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800MHz Re-banding Failing First Responders
Friday, September 29, 2006
If you've followed first responder communications issues for any length of time, you'll know that in addition to interoperability issues (i.e., first responders being unable to communicate as a result of incompatible equipment and spectrum allocations), first responders are also dealing with interference issues. Check out the FCC website for a comprehensive overview of the problem. To remedy the problem, Nextel Communications convinced many in the first responder community to allow it to reorganize (or re-band) parts of the 800MHz spectrum to resolve interference issues. With all the assurances that Nextel's re-banding proposal would be efficiently and expeditiously completed, and in the best interest of public safety, the FCC adopted the plan. Well, get a load of this... Sprint Nextel is (again) trying to delay the process by two years, and many in the first responder community are not happy about it. APCO responded to the suggested re-banding freeze in a recent news release: APCO International is very disappointed by Sprint Nextel's presumption that public safety communications entities are not ready to move forward with the rebanding process. Further, APCO International finds no apparent rationale as to how a freeze will enhance the process. However, APCO International recognizes that the rebanding process has not proceeded as expected and would consider minor adjustments if absolutely necessary to ensure safe and effective rebanding. Until rebanding is complete, first responders and the public they serve are at risk due to the continued potential for interference.The APCO statement went on to point the finger at Sprint Nextel for the lack of progress that is being made in re-banding the 800 MHz spectrum. APCO International recognizes the delays in the rebanding planning process and attributes them, in part, to the difficulty experienced by several agencies going through negotiations and seeking reimbursements for planning funding. If public safety has not proceeded with planning it is often because agreements could not be reached with Sprint Nextel regarding the cost of such planning.RCR Wireless News' article "Sprint Nextel's call for a two-year delay on 800 MHz rebanding raises public-safety's ire" gives a complete account of the continuing frustrations and mounting tensions. Also, check out this blog posting from RCC Consultants for additional information on the 800MHz re-banding.
FCC Establishes Public Safety & Homeland Security Bureau
Thursday, September 28, 2006
Conceived in the wake of the 2006 hurricane season, the Public Safety and Homeland Security Bureau is designed to handle a wide range of functions- including network reliability, resiliency and security issues- that have been dispersed among seven different bureaus and offices within the FCC. The Bureau will be organized into three divisions - Policy, Public Communications Outreach & Operations and Communications Systems Analysis.
The Policy Division will draft, develop and administer rules, regulations, and policies; and it will handle spectrum licensing for public-safety entities.
Public Communications Outreach & Operations will be responsible for coordinating the commission's emergency-response procedures and operations.
Communications Systems Analysis will administer information-collection requirements, and it will perform analyses and studies concerning public-safety, homeland-security, national-security, disaster-management and related issues.
You can read more about the Bureau on Telecom Web. And although somewhat dated, TMCnet's "VoIP blog" has a nice summary of what the Bureau means for Public Safety Answering Points.
An Intro to the Incident Command System-Part 2
Wednesday, September 27, 2006
Here's the second half of an introduction to the Incident Command System (ICS), as provided by "Homeland Responder." It's a great introduction into on-scene emergency operations, and should be of interest to citizens, decision-makers and first responders. NIMS/ICS 100: An introduction to the Incident Command System (Part 2)
Mock Disaster, Real Problems
Tuesday, September 26, 2006
Public safety agencies routinely train with other agencies to prepare for the next disaster that may occur in the communities they protect. During a recent drill in South Bend, Indiana, in which emergency responders were faced with severe weather, a helicopter crash, and an anthrax attack, the local system found out just how important communications were to a safe and effective emergency response. Several participants complained that because different groups had used different emergency radio channels, none was able to hear all agencies during the drill. As a result, most responders said they never heard information concerning the threat, and then confirmation, of the anthrax attack.As it turns out, there was no communications plan to effectively coordinate local, state and federal responders. Had this been a real emergency, how many people, including the responders themselves, would have been affected by the anthrax? The South Bend experience is a great example of how essential communications are to a safe and effective response. You can read more about the mock exercise in the South Bend Tribune.
Upcoming Events in Emergency Response
Wednesday, September 20, 2006
The All Hazards ForumThe Mid-Atlantic All Hazards Forum (AHF) is a public-private partnership of Mid-Atlantic states and private corporations dedicated to improving regional homeland security and emergency management by facilitating dialogue among state directors and increasing interaction between state and local governments, industry and the private sector, universities, and non-profit organizations. Focusing on all three phases of a hazard (readiness, response, and recovery), the Forum's mission is to help build communication and forge relationships between states in the Mid-Atlantic region. This year's Forum will be held Tuesday, October 10 through Thursday, October 12 at the Baltimore Convention Center in Baltimore, Maryland.Drexel University Disaster Management SummitThe "Readiness Now 2006, Summit for Disaster Management Planning" has been designed to provide a timely educational and training experience for regional senior executives from public and private sectors who need to learn and understand the intricacies and challenges of Disaster Management. Spanning regional to global, natural and man-made disasters, this Summit will feature leading experts to address the key issues from four key perspectives: Threats, Planning, Training, and Response. This year's Summit will be held on Monday, October 23, from 7:30am to 7:00pm at Drexel University's Bossone Center in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania.
