A new communication network is being tested by emergency services and support agencies in Co Mayo after an older system failed during Storm Éowyn earlier this year.
768,000 homes, businesses and farms were left without power as a result of the storm on 24 January.
Around 115,000 homes were left without water, with hundreds of thousands more under threat as a result of the power outages.
The new technologies being trialed aim to improve coverage and reduce response times after the TETRA, Terrestrial Trunked Radio, system was compromised for a time during the storm.
This impeded contact between different agencies and complicated the response to a number of medical emergencies.
While work on the introduction of new technology was already under way, it has been fast tracked in light of the impact of Storm Éowyn.
The initiative forms part of a wider effort to ensure the country is better prepared for severe weather or other events that can compromise communications.
The mission critical communications system is being road tested through a series of simulated exercises, involving multiple agencies in Westport this week.
It allows for the use of mobile and satellite technology, which will improve the transfer of data and increase reliability.
The new system will ensure there are back-up modes of communication in place, in the event of power cuts or other issues knocking off mobile coverage.
It will allow emergency services to communicate and exchange material even in areas with poor coverage or when existing systems are interrupted.
'Very positive' response
The Government's Chief Information Officer Barry Lowry said emergency responders used an old system, called TETRA Ireland, which are "essentially like walkie talkies" with push to talk phones.
Speaking on RTÉ's Morning Ireland, he said: "What we wanted to do is replace them with smartphone capability.
"Everybody knows the importance of smartphone for data, for video, for voice.
"But actually enabling that for blue light services provides what we call full situational awareness.
"In other words, far more data and information that they can use and share in the event of dealing with a major incident."
Mr Lowry said that while TETRA did not collapse during the storm, it lost its full national connectivity as the fibre it depends on came down due to a lack of power.
However, the new network uses a smartphone-like capability that can fall back to satellite technology as a last resort.
"So where we are moving to is always on mobile phone capability for our emergency services," Mr Lowry said.
"We have tested the new capability in the air, sea and on land," he said, adding "the responses coming back have been very positive".
He said the project to date has being co-funded by the EU, but added that "no cost is insignificant if it saves lives".
Minister for Public Enterprise Jack Chambers said the initiative was in keeping with a commitment to building a safer, more resilient country as well as continuing to invest in digital infrastructure.
Islands off the west coast will be the first communities to benefit from the enhanced infrastructure.
A dedicated satellite hub will be installed on Inishturk later this year and it will ensure round the clock connectivity between residents and the mainland.
Similar hubs will be provided on other islands over the coming year.
This week's exercises in Co Mayo are being monitored by representatives from a number of European countries, who are also planning to upgrade their response systems.
Those enhancements form part of an EU wide plan to future proof communications technologies, so that they can be utilised as effectively as possible and to ensure they are set up to easily adapt to operational enhancements.
