09/07/2026
Did You Know? Huntington County EMA Manages Another Critical Emergency Communications Program
During a major emergency or disaster, thousands of people may try to make phone calls at the same time. This can cause cellular and telephone networks to become heavily congested, making it difficult for critical personnel to communicate when communication matters most.
That’s where the Wireless Priority Service (WPS) and Government Emergency Telecommunications Service (GETS) programs play an important role.
📱 What is WPS?
Wireless Priority Service helps authorized emergency personnel and government officials complete important cellular voice calls during periods of network congestion.
☎️ What is GETS?
Government Emergency Telecommunications Service helps authorized users complete critical telephone calls when traditional phone networks are overwhelmed.
Important: WPS and GETS do not replace normal emergency communications systems or guarantee communications when infrastructure is unavailable. Instead, they provide priority capabilities to help essential personnel communicate during emergencies when networks are congested.
These programs support the people responsible for coordinating emergency response, public safety operations, government continuity, and other critical functions.
Huntington County Emergency Management Agency serves as the county’s primary point of contact for the WPS and GETS programs and is responsible for coordinating and managing this important emergency communications capability for eligible county partners and personnel.
Emergency management is much more than responding when disaster strikes. Behind the scenes, Huntington County EMA works every day to strengthen planning, preparedness, communications, coordination, and the county’s ability to respond when our community needs us most.
This is just another example of the many important programs and responsibilities managed by Huntington County EMA to help keep our community prepared.