An Intro. to the Incident Command System
Here's an introduction to the Incident Command System (ICS), as provided by "Homeland Responder." It's a "must see" for all those not familiar with on-scene emergency operations. NIMS/ICS 100: An introduction to the Incident Command System
FRC on CNN
Monday, September 18, 2006
The FRC was recently interviewed on CNN's Anderson Cooper 360 regarding the state of first responder communications five years after hundreds of first responders lost their lives on 9/11, and a year after Hurricane Katrina ravaged the Gulf Coast. You can watch the interview here. The FRC was also profiled in the Chronicles of Philanthropy, the self-described "newspaper of the non-profit world," about the efforts being made towards solving the communications crisis. You can read the interview here.
Any Progress on Interoperability?
Friday, September 15, 2006
In my last posting I questioned whether we've made real progress towards achieving communications interoperability, suggesting, perhaps, that the RapidCom program wasn't a meaningful step towards interoperability. My comments deserve some elaboration. The short answer to the question of whether or not important advances towards interoperability have been made is a qualified "yes." The RapidCom program, both in its achievement and in the amount of time and energy that was dedicated to it, is an important first step towards the goal of seamless, national interoperability. There have been other advances, as well: - Additional funding ( $1 billion) has been promised to first responders as part of the transition to digital television - Pending legislation provides the leadership, funding, guidance and coordination needed to make some real gains towards interoperability- Local agencies are working more closely with their neighbors to develop regional communications systems - Policymakers better understand the need for interoperable communications and are more willing to allocate resources to the problem I don't think I'd find much disagreement, however, if I suggested that we are still a very long ways away from where we need to be, as the tragedies of 9/11 and Hurricane Katrina reminded us. - The $1 billion in funding may not be made immediately available to first responders if the Stevens Communications Bill doesn't pass ( TAKE ACTION!) - DHS's National Interoperability Baseline Survey is over a year behind schedule, and won't be completed until late 2006 - There still exists no national strategy to coordinate the many well-meaning efforts at the Federal, state and local levels of government So we've made some advances but there's a lot that needs to be done. When I recently read that "There are only five people assigned in the federal government, in the whole Department of Homeland Security, to addressing the problem of operability and interoperability", it didn't give me much reason to think we were well on our way to solving the communications crisis.
Taking the "Rapid" out of RapidCom
Tuesday, September 12, 2006
I have to look at Secretary of Homeland Security Michael Chertoff's recent remarks and wonder if- five years after 9/11, and a year after Hurricane Katrina- we've made real progress towards achieving communications interoperability.
DHS likes to hold up the RapidCom program as a shining example of the advancements it's made towards interoperability. After spending "hundreds of millions of dollars," DHS claims to have achieved communications interoperability in 10 of the nation's highest threat cities.
But the RapidCom program ensures "interoperability" at the command level only. And, DHS gives each of those cities a one-hour grace period to establish "interoperable" communications.
Can you really claim you've achieved interoperability if you're waiting around for an hour to establish communications, and first responders on the front lines still aren't able to communicate with each other?
GAO: Nation's Response Capabilities Lacking
Friday, September 08, 2006
Five years after 9/11 and a year after Hurricane Katrina, sufficient measures are still not in place to ensure the government's ability to effectively respond to national disasters. That is the conclusion of a series of newly-released reports from the investigative arm of Congress. In particular, the GAO report, titled " Enhanced Leadership, Capabilities, and Accountability Controls Will Improve the Effectiveness of the Nation's Preparedness, Response, and Recovery System," concludes that in spite of the repeated assurances by the Department of Homeland Security that changes have been in the government's ability to respond to disasters, "there is little information available on the extent to which those changes are operational." The report goes on to note that first responders still lack the ability to effectively and reliably communicate by radio during a crisis (see pp. 40 - 43 of the report). How do you think the government responded to the GAO's findings? According to USA Today, "Department spokesman Russ Knocke said... "There has been a tremendous amount of reflection on what did and didn't work' during the Katrina response." I absolutely agree with Mr. Knocke's comment. There has been a tremendous amount of reflection on what worked and what didn't work during the Katrina response. In fact, there's been too much reflection and not enough action to remedy the problem, especially when it comes to first responder communications.
Thursday, September 07, 2006
The goal of National Preparedness Month is to increase public awareness about the importance of preparing for emergencies and to encourage individuals to take action. Throughout September, the Department of Homeland Security will work with a wide variety of organizations- including local, state and federal government agencies and the private sector- to highlight the importance of family emergency preparedness and promote individual involvement through events and activities across the nation. Click here to see the complete National Preparedness Month Coalition Member List.
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