To date, FRC supporters have collected nearly 4,400 signatures in support of a National First Responder Appreciation Day that honors all first responders for their contributions, sacrifices and dedication to public service.

I want to give a special thanks to the following FRC supporters for not only signing the petition but getting their friends, family members and local first responders to support this important cause:

Demelza Costa (OR)
Denise Lytle (NJ)
Oliver Quinn (LA)
Dusty Vanata (IN)
The Franklin (PA) Township Volunteer Fire Department

These FRC supporters answered the call to get others in their community involved, and each of them deserves to be recognized for their amazing efforts. Thank you!!

While the campaign for a national day of appreciation continues to gather steam, we still have a long way to go to reach our goal of 25,000 signatures. The clock is ticking and we need your help!

We need the support of everyone you know if we're going to convince Congress to give first responders the national day of appreciation that they so richly deserve. Please join us in urging as many people as possible to sign the petition to make September 25th National First Responder Appreciation Day!

The House of Representatives has released its annual report card on the Department of Homeland Security and it reads like my high school transcript:

No "A's"
Four "B's"
Eight "C's"
One "C-/D+"
One "F"
Three "Incompletes"

With regards to emergency communications, the House Homeland Security Committee issued DHS a "C," noting that "Improved emergency communications would be achieved more quickly if the Department would fully implement the Congressional mandates outlined in the Department of Homeland Security Appropriation's Act of fiscal year 2007 with a sense of urgency" [emphasis added].

"With a sense of urgency." Those last five words caught my eye because for nearly a year now the FRC has been calling on the President and the Congress to establish a hard date by which to achieve communications interoperability for our first responders.

To date, efforts towards achieving true interoperability have been frustrated by the lack of a national strategy and "bottom up" efforts to resolve the communications crisis. A national target date for interoperability, coupled with meaningful action and national leadership, will provide a sense of urgency while helping to align disparate programs and competing efforts so that they work together towards a common goal.

In addition, the report calls on DHS to:

"The State of Homeland Security 2007: An Annual Report Card on the Department of Homeland Security" (PDF) can be accessed by clicking here.

The Federal Emergency Management Agency announced the start of the application period for approximately $33.7 million in equipment and equipment training awards for first responders through its 2007 Commercial Equipment Direct Assistance Program (CEDAP).

CEDAP helps meet the needs of smaller jurisdictions by providing equipment and equipment training awards in five categories:

(1) personal protective equipment
(2) thermal imaging, night vision, and video surveillance tools
(3) chemical and biological detection tools
(4) information technology and risk management tools
(5) interoperable communications equipment

Awards are made to law enforcement and emergency responder agencies not currently eligible for funding through the Department's Urban Areas Security Initiative grant program.

For more info, visit the Responder Knowledge Base at https://www.rkb.mipt.org/. The application submission period is open via the Web site from April 25 through 11:59 p.m. EDT, May 29.

Last week, the FRC- along with more than 30 representatives from public safety, academia, and industry- participated in a closed-door roundtable discussion about the future of first responder communications.

The event was held at CTIA's Washington headquarters, and focused on the technologies available to improve public safety communications and what policy strategies can best ensure their implementation. (DrewClark.com has the press release posted on his blog.)

The tension that often exists between the (primarily) public interests of the first responder community and the (primarily) economic interests of private companies have been well-publicized. In particular, the issue has received significant coverage in recent months as the FCC wrangles with how to maximize use of the 24MHz of spectrum that has been promised to public safety as part of the transition to digital television.

Notwithstanding these differences, CTIA and the Univ. of Colorado School of Law did a great job of moderating a civil and productive dialogue about their priorities (which aren't always at odds with each other, for you cynics out there) and the future of emergency communications. All parties were genuinely committed to working together to take advantage of new and emerging technologies, defining requirements for public safety communications, and developing a policy strategy for a next generation architecture.

One participant remarked afterwards that this forum was "unique for the caliber of individuals it brought together and the seriousness of the discussion." I would take this one step further and say that I was genuinely impressed with the way in which participants engaged in thoughtful discussion, resolved any misunderstandings, and worked towards the common goal of enhancing public safety communications.

The results of the discussion will be compiled into a report to be released in mid-May, so stay tuned to the FRC!

The FRC-led campaign to make September 25th National First Responder Appreciation Day marches on!

To date nearly 4,100 people have signed the on-line petition, and more than 900 people have asked nearly 3,800 of their friends, family members and colleagues to support the cause.

While we've put a good-sized dent in our goal of 25,000 signatures, we've still got a long way to go. If you haven't already signed the petition please do so today!

After you've done that, please tell your friends that we need their help and that we need it right away!

