FirstNet brings Safety, Security to Dover Motor Speedway & Firefly Music Festival

Dover Motor Speedway in Delaware can bring in 58,000 spectators at a time for its racing and entertainment events. Nicknamed the “Monster Mile” for how tough it is on drivers and equipment, it can also deliver tough communications challenges for those who are responsible for keeping visitors safe.

Jim Hosfelt, Assistant Vice President of Public Safety for the speedway and former chief of the Dover Police Department, oversees security for events at Dover Motor Speedway. Hosfelt understands the importance of collaboration, clear communication, and organization among public safety partners during these events.

“My role is to bring all these different entities together to work under one roof, and maintain constant communication throughout the year,” explained Hosfelt. There can be more than a dozen different agencies and teams involved in security plans for a planned event at the raceway. Hosfelt coordinates with everyone: state and local law enforcement, emergency medical services (EMS) teams, state departments of transportation and natural resources, and on-track pit road firefighters and logistics teams.

“Good communication starts with a good game plan,” Hosfelt said. “It's just proper planning, and you can't say it enough.”

Situational awareness from start to finish
Dover Motor Speedway is home to the annual Firefly Music Festival, where more than 100 musical acts perform over a four-day period. More than 50,000 music fans swarm the speedway each summer to attend the festival. For the festival alone, Hosfelt coordinates with close to 1,300 people across various agencies.

With so many involved, reliable, interoperable communications are critical. FirstNet-powered devices help responders communicate, share data, and maintain situational awareness at the event.

Officials at the Joint Operations Center rely on the network to stay connected and in-the-know. FirstNet enables them to live stream video from the field to the Joint Operations Center without network congestion issues, providing de...