GovernmentExecutive.com

The Homeland Security Department unveiled a pilot program on Wednesday that will allow a city's public safety officials to communicate on one network, without having to purchase additional equipment.

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COMMENTS

• The problem with this approach is that it tends to rely on existing infrastructure. If one looks to the after action reports, from recent disasters, the problem has not been interoperability of equipment, it has been OPERABILITY of equipment. About 80% of the infrastructure was destroyed or disabled as a result of hurricane Katrina and the balance of the public telephone (land line and cel)system was quickly overwhelmed. The other problem is that there has been little done in developing agreements which spell out operational interoperability guidance (clear language vs. codes, span of control and etc) for first responders when mutual aid is invoked at the state and federal level. DHS has this nasty habit of assuming that new toys will solve the problem, and it won't. Infrastructure fails, toys break, and it usually happens at the worst possible time. If, however, you have a well trained, coordinated, and rehearsed integrated response effort, then you can cope. In other words, fix the human side of this equation and you could interoperate with tin cans and a string. concerned citizen Posted August 28, 2008 5:24 AM