to experience the statewide communications interoperability and the cost savings it delivers. First responders will be safer, and citizens’ lives will be saved from this investment and collaboration.
The Tennessee Department of Safety and Homeland Security’s mission is to serve, secure, and protect the people of Tennessee.