Interoperability and Emergency Communications

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Interoperability and Emergency Communications

• Connecting first responders and emergency
  services community
• Michelle Geddes
• San Francisco Department of Emergency Management
• July 2008

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Interoperability

• Ensures First Responders can talk
• to who they need to,
• wherever they are,
• when they need it.

The radio they use every day will become the
radio they use everywhere
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Emergency Voice Communications

• Voice Communications is
• Push-to-Talk (PTT) Radio
• Dedicated for Public Safety Usage
• 100 Reliability, with no delay and no down time
• 100 Availability Region-wide coverage
  including in building and underground
• Interoperability with all disciplines

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Emergency Data Communications
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Agenda Overview

• The Need for Interoperability
• Interoperability Challenges
• Emergency Communications Trends
• Interoperability Solutions

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Interoperability The Need
Mass Terrorism
Fire Storm
Rare
Mass Evacuation
School Shooting
Earthquake
Airplane Crash
Occasional
Increasing Criticality of Interoperability
Frequency of Activity
Crime Spree Investigation
Multiple Alarm Fire
Common
Industrial Hazmat
Police Chase
Daily
2 3 4 5 6 50
Number of Responding Agencies
6
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Interoperability The Need

• 1989 - Loma Prieta Earthquake
• 1991 - Oakland Hills Firestorm

• March 26th2008 Golden Gate Bridge Multi-injury
  Accident

• Responding agencies were
• Marin Fire and EMS
• California Highway Patrol
• Golden Gate Bridge District
• Presidio Fire
• SFFD Fire and EMS

Not one agency uses the same radio system,
complicating communications
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Agenda Overview

• The Need for Interoperability
• Interoperability Challenges
• Emergency Communications Trends
• Interoperability Solutions

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Interoperability Challenges

• Governance
• Funding
• Spectrum Availability
• Incompatible Technologies
• Willingness to change and proper training

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Governance

• Establishing a Joint Powers Agreement (JPA)
  between jurisdictions, cities, counties and
  agencies
• -OR-
• Developing Memorandum of Understanding (MOU)
• Agreeing to Standard Operating Procedures (SOPs)
  and Guidelines for System Usage and Sharing
• Determining Maintenance Agreements and
  Sustainable Funding Mechanism

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Funding

• Sustained funding sources are typically not
  available to state and local agencies
• Designing and implementing a public safety grade
  network can be cost prohibitive
• Fault tolerance, with no single point of failure
• 100 Coverage Requirements
• Backup Power

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Spectrum Availability
Federal Communications Commission (FCC)State and
Local Public Safety Communications Spectrum
Availability
National Telecommunications and Information
Administration (NTIA) Coordinates Spectrum for
all Federal Agencies
13
Technology Incompatibilities

• Manufacturers have not had to standardize on one
  technology platform, creating networks that are
  incompatible

EF JOHNSON
KENWOOD
VOTING
VIOP
PROJECT 25
3600 BAUD
ICOM
MOTOROLA
SIMULCAST
9600 BAUD
THALES
CONVENTIONAL
EADS
ANALOG
DIGITAL
TRUNKING
TRANSMITTER STEERING
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Bay Area System Usage
Due to a lack of coordinated planning Spectrum
availability is sparse and inconsistent,
rendering radios useless out of a home coverage
area. Systems were built by multiple
manufacturers, with incompatible technologies.
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Agenda Overview

• The Need for Interoperability
• Interoperability Challenges
• Emergency Communications Trends
• Interoperability Solutions

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Emergency Communications Trends

• Trend 1 - Regional Interoperability and Network
  Sharing
• Trend 2 - Multi- Discipline Collaboration
• Trend 3 Movement towards standards-based
  systems
• Trend 4 Convergence of Voice and Data Networks

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Converged Voice and Data Network
Internet
NOC
E911/ 311 Dispatch Sites
Other Agency P25 Networks/ IP backbones
P25 ISSI
Public VoIP or PSTN
Legacy LMRGateway(s)
IP PBX
IP Backbone
Network IP Gateway
Legacy LMR
IMS Gateway
PSTN
Public Cellular
Commercial Broadband
ASTRO 25 SecureIP Backbone
Govt P25/Tetra LMR
Government Wideband/ BB
MWNE
Interoperability Seamless Mobility between user
agencies, access networks, and devices
LMR
802
Cell
Satellite
P25oIP PTx Applications
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Agenda Overview

• The Need for Interoperability
• Interoperability Challenges
• Emergency Communications Trends
• Interoperability Solutions

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Safecom ProgramDepartment of Homeland Security
20
700MHz Spectrum Beachfront Property
FCC released 700MHz of Spectrum for First
Responders, Available Feb. 2009 FCC Auctioning
20MHz of Broadband Spectrum for a Public/Private
Partnership
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BayRICS Program Overview

• Announced by Mayors Newsom, Dellums, and Reed on
  September 11, 2007
• Collaboration with all 10 Bay Area Counties
• Multi-discipline participation including
• Law Enforcement
• Fire
• Emergency Services
• Emergency Medical Service
• Public Health
• Transit Agencies
• Critical Infrastructure Entities (Schools, Ports,
  Bridges)

Bay Area Super UASI Region
Implementation Stages Planning Stages
The Interoperability Goal is to connect the Bay
Area Region by 2012
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Conclusion / Lessons Learned

• Create a formal Governance structure, that
  includes all levels of government and disciplines
  
• Develop a sustained funding mechanism
• Create standards and network performance
  requirements to ensure technology
  interoperability
• Continue development SOPs and training to ensure
  beneficial use of the system