Gee Whiz factor
The mere mention of the IP-based systems is the cause for more than a few eyebrows.
“There are many technical solutions Gee of technology that could help these people in different parts of their jobs,” said John Clark, former deputy director of public safety of the FCC. “But in order to ensure that” you have real-time communication, make the difference between life and death, could have to be with them in the tower, his hands in his belt, and should be quite useful. In other words, may not require dialing on Channel 9, which is the result of chance must be. ”
Some agencies work with existing devices, which prevents them from taking into account the interoperability with its agencies and neighboring areas.
“It is quite common,” said McEwen. “There are many people in the country which has problems because their systems of old and must be replaced. Gradually they will be replaced, but it costs money to replace them.”
There are many incentives, “said Clark, a local agency, the bank on technology for interoperability Buy a Break – a catastrophe that may or not happen.
“It’s the same problem they had in New Orleans’s” said he. “How much money you invest in a storm of Category 5, you do not see in your life?”
It is a different thing, “said McEwen.
“If one good communication within your organization have their own work to do, you will not really love,” How can I improve things to talk to my neighbors. ”
Routes interoperability
Most of the time, said Clark, the internal communication are all you need. And you can achieve the interoperability – and perhaps to reach – through the use of gateway devices, “said McEwen, such as Raytheon ACU-1000 can be deployed quickly to connect heterogeneous systems.
As Kearns said, these are pre-programmed communication Prestage and allow for rapid deployment, but this requires a prior vote.
“At the strategic level, he said,” you can use larger versions and more focused on gateway networking technology to connect different systems infrastructure, so that interoperability is essentially stable in the city and users of a system can with users on a system connected routinely chat. ”
Florida has used the ACU-1000 systems and other emergencies for the use of interoperable communications in many situations.
“They are very useful,” said Silvia Womack, 911 Head of Communications Okaloosa County Department of Public Safety. “Every county in the state may apply for deployment. It is also possible and is outside the state of emergency as Hurricane Katrina in use. If for any type of emergency – tornadoes, hurricanes, conferences, the Super Bowl and the mission of the Space Shuttle recovery. ”
Find Fans
Steve Rauter, former Director of the Lisle-Woodridge Fire of Chicago and current director of 911, said he wanted on the ground outside the tactical radio network solutions for the needs of most interoperability.
“My problem is the interoperability of hand tactics,” he said. “I want the technology in hand – not a driver of a distance or an IP-based system is very fragile.
There is a time and place for IP solution, “he said, but not critical communications on the spot – at least not yet.
“Some start military solutions to IP,” said Rauter. “These are healed, in essence, they are encapsulated, which means that we are not for everyone who wants to slap means to open.”
But public safety, “he said, the IP system is not yet come.” I do not want to wait and reset my radio before a fire scene, he simply makes no sense to me. ”
Some manufacturers offer wireless systems and IP call truly compatible when they are not, Rauter said. “Some of the largest manufacturers, including some of the largest, will tell you they need to stop at the end of intellectual property, which is totally false, since the radio does not support the intellectual property – even if you say, it is.”
He said that those responsible for public security one or two sides of the amateur (HAM) Radio could playbook.
“At least 35 years to migrate, the amateur radio community is known multiband, multimode radios, and we will try some of this technology for public safety,” said Rauter. “Give me a bag with some of them AA batteries, and I can implement some people to go to work. The technology is ready for immediate implementation. They are people who meet in contrast to know that you will say that a complete set of radio to the trunk on a large scale emergencies have grip, and there is some merit to it. But for most, for most countries could, much less costly way to be done. ”
He said there are products available that address these needs. Amateur radio units cost about $ 300, and it is rumored that some manufacturers introduce new radios, multiband, multimode wireless communications this year’s International Expo in Las Vegas.
“A builder spoke of a military-style or at least a migration from the army, is a radio team is sometimes known as a radio Mbit [covers 30 MHz] 512 [] MHz continuous coordination with digital, analog, broadband, narrowband and encryption, “said Rauter. “There is a standard-issue hand walkie-148 RPC call.”
Read the label
Some manufacturers sell Project 25-compliant systems, which are touted as solutions for interoperability. But Rauter says is not so simple.
“Project 25 is not in the Gaza problem,” he said. “Interoperability is the spectrum. Project began starting 25 as a digital interface in the air that have been quite successful in setting up work, but some producers in ownership options, which would make non-standard means you can not trademark a brand X set, and it was a problem. ”
Rauter said he would like to see the labels of these systems, as the food label on a jar of peanut butter that says exactly what’s inside.
“The producers who want to position themselves to be exclusive,” said Rauter. “If you go back 18 years, if he started Project 25, have reduced the price of the radio. Do not go, go.”
Ham is ready for Action Group
The Arlington, Virginia, Office of Emergency Management is the recipient of 25 volunteer amateur radio (HAM) in the event of an incident requiring emergency communications.
Local Radio Amateur Civil Emergency Service (race) volunteers are graduates of the annual running of the weekly support radio communications exercises and certified to the government of Arlington County in crisis.
The volunteers spent a background check of each district approved and implemented the first stage of training are required. Training and regular exercises are needed to obtain the membership of the races.
Fans have a story you can quickly determine radio traffic in emergencies when other systems have failed or are overloaded.
Provides redundancy IM
One of the few reliable means of emergency communications in the wake of Hurricane Katrina was “instant messaging.
This was not in Kentucky, which recently launched a project for all the users lose the security situation in the system for wireless data exchange state messages of mobile data-based computers, vehicles or allow devices.
The project, KYWINS Messenger enables first responders to communicate when voice communication is unavailable. The program can also prompt a message to all users within seconds.
The project was a joint effort of the Office of Homeland Security, Kentucky Justice and Public Safety Cabinet, Commonwealth Office of Technology and the Center for Rural Development.
New Jersey, Mesh
The Lakewood, New Jersey, the Police Department to deploy a broadband network for 4.9 GHz mobile mesh communications during patrols, surveillance activities, events and tactical operations.
PacketHop Communications System is a network infrastructure to the software options in the communications system of patrols and state police charged in his headquarters is based.
The software converts analog video signals to digital video and distributed by the network in real time. It allows the police to monitor events from afar, and move resources quickly when needed and reduce overtime costs.
The government successfully used its system Wingstock Music Festival in September 2006.