In the rural counties of California we almost have interoperability already. All departments of the counties, CDF, DFG, U.S. Forest Service, National Park Service, BLM and all the fire districts can and do talk with each other. California State Parks is one exception but they used to have a second mobile in their rigs that was all VHF, but their handhelds are 800 MHz only. That leaves Caltrans and the CHP who can't talk with each other or anyone else. Each Caltrans section supervisor has a CHP mobile in their trucks. State Parks can talk with Caltrans on car to car, but they really don't need to. Interoperability with State Parks, Caltrans, and the CHP is accomplished by scanner cross talk.
The interoperability problem in the Bay Area is similar to southern California with disparate trunking systems depending on which county it is. Motorola, EDACS, 800 MHz both conventional and trunked, 480 MHz analog and digital, Orange County with 800 MHz trunked encryption, Orange County Fire with trunked 800 MHz, 450/460 for L.A. County Fire with VHF for Tac, 800 MHz for the LAFD, most federal agencies on VHF and some with 406 UHF, State Parks on conventional 800 MHz, CDF/DFG on VHF, Caltrans on 800 MHz, the CHP on low band, the Freeway Service Patrol on conventional analog 800 MHz, miscellaneous state agencies on CMARS conventional analog 800 MHz, EMS all over the map even for hosptial/paramedic communications, utility companies and school distiricts on every band and a few entities still on low band.
Then all the border regions of Oregon, Nevada and Arizona with differences between the same type of agency depending on what side of the line is involved. The highway patrol in California on VHF-Low, Oregon on VHF High, in Nevada EDACS 800 MHz trunked, and in Arizona converntional UHF. The DOT in California on 800 MHz conventional, in Oregon on VHF-High, in Nevada on EDACS 800 MHz trunked, and on VHF-High in Arizona except for their Phoenix District on Motorola 800 MHz trunked. At least wildland fire between states is interoperable, at least in the west.
Then there is the matter of different code systems between nearly everyone but fire. If you can talk with other agencies will you speak the same language? I know that mutual aid situations are supposed to have clear text employed, but tell that to LEO's and have them actually do it.
Now throw in the military/national guard. Disparate systems depending on location, function even at one location, and between the Marines,
Army, Navy, Air Force, Army National Guard and Air National Guard. They can't talk with each other so it is hard for them to talk with civilians.
Put hams into the picture and their radios are not supposed to be able to talk with anyone but other hams, unless thay have an agency provided radio that has been modified for one of the ham bands. Hams also use HF, which most public safety agenices don't even know about, but can be the best thing going when everything else fails, and at times it does.
On wildland fire the wildland fire agencies have interoperability and it is getting better. But we can't always talk with PD's. SO's, animal control, utility companies, etc. and on a moving fire during initial or extended attack during the first 24-48 hours that can make things difficult and dangerous. Once the fire has been going for 36 hours or more NIFC cache handhelds are usually for these disparate radio system entities.
Fire agenices have the most interoperability, understand mutual aid and ICS and work together better than anyone. There are some differences between regions in the country, but fire fighters understand clear text on mutual aid fairly well. Practice, practice, practice! Law enforcement does not get the same level of practice. Do you talk with LEO's that respond all over California and out of state very often? Firefighters usually understand radio enough to use 16 groups in a handheld, know the difference between tactical nets, command nets at both the state and federal level. Quite a few or most understand how to program a field programable radio. LEO's don't have as much practice at doing this os they can't find things as readily. They rarely carry field programmable radios.
Codes and triage labels differ by area/region of the U.S. in EMS. However, a nasal cannula is the same thing all around the country. Administering a drug IV push or IM is standard terminology no matter where where in the U.S. you are. Now if some EMS agencies would drop their disparate symptom codes things might work a bit better!
Natural resource agencies at the federal and state levels have interoperability in most of the U.S. and can speak with each other, differences in 10 code/clear text not withstanding. What a concept!
Yes, interoperability with present technology is a buzzword. Politicians and the media use it, but those familiar with radios and public safety roll their eyes!
