“Almost all aspects of communications continue to be problematic, from initial notification to tactical operations,” according to the 9-11 commission. “Cellular telephones were of little value . . . . Radio channels were initially oversaturated . . . Pagers seemed to be the most reliable means of notification when available and used, but most firefighters are not issued pagers.”
“I think the command and control of the public services in this city is a scandal,” said Republican commissioner John Lehman.
“It’s not worthy of the Boy Scouts, let alone this great city,” he said to applause from spectators.
“There is nothing scandalous about the public-safety agencies in this city,” testified Thomas Von Essen, the former New York City fire commissioner. “You make it sound as like everything was wrong with Sept. 11. I think it is outrageous.”
The performance of police and firefighters in the aftermath of the attacks is a highly sensitive subject; 403 public-safety workers died at the trade center. Those who perished had remained on the scene to help evacuate remaining tower occupants, many of them elderly or disabled, from the twin towers.
Those police and firefighters are widely viewed as heroes of Sept. 11. But the commission also found that the city’s emergency-response system was handicapped by malfunctioning radios, rivalries between police and firefighters, and the lack of a full-fledged evacuation plan.
There are five primary bands that make up the Public Safety Radio Pool:
| Low-Band VHF | 30 MHz to 50 MHz | |
| Mid-Band VHF | 72 MHz to 76 MHz | |
| High-Band VHF | 138 MHz to 144 MHz | |
| 148 MHz to 174 MHz | ||
| 220 MHz to 222 MHz | ||
| Low-Band UHF | 406.1 MHz to 420 MHz | |
| 450 MHz to 470 MHz | ||
| 470 MHz to 512 MHz | ||
| 800 MHz Band | 806 MHz to 824 MHz | |
| 851 MHz to 869 MHz |
The 800 MHz band includes the nationwide common-use frequencies specified by the National Public Safety Planning Advisory Committee (NPSPAC):
| Calling | 866.0125 | Mutual Aid #1 | 866.5125 | Mutual Aid #2 | 867.0125 | Mutual Aid #3 | 867.5125 | Mutual Aid #4 | 868.0125 | Portable/Mobile | 868.7875 (low power) |
In addition, the 700 MHz band is scheduled to become available in 2006 after the current occupants, UHF television broadcasters, finally vacate the band and move to their new digital TV frequencies. The assignments from 764 MHz to 776 MHz and from 794 MHz to 806 MHz are reserved for public safety use.
First responders know that interoperable communications is good, but aren’t sure how to achieve it.
Interoperable radios is the main thrust. Federal, state and local police still talk on 2-way radios. After throwing billions at radio interoperability, the feds now have something to show.
The Alaska Land Mobile Radio is the first shared Federal, State and local public safety, digital wireless communications system in the United States. They have completed the concept demonstration phase of a new statewide shared public-safety communications system.
“This is cutting edge stuff,” said ALMR Project Manager, Jack Phelps. “The ALMR system uses the Association of Public Safety Communications Officials (APCO) Project 25 for trunked integrated voice and data, interoperable radio communications.
By using the P25 standard and teaming up with the Department of Defense to build a statewide infrastructure, we are setting a benchmark for the rest of the country to follow. Moreover, our partnership with the DoD is a significant feature of this project.” Phelps said.
“This is an unprecedented working relationship between federal, state and local governments to improve interoperability, increase the safety and security of first responders, and save money through a cost-sharing approach,” said Tim Woodall, ALMR deputy project manager.
The project uses the State’s installed base of microwave sites with the addition of Project 25 compliant infrastructure provided through Motorola’s Project 25 ASTRO technology. ALMR provides a single, shared infrastructure for routine radio traffic within each participating agency and for multi-agency secure interoperable communications during emergency situations, such as natural and man-made disasters.
The concept was tested during a joint federal, state and local government Homeland Security Exercise in Valdez in March, 2003. The Department of Justice provided 300 Motorola XTS 5000 portable radios ($2500 each) for use during the exercise.
The FCC approved a frequency waiver that allows the ALMR system to share frequencies normally reserved for exclusive use by DoD and State public safety agencies. “Never before has the FCC allowed this level of cross-sharing of the radio spectrum,” according to Mr. Phelps.
Project 25 provides a user-defined standard that supports the public safety community through proven interoperability and by allowing multiple vendor choices. Motorola and EFJohnson, have demonstrated portable and mobile radios on the ALMR ASTRO infrastructure. Others are expected to do so within the next year.
I’m sure Project 25′s goals are worthy. But Wi-Fi laptops and Pocket PCs are everywhere…and interoperable. They do maps with data bases, voice and video conferencing. Zero Configuration Wi-Fi makes it easy to connect, while Microsoft Portrait does mobile videoconferencing cheaper than a $2500 radio.
I keep forgetting that Wi-Fi networks like CapWin (Washington DC’s public service network) and “4G” networks (like 802.16e & 802.20) are not mainstream solutions for public service agencies.
Yet.
