Senator Debbie Stabenow of Michigan is offering an amendment to the Homeland Security Appropriations bill H.R. 2360 to provide funding for interoperable communications grants. These grants will allow first responders to buy or upgrade the equipment they need and ensure that first responders can talk to each other during emergencies.

This is great news for the first response community. While it won't completely solve the problem of incompatible networks, it is clearly a huge step in the right direction. FRC's report "America's First Responders and the Federal Budget: A Study of Rhetoric Versus Reality" details the dire shortage of funding promised to first responders.

This funding is by no means a done deal but certainly it's a hopeful step towards giving first responders the equipment and resources we need.

Now is a great time to tell your Senator what interoperability funding will mean to you in the first response community!