https://www.americancityandcounty.com/wp-content/themes/acc_child/assets/images/logo/footer-logo.png
  • Home
  • Co-op Solutions
  • Hybrid Work
  • Commentaries
  • News
  • In-Depth
  • Multimedia
    • Back
    • Podcast
    • Latest videos
    • Product Guides
  • Resources & Events
    • Back
    • Resources
    • Webinars
    • White Papers
    • IWCE 2022
    • How to Contribute
    • Municipal Cost Index – Archive
    • Equipment Watch Page
    • American City & County Awards
  • About Us
    • Back
    • About Us
    • Contact Us
    • Advertise
    • Cookie Policy
    • Privacy Statement
    • Terms of Service
American City and County
  • NEWSLETTER
  • Home
  • Co-op Solutions
  • Hybrid Work
  • Commentaries
  • News
  • In-Depth
  • Multimedia
    • Back
    • Podcasts
    • Latest videos
    • Product Guides
  • Resources/Events
    • Back
    • Webinars
    • White Papers/eBooks
    • IWCE Expo
    • Calendar of Events
    • How to Contribute
    • American City & County Awards
    • Municipal Cost Index
    • Equipment Watch Page
  • About Us
    • Back
    • About Us
    • Contact Us
    • Advertise
    • Cookie Policy
    • Privacy Stament
    • Terms of Service
  • newsletter
  • Administration
  • Economy & Finance
  • Procurement
  • Public Safety
  • Public Works & Utilities
  • Smart Cities & Technology
  • Magazine
acc.com

Public Safety


Calling All Radios

Calling All Radios

Three-quarters of the United States still does not have interoperable communication systems for first responders, according to Homeland Security in the
  • Written by MICHAEL FICKES
  • 1st June 2005

Three-quarters of the United States still does not have interoperable communication systems for first responders, according to “Homeland Security in the States: Much Progress, More Work,” released by the National Governors Association Center for Best Practices in January 2005,

The lack of interoperable radios has long hampered the work of law enforcement agents, firefighters and emergency medical technicians. Numerous reports reviewing the Sept. 11 terrorist attacks noted the problem. So did reports examining the emergency response to the bombing of the Murrah Federal Building in Oklahoma City. The Columbine Review Commission Report indicated that agencies responding to the May 2001 shootings at Columbine High School “were unable to quickly share information requisite for a coordinated response to the catastrophe.”

During the Columbine event, the Jefferson County Sheriff’s department, the lead agency, could not talk on the radio to responding units from other jurisdictions. “The radio systems went to hell in five minutes,” says Mark Hall, a communications unit leader who supports communications for a number of Colorado and federal emergency response agencies. “We had SWAT teams from Denver, Arapahoe County and Jefferson County. The only way we could get them to talk to each other was to put all three SWAT commanders together physically.”

Today, Hall uses a device called an Incident Commander’s Radio Interface (ICRI) to enable responders from different agencies to talk directly to each other during an incident. Made by Communications-Applied Technology Inc., Reston, Va., the 7×10-inch rectangular ICRI box stands 3.5 inches and provides ports for cables from five to 10 incompatible radios. When a message comes in on one radio, the ICRI electronics process the signal and send the message out over the other radios. The 7-pound unit will operate for 30 hours on a handful of AA batteries.

“When a county agency requests an ICRI, we can deploy in 15 minutes to an hour — basically, the travel time,” Hall says. “We just get it there with a technician who sets the system up.”

Depending on interoperability needs, costs range from $3,500 to $8,000 for ICRI field units and $7,500 to $15,000 for rack-mountable models. The technology includes audio delay circuits that permit links to radios operating in a trunked configuration or in a repeater system.

Police in the City of Houston have purchased several ICRI units. “I plug the different radios into the ICRI box, and everyone hears what’s being said in real time,” says Stephen Casko, a lieutenant with the Houston Police Department.

In early May, Casko was patrolling along the southern boundary of Houston when several robbery suspects fled — on foot — from police in a neighboring county into Houston. When Casko got word of the pursuit from his dispatcher, he switched on the ICRI, which he carries in his cruiser, plugged in an 800-system radio that he keeps with him and tuned the unit to the neighboring jurisdiction’s frequency.

Instantly, Casko, as well as the Houston helicopter and canine unit responding to the call, could talk to police from the neighboring jurisdiction. Communications continued until the suspects were apprehended. “An event like this only lasts 15 minutes, so we need full communications right away,” Casko says. “I have an assortment of radios for UHF, VHF and 800 systems. I have programmed each so that I can tune in quickly. I have 80 police departments and 20 fire departments programmed into these radios.”

According to Seth Leyman, president of Communications-Applied Technology, the company developed ICRI after an emergency response exercise in Boston in 2000. “One of the problems was that the various agencies involved could not talk to each other,” he says. “We volunteered to build a prototype.”

Now in its third generation, ICRI is catching on among first responders, who have purchased 350 units around the country so far. “The technology makes life easier for a first responder,” Leyman says.

