Interoperability

[Skypilot007]

Two NJ state agencies using the same radio system can't communicate with each other. I know why it is but why it happens is beyond me.

Example: Last evening there were some hikers lost out in the wood near Basto village. I sat and listened to the NJ state park police and the NJ state police chase each others tails around the woods for and hour or so before each one actually knew what the other was doing. If the powers at be would arrange to have these agencies be able to communicate with each other that would make a little sense wouldn't it? At least those hikers would not have had to freeze for an extra hour while the agencies tasked to find them run around in circles. Got to love NJ!

 

[Highpockets]

Two NJ state agencies using the same radio system can't communicate with each other. I know why it is but why it happens is beyond me.

Tell us why!

 

[elk2370bruce]

Could it be that neither department has the talk groups of the other installed in their radios? Pi$$ poor planning when the Park Narcs moved over to the NJSP TRS? Stranger things have happend on this TRS over the years.

 

[Tech792]

At the very least, they should have had a command post established with a rep (with a radio) from each agency involved.

 

[GM]

Inter-op NJ DEP/NJSP

The NJ State Park Police XTS1500's that are issued to them have StateCom 1 as well as NJSP Talk-Around Ch. 1 & 2, as well as Parks PD and Parks PD Ops (and possibly Fish/Wildlife 11). However, I'm certain that full, proper training in radio usage (TRS) has not been implemented as of yet for the NJ Parks PD side. I had to tell one of the officers that showed me his radio what the different channels were for the one day I inspected it. He had no idea that he could talk directly to the Troopers on the T/A Ch. 1 or 2! I'm not even sure if all of the Troopers are aware of the Talk-Around (T/A) channels, besides the chit-chat that I occasionally hear on it. And as Bruce points out, there was poor planning involved with this. It's a great concept, but proper training, once again, has not been implemented in this case. Had the State of NJ been smart enough, they would have received grant $$ for some Motorola APX7000 radios, (APX™ 7000 Multi-Band Portable Radio - Motorola USA) so the State Park PD officers would not be carrying around two separate portable radios on their belt (the HT1000 VHF & XTS1500's)! But I'd better hush up now, since I'm starting to make too much sense here, and that's not allowed in NJ...

 

[elk2370bruce]

The NJ State Park Police XTS1500's that are issued to them have StateCom 1 as well as NJSP Talk-Around Ch. 1 & 2, as well as Parks PD and Parks PD Ops (and possibly Fish/Wildlife 11). However, I'm certain that full, proper training in radio usage (TRS) has not been implemented as of yet for the NJ Parks PD side. I had to tell one of the officers that showed me his radio what the different channels were for the one day I inspected it. He had no idea that he could talk directly to the Troopers on the T/A Ch. 1 or 2! I'm not even sure if all of the Troopers are aware of the Talk-Around (T/A) channels, besides the chit-chat that I occasionally hear on it. And as Bruce points out, there was poor planning involved with this. It's a great concept, but proper training, once again, has not been implemented in this case. Had the State of NJ been smart enough, they would have received grant $$ for some Motorola APX7000 radios, (APX™ 7000 Multi-Band Portable Radio - Motorola USA) so the State Park PD officers would not be carrying around two separate portable radios on their belt (the HT1000 VHF & XTS1500's)! But I'd better hush up now, since I'm starting to make too much sense here, and that's not allowed in NJ...

You've hit the nail squarely on the head Greg. Remember, the weakest part of any vehicle is, and has always been, the nut behind the wheel. An untrained radio user isn't worth a damn and is not worth his weight in fecal matter. Appliance operators never use the resources that are present in their radios - even the French Blues.

 

[kenisned]

This wasn't a radio problem.

This is an Incident Command problem, or lack therof.

For an agency who's named on the Incident Command Training material, the NJSP needs to go back to ICS school.

 

[elk2370bruce]

This wasn't a radio problem.

This is an Incident Command problem, or lack therof.

For an agency who's named on the Incident Command Training material, the NJSP needs to go back to ICS school.

Amen to that.

 

[comsec1]

sp interoperability

The SP has a special section in the communications unit just for events like this. They have well trained RADIO operators equipped with different types of radios and equipment. they train all the time and are very knowledgeable in radio communications and take their job of interoperablity very seriously. they are very willing to assist anyone with communications questions. the posters above are correct that for some reason communications is always left out of planning and all the radios on planet earth can't fix a interop problem if the incident commander tells everyone " No , were going to use this channel" .and the COML says, " but sir, no one else can hear us on that channel" IC " NO, were going to use this channel I don't care" . how many of you have run into that.

 

[GM]

Agree to the above. That's why I place the blame on the "proper training" failure of the NJ State Parks PD in general. You have some of these officers (no names mentioned to protect the very guilty) that are hell-bent on towing boats with an expired registration in the middle of January (in the middle of the night), and then forget how to inter-operate between agencies for the best coordination in a multi-jurisdictional situation. One of the original reasons for the switch from VHF-Hi to 800 MHz TRS was to inter-operate in a situation just like this! With the NJSP's Specialized Task Force(s) on myriad matters, the 800 MHz platform between the two makes the most sense.