Interesting Perspective
By Glenn Bischoff
August 26, 2005
In his opening keynote address at this week's Association of
Public-Safety Communications Officials conference in Denver, former
Department of Homeland Security Secretary Tom Ridge told attendees that
public safety needed to overcome political challenges that stand in the
way of efforts to make America safer.
Ridge -- who twice was elected governor of Pennsylvania -- told of a
political tug of war that delayed the opening of a public-safety
answering point near Erie, Penn., near which Ridge still maintains a
residence. Two adjacent counties caused the delay because they each
insisted the PSAP be located within its borders.
Ridge shook his head and smiled in bewilderment as he told the story,
then weighed in on the matter. "That was completely unacceptable in a
pre-911 world, but it is absurd today," he said. "There's no reason for
it."
He also stressed the importance of public-safety agencies across a
region getting on the same page regarding interoperability. "If we spend
millions on high-tech systems that aren't connected, then the money is
not well spent."
One place that is spending money wisely, at least according to Ridge's
definition, is Colorado, which has implemented a 100-site statewide
digital trunked radio system (DTRS) that links 400 agencies and serves
20,000 subscribers. Another 56 sites are still to be built, and $20
million already is in hand for the build, according to Michael Coleman,
division chief of the Douglas County Sheriff's Department and president
of the Consolidated Communications Network for Colorado, which
represents system users.
Coleman, who spoke at a press breakfast during the APCO conference
sponsored by Motorola, which provided the infrastructure used by the
system, said the effort -- which began in 1992 -- to get so many
agencies on the same page wasn't easy at first. "We spent two years
trying to agree on what we needed to agree on," Coleman said.
Today, however, every CCNC member agency "has a seat at the table,"
Coleman said. "Partnership is the key to Colorado's success."
Before the advent of the DTRS, agencies had to go through several steps
in order to communicate with each other, according to Coleman. "We used
to have to worry about sharing, and we had to plan and reprogram radios
before major events," he said.
That of course, isn't feasible when an emergency strikes. "We don't have
time to reorganize and exchange radios -- we need to be able to talk [to
each other] as soon as we reach the scene."
Those worries are a thing of the past, thanks to the DTRS. During the
breakfast Coleman demonstrated the system by keying radios around the
state. The connections were made quickly, and the audio was crisp and
clear. "That's pretty slick, when you think about it," Coleman said.
It's admirable too. It took a great deal of vision, fortitude and
selflessness on the part of the participants -- particularly those like
Coleman who were involved from the beginning -- to get this done. Tom
Ridge, I think, would be pleased.
