ACU-M Used For Emergency Response: Case Study on the Emergency Amateur Radio Society of Calgary (ARES Calgary) in Calgary, Alberta Canada
In Canada and the United States, the Amateur Radio Emergency Service (ARES) is a group of trained amateur radio operators who volunteer their skills and equipment to aid in community service. The Calgary division of ARES is no different. ARES Calgary wished to use their skills to not only provide agencies with a means to communicate through amateur radio but also to allow them to communicate with one another using their existing radio equipment.

Shooter Exercise at American University Proves Interoperability is a Must for Campus Security
In May, the American University Department of Public Safety (AUDPS) and the Metropolitan Police Department (MPD) conducted a joint shooter simulation drill - modeled in part after the Virginia Tech massacre - to test the effectiveness of communications during multiple agency response. During the drill, American University police tested Raytheon’s JPS Communications ACU-M and found a significant improvement to their communications during normal and joint operations.

ARA-1 Used to Assist in Flight Coordination for Emergency Air Ambulance Service
Alberta's Shock Trauma Air Rescue Society (STARS) has improved its emergency communications at its new Grande Prairie base by deploying Raytheon JPS Communications' new ARA-1. Using the ARA-1, an interoperability device that provides an interface between a radio and an IP-based network using SIP, STARS communications specialists can now communicate in a more timely and efficient manner.

Rebuilding Communications After an Earthquake
When a massive earthquake occurs, coordination of communications can be extremely difficult to mobilize. Rescue and aid efforts become hampered due to the surface ruptures and powerful aftershocks. Roads and buildings are badly damaged making it difficult for communications vehicles to get to the scene. Electricity and telephone outages prevent key communications. In the aftermath of an earthquake, increased mobility, simplicity and operational flexibility need to be planned for ahead of time to ensure that response communications can effectively occur.

Q&A on the ACU-M
Wayne House, a former Fire Chief for Cary, North Carolina and current Grants Advisor for JPS Communications, answers questions on how he feels the ACU-M will benefit local fire departments.

Preparing for a Disaster: Interoperability Demonstration and Planning Event in Fairfax, VA
James (Jim) Wadsworth, Manager of the Radio Services Center in Fairfax County, Virginia recognized the 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.

Preparing for Hurricane Season: A Guide to Planning
As June marks the beginning of hurricane season, it is important to learn from the past to prepare for the future, especially in emergency preparedness. It is well known that the catastrophic impact of Hurricanes Katrina and Rita devastated the Gulf Coast's communications infrastructure. The affects were not only limited to the land mobile radio systems of numerous public safety agencies, but also included the loss of basic infrastructure, such as electrical, telephone and cellular services. We, at JPS Communications, would like to take this opportunity to offer some preparedness suggestions related to communications interoperability and operability by sharing with you some examples of the many successful deployments of our interoperability technologies and the role they played to support relief efforts during the 2005 hurricane season.

SNV-12 Voters Improve China's Civil Aviation Administration Air Traffic Control and Management
The Civil Aviation Administration of China (CAAC) has improved its air traffic control and management techniques using Raytheon's JPS Communications' Signal-and-Noise Voter (SNV-12). The operational use of the SNV-12 significantly enhances the CAAC's ability to select and rebroadcast the best received voice signals from aircraft to their air control centers (ACC) in Beijing, Shanghai and Guangzhou.

ACU-T Enables Timely and Efficient Communications for the Afghan National Army
The U.S. Military's Office of Security Cooperation-Afghanistan (OSC-A) purchased several ACU-T devices from Raytheon Company's JPS Communications to interconnect separate Afghan Army units and the regional command and control headquarters using disparate communications systems.

ACU-1000 - System Facilitates Interoperability at the Atlanta Motor Speedway
During a NASCAR race at the Atlanta Motor Speedway, various public safety agencies can come together to provide on-scene support, each bringing their own staff and equipment. Henry County, GA provides on-scene communications and response during a variety of events at the Atlanta Motor Speedway. Both for regular public safety communications and in the event of an incident on the day of a race, it is imperative that the local law enforcement, EMS, local fire personnel and the track safety officials are able to communicate. Previously, Henry County lacked the means for these various public safety agencies to communicate while using their disparate radio systems. The need for an interoperability solution was prompted.

Interoperability for Intra-Agency Communication
First responders are frequently confronted with the risks that come into play when inadequate communications plague response efforts during critical incidences. On a daily basis they respond to calls that require them to exercise a precisely coordinated effort involving many agencies. Following September 11th, every agency in New York, and in the nation, began exploring new technologies and resources that would provide them with the ability to effectively respond to an incident. A priority became obtaining communications equipment that would aid first responders during mass casualty disasters and in their daily departmental operations. Communication is a vital component of coordinating an on-scene response yet, until recently the lack of technology forced agencies to rely on primitive methods to share vital information.

Baltimore Public Safety Agencies Host Operation Down Under
Baltimore public safety agencies put their response efforts to the test during Operation Down Under, a mock terrorist incident that took place in a Baltimore metro station. The drill simulated a domestic terrorist attack in the John Hopkins subway station that involved the detonation an explosive chemical device during the morning rush hour commute. Over 250 victims were affected by the mock explosive and in need of decontamination and treatment.

Los Angeles Establishes Precedence to Achieve Interoperability
Los Angeles public safety agencies have established a model for working together to achieve interoperability. "Today you are witnessing history," stated Los Angeles Sheriff's Captain Robert Sedita at a recent press conference in reference to more than a dozen local, state, and national agencies joining forces to achieve their first public success of interoperability.

Wireless VoIP Link assists New York City in solving their lack of Communications in High Rise Buildings
In the aftermath of September 11th New York City began to take a closer look at their communication needs. Public Safety agencies realized that the ability to quickly and accurately respond to an incident required that the appropriate communication tools be in place. A committee was created to address the city's communication needs and they quickly identified several challenging environments where communication was limited. One of the first scenarios they addressed was the lack of communications in high-rise buildings.

New York City ACU-1000 Committee Addresses Lack of Communications in Underground Tunnel
Providing communications in an underground tunnel incident has always been a challenge for public safety personnel. Previously when there was an incident in an underground subway a fireman or a police officer was unable to communicate with rescue crews above ground. They were forced to relay messages, which proved to be time consuming and monopolized a portion of valuable rescue personnel.