FEMA technology set for upgrade: "Amid a whirlwind of controversy surrounding the federal response to 2005 hurricanes Katrina, Rita and Wilma, the Homeland Security Department has unveiled plans to overhaul the information technology it deploys to cope with disasters. Under plans announced yesterday, the Federal Emergency Management Agency will get improved logistics systems, better customer service systems for disaster victims, modified contracting practices and better communications. Speaking at the National Emergency Management Association mid-year conference, DHS secretary Michel Chertoff said his department had met a congressional requirement to assess disaster response capabilities nationwide by Feb. 10. He said assessment of the emergency response capabilities of major cities and towns included some green, yellow and red indicators."

DOD rolls out DICE06: "The Defense Interoperability Communication Exercise 2006 (DICE06) started earlier this week to test communications equipment and systems for use among DOD services and agencies and with the Homeland Security Department and first responders, according to a release sent out by the Defense Information Systems Agency."

"First Responders' Day" Observed in Kentucky: "Joined by hundreds of Kentucky's law enforcement, firefighter and emergency personnel in the State Capitol, Governor Ernie Fletcher, along with the director of the Kentucky Office of Homeland Security (Ret.) Maj. Alecia Webb-Edgington, hosted a February 9th ceremony honoring the first observance of 'First Responders' Day.'"

Communications firms cite problems: "WASHINGTON — In the wake of Hurricane Katrina, Federal Emergency Management Agency workers commandeered gasoline from a company trying to restore telephone service to the hurricane-ravaged New Orleans area, a Senate investigative panel found. The Senate Homeland Security and Government Affairs Committee on Monday released an e-mail obtained from Cox Louisiana Telecom LLC. The company was trying to restore service to 85,000 customers, according to Kay Jackson, director of regulatory affairs. ... The panel’s probe also found that Louisiana has not spent $58 million in first-responder grants dating back to 2003, Collins said. The state only uses 16 percent of its funding for communications, half the national average, she said."

Louisiana improving interoperability among first responders: "Created through Executive Order to address the need for compatible and effective communication among first responders, Governor Kathleen Babineaux Blanco has charged the Statewide Interoperable Communication System Executive Committee to develop a statewide, user-driven approach among all levels of government to provide reliable communications for the entire emergency response community."

Burden of proof: "First responders soon may need more than a radio or a password to access interoperable networks under development: They will need to verify their identities.

But will fire and police officers accept having to swipe ID cards on their radios or laptops before calling for help? The federal smart-card regulations anticipated under Homeland Security Presidential Directive-12 are adding layers of complexity to the already difficult goal of strengthening public safety communications by making radios and networks more interoperable with each other.

The identity management regulations initially affect only federal workers and projects, such as the Integrated Wireless Network, a nationwide, $10 billion, wireless network being developed for law enforcement agents in the Homeland Security, Justice and Treasury departments. But many state and local response agencies expect eventually to conform to HSPD-12 as they adapt their own systems to verify identities. An example is DHS’ plan to distribute 200,000 smart cards to first responders in the National Capital Region around Washington."

DHS interoperability effort hits snags: "The Homeland Security Department is making slow progress in its efforts to achieve interoperability in first responder communications, Andrew Maner, the department’s chief financial officer, said at an academic conference today. "

Bridgeport RFQ for Interoperable Communications Project: "The City of Bridgeport (CT), one of twenty-six agencies receiving grants under the U.S. DOJ COPS Interoperable Communications Technology Program this past September, has released a Request for Qualifications (RFQ) for technology firm consultant services. Services are sought for Bridgeport's Public Safety Interoperability Project, an effort to consolidate dispatch operations and created a joint emergency operations center. Selection criteria include company experience, staff qualifications, similar successful project experience, and references, among others. Project management services, in particular, are sought."

