[KYHAM] Interesting article

[Gary Thomas]

I thought I would share this with some of you who may not be aware of such
concerns.

I found the following article at the link below

http://www.emergency.com/ennday.htm

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Submitted by:

Gary Thomas

K4Gap at yahoo.com

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The United States Conference of Mayors

(Emergency Services) INTEROPERABILITY SURVEY

EXECUTIVE SUMMARY

One month after the September 11, 2001 attacks on the nation, The United
States Conference of Mayors brought together more than 200 mayors, police
and fire chiefs, emergency managers and public health officials to
Washington to examine the new and challenging security issues confronting
the vast majority of Americans who live in cities. To examine the
extraordinary costs already incurred by the cities in the weeks following
the attacks, and to examine the even greater costs projected by the cities
as they prepare to take on their new homeland security responsibilities.

The summit meeting of mayors drafted a sweeping "National Action Plan for
Safety and Security in America's Cities" that addressed three primary areas
of concern:
1) transportation security;
2) emergency preparedness, including interoperable communications; and
3) federal/local law enforcement.

One of the foremost issues in the National Action Plan under "Communications
and Technology" is the urgent need for interoperable communications across
public safety agencies at the local, state, and federal level.

The inability of public safety agencies to be able to talk to one another
via radio communication systems, and exchange voice and/or data with one
another on demand in real time on a day-to-day basis and during major
incidents has been raised by mayors and police chiefs as a continued threat
to achieving homeland security. This was especially evident during our Fall
Leadership Meeting in 2003.

To help us better understand the inability of police, fire, emergency
medical service personnel, and others public safety agencies to communicate
in real time and in turn advocate for the interoperable needs of cities, The
United States Conference of Mayors decided to undertake this comprehensive
survey.

URL:
http://www.usmayors.org/72ndAnnualMeeting/interoperabilityreport_062804.pdf
Or it can be downloaded from the Emergency.com site at:
http://www.emergency.com/2004/interoperabilityreport_062804.pdf

The issue and need for interoperability was first pointed out by ERRI in: "A
VISION OF TOMMOROW; PREDICTIONS FOR EMERGENCY MEDICAL SERVICES SYSTEMS 1992
& BEYOND," see #5. Can be found at:
http://www.emergency.com/emsvisio.htm

Additional commentary was offered on disaster management and the need for
communications and interoperability was released on 03/11/96 via the report
"ERRI Preliminary Report; Virtual Disaster Networks," which can be found at:
http://www.emergency.com/vdstrnet.htm

July 1, 2004 - Press Release
Contact: Dean Boyd, ICE Public Affairs
202.616.6907