|
For decades, communications interoperability has been a major concern for first responders. The responder's ability to communicate with one another have been hampered by numerous issues such as the lack of adequate radio channels, frequencies or spectrum; disparate radio systems; and on some occasions the lack of hardware resources to properly equip personnel. An even more unfortunate situation exists when organizations have the necessary resources to properly communicate with each other but lack proper training and knowledge of those resources, precluding them from achieving communications interoperability. Eliminating issues such as these must be a priority to ensure our first responders can easily share critical information during day-to-day operations, natural disasters, terrorist acts or other emergency response situations.
James (Jim) Wadsworth, Manager of the Radio Services Center in Fairfax County, Virginia recognized this pressing need to address disaster preparedness and interoperability in his community and surrounding areas. In an effort to remedy this problem, for the second year Jim organized the 2006 Command, Control, and Communications Vehicle Rally to bring together the communications vehicles and personnel to share information and experiences with each other - simply stated, to network. The event was held June 16, 2006 at the Fairfax County Police Driver Training Facility.
Forty-three communications vehicles attended the rally including several local fire and police agencies and national agencies such as the United States Park Police, National Park Service, Federal Bureau of Investigation, American Red Cross, Pentagon Force Protection Agency, Central Intelligence Agency Police Department, and the Department of Homeland Security. Several exercises and demonstrations were organized to have the vehicle operators communicate together including frequent radio checks using various working and tactical channels and local repeaters.
At the beginning of the vehicle rally, participants were given packets of information which included a map of the event, an itinerary, assignment list, incident briefing and a critique form. The assignment list was used to provide the participants with the specific communications tests they were to complete during the exercises.
Users set up their interoperability devices and establish communications paths as directed by the Communications Unit Leader. Then, as defined by SAFECOM, the users demonstrated different methods available for obtaining voice communications interoperability. Next, each unit interoperated with other units to demonstrate that communication can be achieved as required in the event of a disaster.
Jim believes that the key to interoperability is communication, not technology alone. He had four major communication objectives for the vehicle rally to establish effective communication. The first communication objective was on operator training. According to Jim, numerous first responders who were assigned to drive or operate various communications platforms were not provided with formal training on the full capabilities of their communications systems. During the rally, the operators got together and networked which in turn, increased their working knowledge of interoperability communications equipment and how to support it. Attendees demonstrated how to establish communications between agencies and organizations using their available resources and if something went wrong, they were able to fix the problem and learn how to prevent it from reoccurring.
Raytheon's JPS Communications attended the event to assist participants with any technical problems that arose and to offer training and equipment evaluation on their ACU technology. JPS, equipped with their communications interoperability trailer, had members of field application engineering and customer service available to assist the participants.
"By attending the event, we were able to answer technical questions and offer one-on-one training addressing specific interoperability requirements," stated Roman Kaluta, Director, Interoperability Solutions - Public Safety Liaison for JPS.
Jim's second communication objective was to demonstrate to the different agencies and jurisdictions what resources were available. Without awareness of available resources, the resources simply cannot be used to their full ability. During the event, participating agencies shared with one another what equipment had been purchased and its capabilities. This enabled the participants to dispel any previous misconceptions and helped them learn how to best use their equipment. Users demonstrated the different methods available for obtaining voice communications interoperability and showed the different levels of interoperability as defined by SAFECOM. Users then demonstrated that the audio devices from different agencies and jurisdictions could communicate as required to meet each objective.
After knowing the resources available, the third communications objective was deploying these tools in a joint effort to improve communications interoperability. True interoperability is not just the devices alone, but also communication among participants. According to Jim, vehicles are often deployed at an event and no structure is followed. Basic incident command structure is lacking and hence, not one person or group is specifically in charge of managing communications. When this happens, the likelihood of successful communication diminishes. This vehicle rally enabled the groups to get together and discuss what they would do in the likelihood of an event and how to determine the proper incident command structure. Users were encouraged to collect data on the communications resources including administrative and emergency contact information so they would know their points of contact in a time of need.
Users also demonstrated WEB EOC, WiFi and Satellite Communications capabilities. Video downlinking capabilities from the air to the ground were also tested, using the United States Park Police Eagle 1 and the Fairfax County Police Department's FFX 1 helicopters.
At the end of the event, Jim collected the critique forms from each agency or jurisdiction that attended the event so he could measure the success of the event. When asked how to organize an event such as this, Jim said it was important to remember that anyone could organize a similar event at no cost.
"Events such as this are becoming increasingly important to ensure surrounding agencies and jurisdictions can break down any barriers and learn how to communicate with one another in a time of need," stated Jim. "When first responders are able to network before a disaster occurs, the chances of a quick recovery from a disaster increase and probable errors are dispelled."
According to Jim, preparing for a disaster preparedness event takes a grass-roots approach. The first step is to contact local agencies and gain interest from them in the event. Then, commitments need to be made ensuring attendance at the event. The location for the event needs to be convenient and accessible to the participants. The event organizer should allow at least six months for preparation.
It is important that objectives for the event be clear and defined. Demonstrations must be planned for and be closely thought through. Various types of radios should be available to ensure interoperable communications among participants. Manufacturers, such as JPS Communications, should be on hand to offer any technical assistance for their products. A communications leader should be established; a schedule should be in place; and the participants should have no option but to network with one another. Also, the organizer must have a means to measure the success of an event, such as the critique form.
Jim adds, "The most important measure of success of the event is that the participants leave understanding how to communicate with one another and feel comfortable doing so, creating a win-win situation."
For more information, please contact JPS by emailing jpspr@jps.com or calling (919) 790-1011.
|