First WiMax Products Officially Certified: "The first fixed WiMAX products have received official certification from the WiMAX Forum, the trade organization said Thursday. The approvals are something of an anti-climax since more than 150 deployments and trials of WiMAX have already been launched, the trade group said. Still, the certifications mark the official launch of the wireless broadband technology. The 802.16-2004 standard for fixed WiMAX was approved last year and the process of certification testing started last summer. The first products to be officially certified as adhering to the standard and as interoperable with other standardized products come from Aperto Networks, Redline Communications, Sequans and Wavesat, the group said. These first products to be certified operate in the 3.5 GHz range."

Hurricane Katrina Independent Panel - The FCC has named member's for its panel intended to review the impact of Hurricane Katrina on the telecommunications and media infrastructure in the areas affected by the hurricane. Public safety communications will be one area of focus.

Swap of airwaves encounters snags: "A long-awaited swap of airwaves aimed at eliminating cellphone interference with emergency-service radios across the USA is in turmoil, prolonging communications problems and risking public safety, law enforcement officials say. Public-safety officials and consultants largely blame cost disputes with Sprint Nextel, which is bankrolling the $2.8 billion project. They fear the spectrum transfer, which began in July and is to be completed by mid-2008, could be delayed or done improperly, further hindering communications."

Washington public-safety agencies plan wireless network: "As Everett police Sgt. Boyd Bryant drives through his city's downtown, the laptop computer in his car beeps and blings as he connects and disconnects from a wireless network that covers several blocks. After stopping, Bryant logs on to the city's servers, checks his e-mail and downloads a file. Some hope police and other public-safety workers across Snohomish County will eventually be able to do what Bryant can do now in parts of Everett. The plan, say members of the Public Safety Technology Wireless Sub-Committee, is to lay wide blankets of a high-speed wireless network across the county's most populated areas."

Major metro areas found ineligible for anti-terror grants: "Metropolitan areas as large as Phoenix and San Diego no longer qualify for a major terrorism-preparedness grant program under the Homeland Security Department's new, more 'risk-based' eligibility formula. Homeland Security Tuesday issued a list of 44 regions that may seek a slice of the $765 million available in fiscal 2006 from the Urban Area Security Initiative, which the department said 'provides resources for the unique equipment, training, planning and exercise needs of select high-threat urban areas.'"

Operation: Operability: "The 9/11 terrorist attacks triggered a nationwide scramble to develop interoperable communications among emergency responders. But Hurricane Katrina left officials scratching their heads over the utter disappearance of even basic communications."

Compatible radio systems would cost billions: "As chaos engulfed New Orleans after Hurricane Katrina struck, emergency responders traded urgent information in a way that was hardly a model of 21st-century high technology."

Congress earmarks funds for interoperable communications: "Interoperable communications for first responders gets a boost in two pieces of legislation moving through Congress. A budget reconciliation bill, approved by the House Monday, includes a new $1 billion federal grant program for police and fire agency interoperable communications to be funded by the public auction of radio spectrum. The Senate is expected to vote on the Deficit Reduction Act (S1932) this week. "

SAFECOM Baseline Survey - Public comments solicited: "The Department of Homeland Security (DHS) is soliciting public comment on the Office of Systems Engineering and Development SAFECOM Interoperability Baseline Survey."

In NYC, communication issues fixed: "Police and firefighters can communicate during emergencies in New York City, officials said Monday as a federal report decried the lack of such communications on a national level."

Communications gap persists: "Disaster planners in Pierce County [WA] have long known their version of Hurricane Katrina would not be a hurricane. It might well be a major earthquake. Or it might be a huge mudflow that breaks loose without warning from Mount Rainier’s west flank – a lahar that swallows everything in its path and buries the Puyallup Valley floor, where some 60,000 people live. Officials are also aware that communication won’t be as smooth as they’d like during a lahar. They’d have to follow strict protocol and be careful not to tie up radio frequencies"

Hurricanes a boost for Integrated Wireless Network: "Prospects might be brightening slightly for procurement activity on the multibillion-dollar federal Integrated Wireless Network (IWN) as a result of lessons learned from hurricanes Katrina and Rita. The new national network, which may take 15 years to build and has a price tag estimated at up to $10 billion, would bring together federal law enforcement agents from the Homeland Security, Justice and Treasury departments into a single wireless infrastructure. "