| Even individually tackling some of the many | | | | radio system manager for a locality - you're |
| problems that hinder interoperability today - | | | | probably going to have a ton on your plate. You |
| proprietary technology, insufficient radio spectrum | | | | don't have a lot of time to go out and see what |
| and lack of funding - won't lead to full | | | | other localities are doing. Usually you're so busy, |
| communication among first responders until all | | | | you're going to just get your immediate job |
| stakeholders involved begin to collaborate. | | | | done." |
| Though the level at which the governance | | | | It sometimes takes pressure from officials to get |
| structure should originate is open for discussion, | | | | the stakeholders to the table, Clark said. "In some |
| what's not is that the interoperability problem, | | | | places the financial - and in many places the state |
| though it only rears its ugly head occasionally, | | | | - pressure to save money and resources by |
| must be fixed. The National Governors | | | | joining 800 MHz trunk systems has overcome |
| Association tabbed it as its top priority, and it will | | | | whatever local reluctance there might have been," |
| take painstaking, coordinated efforts among | | | | he said. "It's worked better in some places than |
| first-responder and local agencies to do it. | | | | others." |
| In a recent exchange before the Senate | | | | In many areas, it's taken an event to rally a |
| Committee on Homeland Security and | | | | region around interoperability. "It is a lot easier to |
| Governmental Affairs, U.S. Department of | | | | get local agencies in northern Virginia, Maryland |
| Homeland Security (DHS) Secretary Michael | | | | and the District of Columbia excited about |
| Chertoff sparred with committee member Rep. | | | | interoperable communications," Clark said, "since |
| Bennie Thompson, D-Miss., who criticized Congress | | | | the last 20 years of problems that were |
| for blocking $3.1 billion in grants for police and fire | | | | occasioned by the lack of interoperability." |
| agencies to spend on equipment. "This is not, | | | | There's no magic formula for getting stakeholders |
| frankly, a technology issue," Chertoff said. "This is | | | | to the table, McCarley said. "In some areas there |
| an issue of having community leaders come to an | | | | are regional planning groups, regional planning |
| agreement." | | | | authorities," she said. "In some areas it's more of |
| Though technology standards and spectrum play | | | | a community of interoperability among cities that |
| key roles in solving the interoperability puzzle, the | | | | have joined together having comparable facilities. |
| pieces won't come together without extensive | | | | It depends on the state, really. I'm a big believer |
| planning and coordination. That much is the | | | | in local control, local initiatives, and where local |
| consensus. | | | | initiatives get the job done, I think it's an excellent |
| "It's a coordination problem," said Chris Essid, | | | | solution for taxpayers in that area." |
| coordinator for Virginia's statewide interoperability | | | | Regional events, like the recent Strong Angel III |
| program. "It's 90 percent coordination, 10 percent | | | | exercise in San Diego at which Steckler manned a |
| technology. It's easy to go buy equipment and | | | | command center, are a good way to build a social |
| say, 'We put some equipment out there.' But | | | | network among first responders and ease cultural |
| what's difficult is the policies, procedures, | | | | anxieties. "One of the main themes is bringing |
| governance and coordination of it." | | | | disparate groups together," Steckler said. |
| My New Toys | | | | It's important for first-responder agencies to |
| The technology exists to fix the interoperability | | | | practice communicating, and to review procedures |
| problem. A solution with technology as its core, | | | | and develop solutions to long-standing problems. |
| however, will end up as others before it - failing | | | | Often resources are available but not used. After |
| or even exacerbating the interoperability problem. | | | | Las Vegas held a tabletop exercise in February |
| "I've been in public safety a long time," said | | | | 2006 as part of the Nevada Regional |
| APCO's McCarley. "I've seen several technical | | | | Communications Interoperability Pilot project, a |
| fixes for interoperability put in place that were | | | | SAFECOM program, the city realized it was |
| feasibly workable. They worked fairly well, but | | | | underutilizing two mutual aid channels, relying |
| they all fell by the wayside for one reason or | | | | instead on cell phones and dispatchers. The |
| another." | | | | channels were functional, but first responders |
| McCarley said in some cases there was no | | | | weren't trained how to use them. |
| ongoing policy to ensure the technology was used | | | | Whatever the initial vehicle for developing regional |
| correctly and only for public safety purposes. As | | | | coordination, it must be taken up as a new way |
| a result, she explained, the technology ended up | | | | of doing business. In many states and local areas, |
| being used for other things, such as routine traffic | | | | Essid said, the problem of interoperability is left to |
| stops, and then faded as a viable public safety | | | | a fire chief or police chief. "Interoperability part |
| tool. | | | | time; I just look at that and go, 'Wow. If |
| In other cases, a lack of training condemned the | | | | someone is doing it part time, it's not going to |
