FRC report critical of preparedness levels in eight hurricane prone US states

With less than two months to go before the start of the 2006 hurricane season, the First Response Coalition (FRC) has released a report which claims that many first responders in eight hurricane prone states in the Gulf Coast and Atlantic regions still do not have the necessary equipment and resources for communications interoperability.

‘The imminent storm 2006: vulnerable emergency communications in eight hurricane zone states,’ examines the interoperability efforts in Alabama , Florida , Georgia , Louisiana , Mississippi , North Carolina , South Carolina and Texas . With forecasters predicting an active and dangerous 2006 hurricane season, improving first responder communications before the next catastrophic storm arrives is imperative, says the report.

The FRC finds a wide disparity in the commitment to interoperability; some states have implemented successful statewide interoperability plans, while others have only begun to conduct needs assessments.

South Carolina and Florida have extensive statewide interoperability efforts, with robust 800 MHz networks available to all jurisdictions that choose to connect. Texas uses gateway patches to connect networks from different departments in areas the networks overlap. Louisiana operates an aging statewide analog network that connects state agencies, but does not interconnect with local public safety departments. Mississippi has 40 different radio systems in use across the state. Since June 2005, the state’s Wireless Communication Commission has held 13 meetings to discuss interoperability but has implemented no solutions. Alabama ’s Emergency Management Agency provides preprogrammed radios to first responders during disasters, but has no statewide network. The Georgia Office of Homeland Security and the Emergency Management Agency have just begun to deploy an $8 million VoIP interoperability network. North Carolina ’s 800 MHz Interoperability Plan is not scheduled to be completed until 2010.

Senator Joe Lieberman, Ranking Member of the Senate Homeland Security and Government Affairs Committee, said, “I am grateful to the First Response Coalition for sounding the alarm - again - about insufficient communications capabilities as the 2006 hurricane season approaches. This report should guide the Department of Homeland Security, Congress, and state and local officials in their efforts to achieve interoperable communications so they can better protect the American people during every day emergencies as well as major catastrophes. Stronger national leadership and sufficient, dedicated resources – which I have called for consistently - are necessary to avoid a repeat of the disastrous communications problems that hampered the response to Hurricane Katrina.”

The FRC report also cites a lack of clarity on how much money has actually been spent on interoperability in many of the states. Various public sources, from media stories to Congressional Research Service reports, show a wide range of funding appropriated for interoperability grants; between $200 million and $5 billion. Reasons for the confusion include the number of grant programs offering funding for interoperability programs and the lack of transparency in block grants.

“Once again, interoperability has received national attention following a disaster, but as we enter another potentially deadly hurricane season, first responders still can’t talk to one another. The FRC believes much more needs to be done, in these eight hurricane zone states and across the country,” said Steven Jones, executive director of the First Response Coalition.

The FRC report offers five recommendations to speed the arrival of communications interoperability for first responders in the eight hurricane zone states and across the country:

• The Department of Homeland Security’s SAFECOM program must expeditiously complete the ‘National Interoperability Baseline Survey.’

• The Federal government should coordinate with state and local agencies to implement regional emergency communications interoperability.

• The Federal government, states and localities must do a better job of tracking the disbursement and allocation of grant monies.

• If the nation is to make serious progress in achieving interoperability, there must be improvements in the ability to coordinate spending and the transparency of federal grants.

• Finally, there must be both coordination and cooperation between agencies and at various levels.

•Date: 26th April 2006• Region: US • Type: Article •Topic: DR general
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