The Issues

Advocate for improvements in the communications infrastructure for frontline responders

The frontline responder community -- fire services, EMS, emergency physicians, hospitals, public health departments, and law enforcement -- depend on effective communications to provide emergency medical care, rescue accident victims, respond to natural or manmade disasters, including disease outbreaks, and investigate crime. One of the key lessons learned from the September 11^th terrorist attacks is that we must enhance our ability to gather information and to communicate it efficiently to all relevant parties. In disasters, particularly those involving large numbers of casualties, it is critical that frontline responders have established communications linkages that are reliable and interoperable. Most frontline responder organizations have experienced problems with interoperability. During disasters, communications often degrade as a result of saturated cellular phone systems and wireless communications systems that interfere with public safety communications. There is a critical need for funding to upgrade, and modernize and link frontline responder communications systems and to address interoperability problems.