| efforts, or one agency had no interest in working | | | | work.'" |
| with another, such as police not working with fire. | | | | All indications are that states will have to get |
| After 9/11, money was made available for | | | | serious about regional interoperability and the |
| technological upgrades, but that hasn't come close | | | | National Incident Management System (NIMS) to |
| to solving the problem. "The first knee-jerk | | | | continue receiving DHS funds. "Sometimes, just |
| reaction was to throw money at it," Essid said, | | | | like everywhere, you've got strong personalities, |
| adding that now, every locality has a mobile | | | | and maybe some folks just say, 'We don't want |
| command center, and in some places, the fire | | | | to coordinate with them, and we'll go it alone,'" |
| department and law enforcement each have one. | | | | Essid said. "But as I've said before, their days are |
| "It became very clear we were not solving the | | | | numbered." |
| problem. Everyone is going out and buying new | | | | Regional collaboration too can reduce costs for an |
| toys, and what we need is governance and | | | | individual agency while developing interoperability, |
| coordination at the state and regional level to | | | | Kearns said. "From my perspective, the solution is |
| figure out what the priority for the region should | | | | to do more things collaboratively with other |
| be. Unfortunately a lot of money was spent to | | | | agencies and jurisdictions. Not only can this help |
| get to this point over the last few years." | | | | spread high-capital expenditures over a larger |
| What happened after 9/11 seemed to perpetuate | | | | funding base, it can result in systems covering |
| the problem of agencies and locals adopting | | | | larger areas and more agencies. Interoperability |
| stand-alone systems, which John Clark saw as | | | | becomes a natural byproduct, but not the driving |
| former deputy chief of public safety for the FCC. | | | | reason for the expenditure. The driving force was |
| "They wanted to maintain their own FCC license - | | | | getting effective communications for the 99 |
| their own completely stand-alone communication | | | | percent of the time that they don't need |
| system," he said. "We heard this again and again. | | | | interoperability, they just need to communicate |
| The local sheriffs, local police chiefs didn't want to | | | | effectively on a daily basis within their own |
| lose any control over their communications | | | | agency." |
| systems; they saw it as a security issue, as well | | | | Essid said more than $1 billion has been spent on |
| as a control and turf issue." | | | | infrastructure in Virginia, and millions are saved |
| That has been evident in locales that purchased, | | | | when jurisdictions coordinate their purchases. |
| as part of a state mandate, technology called | | | | When one local agency learned that it was |
| cross-band switches that could bridge the gap | | | | planning on deploying the same system being used |
| between disparate radio systems, but never put | | | | in a nearby jurisdiction, it saved $6 million on |
| it to use, said Mayer-Schönberger. | | | | maintenance and construction by partnering with |
| "First-responder agencies bought boxes that could | | | | that jurisdiction. |
| patch together two or more different networks, | | | | Interoperability Full Time |
| but many of these agencies never unpacked the | | | | That's the kind of collaboration Virginia was aiming |
| box and tried it," he said. "It's sitting in storage | | | | for when it created its Statewide Communications |
| rooms, but was bought to tick off a mandate to | | | | Interoperability Planning program, which Nevada |
| become interoperable. That worries me." | | | | and Kentucky have adopted as well. This plan |
| Even standards, such as Project 25, designed to | | | | establishes a governance structure and develops |
| help first responders get on the same page in | | | | local government focus groups that collaborate on |
| terms of technology, accomplish little if there's no | | | | the needs of each locality and the state as a |
| collaboration. There could be adjoining jurisdictions | | | | whole. Virginia's program is run from the |
| with Project 25 standard systems that won't talk | | | | governor's office by a full-time interoperability |
| to each other if there is no planned | | | | coordinator - Essid. |
| interoperability. "Technical standards are not really | | | | "Virginia said we need to create a full-time position |
| the problem," Clark said. "Having the standard | | | | in the governor's office or high up in government |
| doesn't solve the problem. You still need the will to | | | | to let everybody know it's a priority, and we |
| connect the two systems [through a central | | | | need this person to work with all the different |
| switch that connects a central talk group] and | | | | first responders," Essid said of his position. |
| then you need the protocol for how the system | | | | There are few, if any, positions like his in the |
| is to be used. The will to do it is more of a | | | | country so far, but SAFECOM recommends that |
| problem than the technology or the standards to | | | | states have a full-time interoperability coordinator. |
| allow it to happen." | | | | "Some states have a position, say, in technology. |
| Project 25 standards were developed to allow | | | | Again, I like to harp on this: This is not a |
| digital voice radios to operate with one another, | | | | technology problem," Essid said. "I coordinate with |
| and Project 25-compliant equipment is being sold | | | | the technology folks too; they're one of the |
