My two cents...
Reading this thread, I see three significant items that were often touched on but never actually stated:
1. Interoperable communications are all first and foremost all about timely communication; getting a message from point A to points B and/or C while it is useful, and receiving feedback that it got there accurately. Whether that is done via digital, analog or sticky-note is secondary. That is something amateurs do automatically.
2. Many Public Safety "professionals" view interoperable communications as an extraordinary situation requiring special authorization, and believe that everything will always work magically and perfectly on demand. They forget that primary/complex/proprietary systems normally fail when you need them the most. Amateurs view interoperability as a required and dynamic challenge with every PTT.
3. Divergent technology and unusual situations are speed bumps that us Geeks can work around if we have enough time, resources and a big enough stick (emphasis on the latter).
　
Some other thoughts on the matter:
Interoperable failures fall into one or more of the following categories.
Politics and Training.
How many jurisdictions bought a 'modified' non-standard standard to suit a political requirement? Interoperability is built into that system but nobody can seem to remember that it exists, much less how or when to use it. You can talk to them directly via their primary communications system, provided you have their 'modified' sole source equipment and special authorization from the Governor/Mayor/Whomever.
Genuine interoperability, including 'unusual' methods, is given lip service but seldom considered a necessity. "Our digital 800 trunking system works perfectly (almost) all the time, so when our analog VHF Syntors became obsolete we abandoned all that old-timey stuff in our fleet."
FYI: Authorization and procedures for establishing special operations and amateur inclusion in significant incident communications can be found in the footnotes on page 367 of Appendix K of the TICP. Everyone knows that, right?
Ignorance.
Too many "professionals" only remember two radio settings: "Talk" and "Listen". Technically savvy "professionals" may occasionally master the concepts of "Our Channel" and "Another Channel".
Asking "professionals" to leave "Our Channel" and communicate with Incident Command on 1TAC13 and Incident Operations on Fireground RED will be more often than not be met with a blank stare or a flat refusal. (The latter often because they will not admit they don't know how. "What's analog simplex? Zone 3? I have that?")
Here is a big difference between amateurs and "professionals":
Many "professionals" honestly think they only need to know "Talk" and "Listen". Everything else is off-the-wall special Geek stuff. They probably looked at their communications handbook exactly once: during the training session three years ago where they were paying more attention to beating Angry Birds on their cell phone.
Amateurs (and interoperable practitioners) have a wider view and make understanding the operation of every system a moral imperative. They can tell you from memory that Fireground RED is 153.8300 11K0F3E simplex with a 69.3 CTCSS. The have also opened every radio's instruction manual at least twice: once when the radio came out of the box, and a second time to commit every capability and function to memory.
Habit.
"Professional" responders are used to talking on their one primary communication system all the time (whatever band and format that may be). They are also creatures of habit whose comfort zone shrinks as their stress level rises, compounding the problem. Getting them to communicate differently from their every-day method is like pulling teeth. Even worse: "For thirty years we've only talked on Grand Dad's private fire channel and can't change." Its genetic.
Ever hear LAW call dispatch on "Our Channel" and ask them to relay a warning to Fire or EMS on "Another Channel" about a patch of black ice on the road? That's interoperable, isn't it?
"Us" vs. "Them"
I like to call this the Lone Ranger Syndrome: "We're super-trained professionals. We can handle anything. We do it every day. We don't need to use "Another Channel" because Dispatch can tell "them" whatever "We" think they need to hear, and cover our asses if we forget. The rest of you are amateurs and might be moderately useful, but stay out of Our way."
Or so they thought until it hit the fan.
Unrealistic expectations.
News Flash: It's radio.
Too many "professionals" expect all radio communications to be exactly like their cell phone: always pin-drop clear. (They forget that in many situations their cell phones won't work at all.) A tiny hint of static and they throw up their hands, screaming at the techs because communications were unintelligible.
Amateurs think static is a challenge to be overcome, tweak the settings and work through difficulties.
Another unrealistic expectation is that everything will always work. Guess what folks, Mr. Murphy was an optimist. When everything has gone south, you are more likely to restore communications by utilizing an amateur with a backpack, roll of wire and a tree than you are training "professionals" how to switch their radio to a simplex zone.
Not having a big stick.
How many incidents have you gone to where there is no single person in command and multiple "Our Channels" were in use? Or where establishing knowledgeable Command was a casualty of a political or turf war, and Command expected you to instantly bridge 800MHz 'modified' P25 encrypted trunking to carrier-pigeon?
Or where you were given the responsibility of establishing a sane, workable interoperable system, but not given clear authority to require all of the "professionals" to use "Another Channel" until they received written approval from their Governor/Mayor/Whomever. (And probably shown how to switch zones in their radio.)
Without the clear authority to require responders to get off "Our Channel" and communicate your way, or include "rank amateurs" in your communications plan you're beating your gums.
It is not just a "First ICS Operational Period" issue. Most significant local incidents where interoperability is required are over in a few hours.
OK, I'll slide down off of my high horse now.
PS: Several local jurisdictions authorize amateurs to communicate directly with their EOC on Public Safety channels (typically analog repeated or simplex VHF), and have 2M and 70CM amateur radio equipment in the EOC as a backup. A pretty good system, most often used during pre-planned, organized storm spotter activation. Let's face the simple fact that when the fan is blowing brown a properly deviated 11K FM signal is a properly deviated 11K FM signal, Part 90 or not.
