Emerging trends in emergency response

Better communications solutions are imperative, say the experts.

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Aegis Assessments’ Douglas Kane and Richard Reincke offer their thoughts on the current state of play in the emergency communications field, and provide some insight into how more effective first responder communications can be acheived.

Douglas Kane assumed the role of Executive Vice President of Aegis Assessments, Inc. in May 2006. As Executive Vice President, Kane is responsible for developing and implementing the sales and marketing strategy for the company. He brings many years of high-tech experience to the company. Most recently, Kane was the CEO of InfoGlyph USA Inc., an automated identification and data collection provider. Prior to InfoGlyph, he was instrumental in driving Aspect Development, Inc. from a start-up to one of the country’s top 10 software companies, as reported in Forbes magazine in 1998. In 1996, Aspect had one of the top IPO’s in the US, and in 2000 the company was acquired by i2 Technologies in the largest software acquisition in history.

Richard Reincke has been the company’s Chief Operating Officer since its inception and became a director in July 2002. He assumed the title of President in September 2004. As President, Reincke is responsible for the day-to-day operations of the company – including executing the company’s business strategy, product distribution and service, and the development of new products and technologies. Reincke is actively involved with the homeland security community and has participated in a range of special training exercises with law enforcement, fire departments, National Guard Weapons of Mass Destruction (WMD) teams, corrections personnel and the National Institute of Justice/Office of Law Enforcement Technology Commercialisation.

HSA. How would you sum up the core benefits of wireless communications in emergency response – how does it save lives?

Deploying wireless communications systems is among the first priorities in every emergency response situation. Public safety agencies, humanitarian organisations and even the military cannot coordinate disaster relief efforts unless they can communicate with each other. Unfortunately, terrestrial wireless equipment, like cellular phones and land mobile radios, won’t work when communications infrastructure goes down. For example, Hurricane Katrina destroyed critical infrastructure, impeding relief efforts. That’s why it is so important that, in addition to fixed infrastructure, the emergency response community also has access to portable emergency communications systems.

HSA. How wide is the use of wireless communication systems by the emergency services today in Asia? What do you see as the untapped potential?

Problems regarding emergency communications surfaced during the 2004 Indian Ocean earthquake and resulting tsunamis. There were communications problems between local first responders, which only got worse when outside relief organisations arrived. One of the big weaknesses in the original emergency response plans in place was dependence on telephones, which were not working. Cellular phones and satellite-based systems also were overloaded. What eventually happened is that there was greater use of two-way radios for coordination of the progress of evacuations, but limitations on radio interoperability between agencies again interfered with relief efforts.

The big lesson learned is that redundancy of communications equipment is vital for effective incident management. This includes both fixed infrastructure and portable devices that can be brought in when existing infrastructure is damaged. Asia certainly has a staggering untapped potential for expansion of wireless communications systems. Even before the Asian tsunamis occurred, the International Telecommunication Union (ITU), one of the specialised agencies of the United Nations that regulates international radio and telecommunications, was adopting new resolutions to pave the way for redeployment of new technologies for wireless disaster relief communications. So the wireless revolution is inevitably extending into Asia.

One of the success stories that came out of the tsunami relief efforts was the use of the Penang Emergency Ambulance Radio Link (PEARL) communications network, which was established in 2004 to link the communications of all emergency ambulance providers for the state of Penang. Before establishing PEARL, the various ambulance service providers in Penang could not talk to each other and there was a lack of coordination in the deployment of ambulance resources. Motorola set this network up so that the ambulances from all six hospitals and emergency operations centres could communicate.

When the tsunamis hit, the network was not yet fully functional. However, even the availability of its limited common communications system provided a common communications umbrella, allowing emergency responders to coordinate their resources and response. In the aftermath of the Indian Ocean Tsunami the mobile phone networks were overloaded, but the PEARL system remained operational when the other fixed communications systems went down.

HSA. What is currently preventing that potential from being realised in Asia – are there still limits with the technology and associated infrastructure?

No matter where you are in the world, money is always one key limitation on the implementation of new technologies and associated infrastructure, and that is as true in the United States as it is in Asia. The industry has seen a host of sophisticated new radio-based communications systems, as well as use of the internet and satellite communications. So it’s not an issue with limitations on technology per se. The standards and the regulatory framework are in place for rapid expansion into the Asian market, but funding is a key issue. Even with the emergence of dynamic economies throughout the Pacific Rim, it’s all about allocation of resources.

