First Responders Radio Interoperability in Crisis

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Israeli technology developed for the Israeli defense forces (IDF) may be applicable to the needs of the first responders in the u.s

The u.s Department of Homeland Security (DHS) published a procurement guide for first responders and emergency managers seeking to buy multi-band radios.

The Multi-Band Radio (MBR) Procurement Guide resulted from an MBR project ran by the DHS Science and Technology (S&T) Directorate, which is aimed to give the first responder to select the best solution for communications with multiple agencies over different radio bands.

The initiative is a result after the failures in interagency communications during major disasters like 9/11 and Hurricane Katrina, where multiple jurisdictions would response to an emergency but they could not talk to each other because their old hand-held radios could only talk on one frequency

According to HStoday.us America’s leading HLS website, the MBR project involved pilot tests with prototype radios provided by two companies — Harris Corp., Melbourne, Fla., and Thales Communications Inc., Clarksburg, Md. — and more than a dozen emergency management and first responder agencies. DHS S&T incorporated findings from those pilots into its MBR Pilot Report.

The MBR Procurement Guide has two parts to assist first responders and emergency managers in making procurement decisions. The first part reviews background information for producing operational requirements. It also addresses financial managers to make clear to them the regulatory and technical issues surrounding MBR radios. The second part of the guide provides technical details on MBR radios and accessories in the form of appendices.