By Paul Larocco
The Press Enterprise
RIVERSIDE, Calif. — Nine years ago, radio communication between Inland public safety agencies could still require the actual, physical trade of equipment.
“It was left to jurisdictions to swap handheld radios,” said Paul MacIsaac, communications supervisor for the Riverside County Sheriff’s Department. “It was minimally efficient.”
Spurred by the Sept. 11, 2001, terrorist attacks — when New York police and firefighters couldn’t connect over their radios — departments across the country vowed to improve their capacity to communicate across jurisdictions, known as “interoperability.”
But hurdles remain to establish a single, seamless network for local, state and federal agencies to communicate in the event of a catastrophic natural disaster or attack.
“Communication is always a problem and it will continue to be a problem,” said Kelly Huston, an assistant secretary with the California Emergency Management Agency. “Agencies continue to buy the equipment they think is best for their agency, and it isn’t always standard.”
Still, progress has come in the form of local equipment upgrades and grant-funded devices that can temporarily link disparate systems.
In Riverside County, $148 million will soon triple the number of sheriff’s radio repeater sites and move the department’s frequency range from 800 MHz to the higher-capacity 700-MHz range.
San Bernardino County authorities recently received a satellite-equipped command-post van that can link 22 separate two-way radio systems on different frequencies, including agencies in Riverside County, for large-scale responses.
“We need to work together on these incidents, but really don’t have the ability to talk,” San Bernardino County sheriff’s Lt. Glenn Grabiec said earlier this year, upon the unveiling of the mobile unit that is to be shared among five counties.
As for the nationwide plan, Federal Communications Commission leaders told lawmakers earlier that the cost of a wireless broadband network for public safety could be prohibitive.
And even if it is funded, it would likely take another 10 years to become reality.
Smaller efforts are going forward. Motorola recently announced that it will begin building a $50 million broadband public safety network across the Bay Area. Other agencies are considering ways to integrate voice-over Internet and file-sharing with their existing systems.
Huston said that significant roadblocks to a single broadband network include the need for equipment and code language standards that all agencies could comply with, and the fear of relying on a single vendor.
“Local governments may feel it costs too much or that they’re putting their eggs in one basket,” he said.
Many first responders in Riverside and San Bernardino counties still use different frequencies, from California Highway Patrol’s low-band channel to the U.S. Forest Service’s VHF system to most police and fire departments’ use of 800 MHz.
Following the Sept. 11 attacks, federal guidelines suggested local agencies devise a system of linking communications in the case of large mutual-aid responses.
The San Bernardino County Fire Department received Homeland Security grants for two Raytheon interconnector units.
With the trailer-size units, firefighters can connect frequencies with Cal Fire, Forest Service and others, if needed.
Still, officials acknowledged that in the case of a massive earthquake, the two frequency connectors placed at command posts may not be enough.
“We would have the basics covered,” said San Bernardino County Fire Chief Dan Wurl.
“If it got to an extreme, large-scale level, the Raytheon units may not be quite enough to do it all, but then, the federal government would be there to assist us.”
MacIsaac, Riverside County sheriff’s interoperability coordinator, said that his department’s equipment upgrade will be a big leap forward once it’s finished. Before 2001, he said special arrangements had to be made to communicate via radio with a neighboring county.
“We had to drive out with the radios, as silly as it sounds, and that’s not the case anymore,” he said. “It became a priority and we’re all glad that it did.”
Public Safety Radio Frequencies
800 MHz: One of the more popular spectrum bands for local police and fire agencies. Reconfigured last decade to reduce interference from commercial wireless systems
VHF: “Very High Frequency” band (30-300 MHz). Used by some state and federal fire departments. Can cover more distance than 800 MHz, but is also more susceptible to interference.
Low-Band: Radio system used by the California Highway Patrol. Reliable in many different kinds of terrains.
Broadband: Communication system in development that would allow agencies to talk as well as send data, video and other files over a high-speed Internet connection
Copyright 2010 The Press Enterprise, Inc.
All Rights Reserved