HSA. Where wireless communications are being employed, what problems do users face with the devices?

There’s been a tremendous expansion globally in the use of mobile wireless communications. In 1990, there were only about 11 million mobile subscribers worldwide. By the end of 2004 it had boomed to over 1.75 billion. But with that kind of growth in subscribers it’s difficult for the infrastructure to keep up. Also, the tsunami relief efforts highlighted the separate treatment of different types of communication networks. While individual access to emergency communication services has been a focus of network building (for example, an emergency telephone number for reporting accidents, fires, etc.), disaster-warning networks, which can be very expensive, have not been a priority.

The deficiencies in emergency communications have been dramatically demonstrated in recent years by the 9/11 disaster in New York, the earthquake in Iran, the tsunamis in Asia and Hurricanes in the US Gulf Coast. One method of communication never reaches all intended recipients. Sophisticated sensors and mass media are not enough. The reality is that disaster warning, dissemination, mitigation and recovery are seldom treated as universal services in most countries. Emergency responders face a patchwork of agencies and communication systems and often end up working at cross-purposes.

HSA. How can some of these challenges be addressed today?

The lack of interoperability remains a major problem with wireless communications globally. This lack of radio interoperability was highlighted in the aftermath of the Asian tsunami, inhibiting coordinated disaster response, and this is still a universal problem.

In the United States, communications problems between state and local public safety agencies on 9/11 made the general public familiar with the term ‘radio interoperability’. The challenge is finding ways to allow interoperable communications between public safety agencies using existing radio equipment. In a typical American city, the police department is generally using radios assigned one frequency, and the fire department is using radios on another frequency. When a major disaster occurs, outside public safety agencies, perhaps including the military, arrive on the scene, and no one can easily communicate across agency lines. This has led to the development of various interoperability solutions, including the use of so-called ‘patching’ devices such as the Aegis RadioBridge, which allow most two-way radios to be interconnected, regardless of the radio’s frequency, modulation or encryption scheme.

HSA. Do you think there has been sufficient investment made in new, potentially life-saving equipment, and have you seen an increase in demand yourself?

We have seen a significant increase in demand for interoperable communications equipment since 9/11, but it is not accurate to say that there has been a ‘sufficient investment’ in new types of technologies because most of these new technologies have not been widely disseminated yet. Ideally, all first responders globally would be equipped with the latest wireless technology and would have 100 percent interoperability. Sadly, in the real world this is not the case. Again, you have to deal with the situation as it is, not as it could be in theory. The reality is that it will cost billions of dollars and take many years to effectuate some of the newer technologies, such as internet-protocol (IP) based, software-defined radios, and true interoperability for voice, data and even video. In the meantime, tactical solutions and mobile patching devices are one way to increase interoperability in the field.

HSA. In particular, have you seen interest and demand for your products in Asia – is the drive to implement more effective communications on a par with elsewhere in the world?

Because there are so many dynamic and emerging economies around the Pacific Rim, in the last decade there has been a huge push to implement the most advanced communications systems available in the Asia Pacific region. For example, since the tsunami disaster, Asia Pacific Economic Cooperation officials have put together a task force for emergency preparedness. They realise that disasters don’t just affect one economy; they affect the economies of all the members of the region. The Asia Pacific region is home to almost 60 percent of the world’s population and is subject to about 70 percent of the world’s major natural disasters, such as earthquakes, volcanoes, tsunamis and tropical storms, so you could argue that this region needs effective emergency communications more than anywhere else in the world. Many of the emergency services are now conducting disaster simulations and training to communicate with each other across borders, which is vital in an emergency. They’ve also adopted the Terrestrial Trunked Radio digital mobile radio standard, which will help enable compatibility between different communication equipment and systems. So the interest and demand are definitely there; and, more importantly, there seems to be a real commitment in both the public and private sectors to implement these new communication technologies.

HSA. Looking ahead, what are your plans or objectives for developing these products further, or for raising knowledge about their potential?

Finding the right channel partners in the Asia Pacific region will be key for us in getting our products into this important market. The communications industry is built on relationships and dependability, and we are looking for distribution relationships throughout the region.

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