Department of Public Safety shares views on radio interoperability

A multi-jurisdictional effort is currently being considered to address the issue of public safety radio interoperability, according to the Department of Public Safety (DPS). Below is an edited excerpt of its submission to Industry Canada’s SMSE-005-06. The Department of Public Safety (DPS) considers the need for enhanced radio communications interoperability among public safety officials to be a priority and critical to the effectiveness of response management in emergency situations. As you may know, a federal/provincial/territorial working group of emergency management partners is currently being considered to incorporate input from all jurisdictions on this wider issue. Additionally, efforts are now being made to determine the requirements of a national radio communications interoperability strategy, consistent with our plans for public safety interoperability more generally. Public safety operations require effective sharing of information by criminal justice and public safety agencies in multiple jurisdictions, as well as by public utilities, transportation companies, and private industries. Thousands of incidents that require mutual aid and coordinated response occur every day. High-profile incidents, such as bombings or plane crashes, test the ability of public safety service organizations to mount well-coordinated responses. In an era when technology can bring news, current events, and entertainment to the farthest reaches of the world, many law enforcement officers, firefighters, and emergency medical service (EMS) personnel cannot communicate with each other during routine operations. Voice communications are critical, but not the only issue. Because of advances in technology, public safety operations are increasingly dependent on the sharing of data, images, and video. New technologies promote the convergence of information and communication systems with the result that mobile units are increasingly being viewed as wireless nodes within information networks. The public safety sector requires interoperable communications – the ability to communicate and share information as authorized when it is needed, where it is needed, and in a mode or form that allows the practitioners to use it effectively. Are there other operating environments for radio interoperability?Public safety is becoming the concern of a broader community than that of EMS, police and fire first responders. As such, future operating environments should be capable of taking into consideration professions not normally associated with radio communications and first response such as transportation and public utility workers. Are there other levels of radio interoperability which should be included?The Department of Public Safety recommends that, in addition to the levels of radio interoperability stated by Industry Canada, the role of public carriers such as the Canadian Broadcasting Corp. and other commercial systems be considered. These systems could play a major role in any major emergency situation in both notification to the public and updates of information, in keeping the public abreast of a situation and thus lessening the general impact on an event on concerned citizens. Are there other approaches to advance the issue of radio interoperability?Although it may be premature to take forward as part of a developed approach at this time, Industry Canada may wish to explore possible contingency planning for large scale, but temporary, national emergency use of spectrum, possibly in combination with the use of public carrier networks during large scale national emergencies.

Department of Public Safety shares views on radio interoperability

News | 10/20/2006 4:00 am EDT

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