N.Y.C. to test wireless networks for emergency responders

The city is getting ready to test two wireless networks that would allow emergency responders to download fingerprints, mug shots, and building floor plans from the field.

Mayor Bloomberg announced yesterday that Northrop Grumman Corporation and Motorola Incorporated have been selected for the six-month trial run. The city will then decide whether to select one for permanent use citywide.

In January, The New York Sun reported that the city was in final negotiations with Northrop Grumman and Motorola for the creation of the hightech emergency network. Yesterday, Mr. Bloomberg said the head-to-head test run is "critical to increasing safety and raising the performance level of our first responders."

"The systems being considered are emerging, cutting-edge technologies that will put New York City at the forefront of the next wave of public safety communications and interoperability," the mayor said in a statement.

The pilot program will cost $2.7 million. If the city decides to implement a permanent network, which it is expected to, the price is estimated at $500 million for construction and maintenance in the first five years.

The communications problems during the response to the World Trade Center attacks underscored the importance of strong lines of communication among emergency workers.

This type of public safety network is not unique to New York City. Similar networks are already up and running in other cities.

The New York network would create high-speed connections to existing police and fire electronic system. It also would have the capability to stream full-motion video and will have monitoring for radiological and biological substances.

The city's Department of Information Technology & Telecommunication issued the 95-page request for proposals in 2004 and had originally planned to start the pilot program shortly after. That date was moved back several times.

The chairwoman of the City Council's Technology Committee, Gale Brewer, said yesterday that it was a "long haul," but that she is glad it's finally moving ahead.

"The question now is it going to be possible to give the public access to the network," she said.