Tags: Public Safety

Most Recent


  • Homelessness
    Report: Police response to homelessness is inherently punitive
    Clearing encampments and arresting those living on the streets might temporarily remove homelessness from the public eye, but it doesn’t help unhoused residents retain housing or recover their longterm stability. Even so, a new policy brief from the researchers behind Boston University’s annual Menino Survey of Mayors finds the majority of American cities still rely […]
  • crisis
    Navigating crises with confidence: Five ways strategic plans support crisis response
    Some crises are short-lived, barging through our lives and routines, and before we can get a sense of what’s happened, we’re left dealing with the aftermath. But many crises build slowly, with many early warning signs, and once they’vehit their breaking point, panic and uncertainty overwhelm the ability of leaders to think clearly and mitigate […]
  • Electric scooter
    Research highlights safety tradeoffs of electric scooter speed limiters
    Since the first shared electric scooter program was launched in the United States five years ago, they’ve swarmed cities across the country due to their inexpensive cost, clean energy output and versatility as a last-mile transportation option. As their popularity has grown, regulating their usage on public roadways and streets has arisen as a complex […]
  • zero trust
    Zero trust is a great strategy but a terrible name
    The monthly town hall meeting was going well until they got to the agenda item called “zero trust.” What was to be a routine request for additional funding to implement a zero-trust environment quickly became one of confusion and misunderstanding. Trust in government at all levels has continued its downward spiral over the years. So, […]

Leave a comment Cancel reply

-or-

Log in with your American City and County account

Alternatively, post a comment by completing the form below:

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

Related Content

  • 10 reasons why local governments should outsource all IT: Post pandemic view
  • How governments can keep employees safe as they return to work
  • Preventing cyber-attacks needs to be a priority for local governments
  • Building community and officer wellness through data sharing

White papers


5 reasons why Plan Examiners need Objective Trapeze

30th May 2023

7 Permitting & Licensing Fails Slowing Community Growth

24th May 2023

The Secret Ingredient to Local Government Employee Retention

23rd May 2023
view all

Webinars


How to Centralize and Build a Grants Management Process at your Organization

24th May 2023

Making Permitting Easier: What We’ve Learned Helping America’s Largest Cities Improve Their Permitting Process

16th May 2023

Digital Property Tax Collection: Tales from the Trenches of Modernization

16th May 2023
view all

PODCAST


Young Leaders Episode 4 – Cyril Jefferson – City Councilman, High Point, North Carolina

13th October 2020

Young Leaders Episode 3 – Shannon Hardin – City Council President, Columbus, Ohio

27th July 2020

Young Leaders Episode 2 – Christian Williams – Development Services Planner, Goodyear, Ariz.

1st July 2020
view all

GALLERIES


10 best suburbs for city-like living

1st June 2023

Gallery: Annual index ranks America’s top performing cities; most are in the West

30th May 2023

Gallery: Top 10 American cities for seasonal and summer jobs

25th May 2023
view all

Twitter


AmerCityCounty

How decentralized identity technology can make access to government services more equitable dlvr.it/SqRHBF

9th June 2023
AmerCityCounty

Survey from U.S. Conference of Mayors details mental health crisis faced by cities dlvr.it/SqQffD

9th June 2023
AmerCityCounty

Federal government launches $11B in green energy grants for rural utilities dlvr.it/SqNFBH

8th June 2023
AmerCityCounty

State and Local Cybersecurity Grant Program: Where local governments must allocate funds to support the future of c… twitter.com/i/web/status/1…

8th June 2023
AmerCityCounty

Boston’s commuter rail system is outdated and needs an overhaul, according to advocacy report dlvr.it/SqKHmC

7th June 2023
AmerCityCounty

San Antonio-based study highlights effectiveness of urban farms dlvr.it/SqGDbh

6th June 2023
AmerCityCounty

Keeping reusable stuff out of landfills: Organization redistributes office furniture and more to nonprofits, other… twitter.com/i/web/status/1…

6th June 2023
AmerCityCounty

Report: Police response to homelessness is inherently punitive dlvr.it/SqCFwh

5th June 2023

Newsletters

Sign up for American City & County’s newsletters to receive regular news and information updates about local governments.

Resale Insights Dashboard

The Resale Insights Dashboard provides model-level data for the entire used equipment market to help you save time and money.

Municipal Cost Index

Updated monthly since 1978, our exclusive Municipal Cost Index shows the effects of inflation on the cost of providing municipal services

Media Kit and Advertising

Want to reach our digital audience? Learn more here.

DISCOVER MORE FROM INFORMA TECH

  • IWCE’s Urgent Communications
  • IWCE Expo

WORKING WITH US

  • About Us
  • Contact Us

FOLLOW American City and County ON SOCIAL

  • Privacy
  • CCPA: “Do Not Sell My Data”
  • Cookie Policy
  • Terms
Copyright © 2023 Informa PLC. Informa PLC is registered in England and Wales with company number 8860726 whose registered and Head office is 5 Howick Place, London, SW1P 1WG.