Interoperability Academy Takes the Static Out of Emergency Communications
At the recent NACo/National League of Cities Interoperability Policy Academy conference, held in May 2007, local government officials discussed how they could improve the interoperability of communications through governance, standard operating procedures, technology, training, and exercises.
As part of the suggested improvements to governance, officials highlighted the need for greater cooperation among regional officials, as well as an avenue through which first responders could offer feedback about the system.
Experts also suggested the establishment of standard operating procedures to ensure all personnel, despite where they are located, can successfully use communications equipment and designated channels.
However, National Institutes of Standards and Technology Program Manager Dereck Orr noted, “Soon, data may be more important than voice, so having equipment that can share data across platforms is critical,” a notion that fed into the call for technology upgrades.
One major obstacle for these counties and local government officials is where to garner the funding for upgrades, especially if they are not part of the Urban Area Security Initiative (UASI).
Grant writers and experts were on hand to help officials apply for money to cover the costs of interoperability upgrades and training, but most indicated that multi-agency plans or multi-jurisdictional plans were the likeliest candidates for grant allocation.
Other officials cited the plans underway in their regions, including Minnesota, which has hospitals, police, and fire departments coordinating their emergency response plans to ensure success and continuous training for workers.
Abstracted by the National Law Enforcement and Corrections Technology Center (NLECTC) from County News (06/04/07) Vol. 39, No. 11, P. 3; Lopes, Rocky.