| as an interoperable solution. But two Project | | | | stakeholders. But you might lose your relationship |
| 25-compliant systems won't communicate if | | | | with the first-responder community if you just |
| they're operated in different bands, which is often | | | | throw it over to technology; you just start to |
| the case and won't change anytime soon. | | | | think of everything in a technological frame of |
| "There is no practical way all of public safety could | | | | mind." |
| be migrated into a single band with adequate | | | | The statewide plan creates a forum for state and |
| performance characteristics and bandwidth to | | | | local first responders to share ideas and concerns. |
| meet all public safety needs," said Kevin Kearns, | | | | Often, the plight of one agency or jurisdiction is |
| executive director of iXP Corp. "We will always | | | | different from that of its neighbor. |
| have public safety agencies working in multiple | | | | "We're there to offer lessons learned from one |
| bands, and therefore some form of bridging | | | | locality to another," Essid said. "The stakeholders |
| technologies has to be employed to allow them to | | | | will share information with each other. By working |
| interoperate." | | | | as a group, we've got all kinds of input and |
| These bridging technologies are available, but so | | | | potential solutions to any problems that folks are |
| far the necessary preplanning and coordination | | | | encountering, so that's a good example of |
| across jurisdictional lines haven't come to fruition - | | | | discussing problems of different frames of mind." |
| and there's no rush to gain interoperability in most | | | | The process, Essid said, was driven by local |
| areas. "We're hearing now," Clark said, "that | | | | agencies that were called to the table and asked |
| money being made available to first responders | | | | to identify statewide needs and problems, and |
| for communications is being put in to upgrade | | | | Essid's office facilitates the adoption of lessons |
| their communications, but not necessarily upgrade | | | | learned. The 800 MHz rebanding issue is an |
| them in an interoperable way." | | | | example of how the state can address local |
| Defining the Need | | | | needs and provide guidance. In addition, Essid hired |
| That's not surprising, Clark said, because the | | | | a consultant to examine where the state is in |
| majority of the time, most first-responder | | | | terms of rebanding, and how it can help some |
| agencies only needto use internal communications. | | | | local agencies by sharing lessons learned from |
| "The difficulty here is how much you want to | | | | others. |
| invest in those terrible instances that only come | | | | Another key issue identified by the local agencies |
| around once in a while," he said. "So that issue - | | | | was the reliance on language protocols that differ |
| of how important this is compared to other | | | | from one agency to the next. That was the key |
| priorities - is the real issue, and the issue that | | | | topic at the two-day Virginia Interoperable |
| needs to be addressed at the national level." | | | | Communications Conference held in October 2006 |
| The federal government is in the position to | | | | in Portsmouth, Va., announcing an initiative |
| recognize where the need is and where funding | | | | whereby local agencies statewide will now use |
| should be allocated, Clark said, whereas the local | | | | standard language. "We announced our Common |
| agency has great incentive not to invest in | | | | Language Protocol that will move Virginia |
| something in which the return on investment | | | | responders from using 10-codes to plain language, |
| (ROI) might be difficult to measure. | | | | which is required by NIMS," Essid said. "This is the |
| Brian Steckler, lecturer for the Department of | | | | perfect example of coordination. This is an |
| Information Science at the Naval Postgraduate | | | | initiative based on coordination and not technology. |
| School in Monterey, Calif., knows from experience | | | | Even if you could technologically communicate, |
| after the 2004 Southeast Asian tsunami that | | | | you're not capable of doing it if you're using |
| regardless of the ROI, interoperability - not just | | | | different codes. It's like you speaking Japanese |
| between jurisdictions but agencies - could be | | | | and me speaking Russian. You say the wrong |
| critical during a disaster. "You want as much of a | | | | code and you could get someone hurt." |
| chance for situational awareness as possible, and | | | | The initiative is two years in the works, and was |
| trust and everybody reading from the same | | | | developed by getting local agencies to the table to |
| sheet of music," he said. "You don't know how | | | | discuss the issue. The commonwealth will take the |
| important that is until you get down there in the | | | | protocols to SAFECOM and hopes that upon |
| field and sometimes a fireman from one | | | | endorsement, it will be implemented nationwide. |
| jurisdiction may not need to talk to a fireman | | | | Essid said it's critical that states coordinate among |
| from another, but lots of times they do." | | | | themselves and develop a standard protocol. |
| Essid said many state and local agencies downplay | | | | "My [comment to SAFECOM] is, if every state |
| the need for coordination and/or just don't get | | | | comes up with a different way of implementing |
| around to it. "People get bogged down so much | | | | plain language - here we go again. |
| with their own duties," he explained. "Say you're a | | | | |