The main argument made throughout the article is that as the communications needs of local first responders evolve and become more complex, they should take cues from the military for best practice models. The value of wireless networks to increase the communications capacity of local first responders cannot be overstated. Considering the massive communications failures that occurred during September 11th and in the wake of Hurricane Katrina in New Orleans, it is clearly time for cities, regions, States, and countries to work as a unified structure to improve the efficiency of communications capacity for first responders. All stakeholders in homeland security, from local law enforcement to military units, must work in a collaborative fashion to leverage existing best practices for wireless communications and consider common standards that will enable cross-stakeholder group interoperability. The author describes the ability of wireless communications networks to significantly extend the reach of communications capabilities regardless of environmental conditions and without the hardware, cabling, and maintenance hassles and costs associated with traditional wired communications networks. The importance of situational awareness in mission-critical operations is underscored and its solution in wireless technology is described. Wireless communication networks allow first responders to work collaboratively with command/control centers in the event of large-scale incidents. This type of real-time communications capability allows command coordinators to run updated simulations and provide revised response protocols to field responders in rapid fashion.