And in case you missed it, the FRC recently launched MySpace and Facebook pages. I hope you'll help us spread the word about National First Responder Appreciation Day by adding us as your friend on your MySpace or Facebook page.

Click here to add me as a friend in Facebook.

Click here to add me as a friend in MySpace.

And if you're an organization, or if you know of an organization, that thinks first responders deserve a national day of appreciation- just like catfish, ice cream and frozen dinners- then send me an email and become an FRC supporter. It's FREE!

Thanks for your support! With your continued help we can give our first responders the national day of appreciation that they deserve!

A new study issued by California's Radio Strategic Planning Committee concludes that up 80% of the state's public safety radio equipment is obsolete.

* Replacement parts are no longer available from the manufacturer
* Radios fail to meet FCC requirements
* Many radios are past their life expectancy

Yikes!

According to KABC-TV, the report estimates that it will cost $85 million to acquire modern radios. At the same time, California will have to figure out how to get state agencies on a shared frequency, so they can all talk with each other during emergencies.

So much of what it comes down to is funding and planning - something the FRC has continuously stressed as critical to achieving interoperability.

The fact that funding, coordination and aging communications equipment are major obstacles comes as no surprise. The Department of Homeland Security identified these as major challenges years ago, in conjunction with limited/fragmented radio spectrum and limited standards.

And it's worth emphasizing that these challenges aren't unique to California. A common refrain from the emergency response community is that localities too often don't have the tax base to support system and equipment upgrades, and that politics and turf tussles continue to get in the way of efforts to coordinate interoperability efforts (i.e., establish effective governance systems).

As Frank McCarton of the California Office of Emergency Services put it, "It's going to be a challenge. And we all need to work together to work to that future."

Here, here, Frank. I couldn't agree with you more...

The Radio Strategic Planning Committee report can be accessed by clicking here (PDF).

The U.S. Government Accountability Office (GAO), often referred to as the "Congressional watchdog," has released a new report on first responder communications and the news isn't good.

Federal grant monies too often continue to be ineffectively spent; the nation still doesn't have a national plan for interoperability (which should include a date certain!); and the development of technology standards continues to lag. I've condensed the GAO's major conclusions below.

Funding:
The $2.15 billion awarded to states and localities from 2003 through 2005 for communications interoperability enhancements has not been used as effectively as it could have due to the lack of strategic plans to guide interoperability investments.

Planning:
No national plan is in place to coordinate investments across states.

Standards:
Until recently, the private-sector coordinating body responsible for developing Project 25 standards has made little progress.

From 1993 through 2005, no additional standards were completed that could be used to develop Project 25 products. Specifications for three additional subsets of standards were defined over the past 2 years. However, ambiguities in the published standards have led to incompatibilities among products made by different vendors, and no compliance testing has been conducted to determine if these products are interoperable.

State and local agencies have used grant funding to purchase Project 25 radios, which are substantially more expensive than non-Project 25 radios. As a result, states and local agencies have purchased fewer, more expensive radios that still may not be interoperable and thus may provide few added benefits.

GAO Recommendations:
Progress by states and localities in improving interoperability is likely to be impeded until DHS takes a more strategic approach to improving interoperable communications, such as including in its decision making an assessment of how grant requests align with statewide communications plans.

States and localities are likely to continue to purchase expensive equipment that provides them with minimal additional benefits until DHS modifies its grant guidance to provide more flexibility in purchasing communications equipment.

Interestingly, many of the GAO's conclusions and recommendations are similar to those the FRC arrived at in its most recent report, especially with respect to funding and standards development. And of course, the FRC has for years been calling for a national strategy that includes a "date certain" by which to achieve communications interoperability.

You can download the GAO's complete report from the FRC website at: http://www.firstresponsecoalition.org/links.shtml.

This will no doubt make the hairs on the back of your neck stand up, and make you appreciate what the men and women of the emergency services confront on a daily basis.


A Houston firefighter who was rescuing a fire victim from a four-alarm blaze got trapped on the fifth floor. As the air in his cylinder began to run out, he issued a desperate call for help.

Captain Appt: "Engine 8... I'm on the fifth floor."

Radio transmission: "North Loop command, all companies stand by. We have a mayday call."

As Capt. Abbt sent out that distress call his air pack was vibrating, signaling the end of his oxygen supply. You can actually hear the diaphram vibrating in the background as Capt. Appt reissued his mayday.

Captain Appt: "I'm outta air... outta air... outta air."

Radio transmission: "We heard firefighter, engine 8A, say he's near a window. He was near a window. He's trying to talk to you now on the radio, but he can't get any air."

We lose over 100 firefighters every year in the line of duty. If this doesn't make you want to sign the petition for a National First Responder Appreciation Day, I don't know what will.