Interoperable communicationDHS in trials of next generation multiband radio

Tom Chirhart knows a lot about radios, but over the last year, he has received a real life lesson in supply and demand. When he put out an APB on behalf of the DHS’s Science and Technology Directorate (S&T) looking for volunteers to test a new radio that allows first responders to talk to one another across different frequency bands, the line of interested agencies was long and eager.

The challenge of aligning communications among different first responders — such as fire fighters, police officers, and emergency medical teams — has grown apace with the size and sophistication of response teams and plans. As the construction of public safety systems consumed all the available channels in a single radio band, the government logically opened up other bands. Radio equipment lagged behind, however, continuing to operate on just one spectrum band. This limitation did indeed create communications hurdles during the most serious emergencies — natural disasters and terrorist attacks.

“The issue of being able to talk to each other has been such a prominent one for so long, responder agencies were jumping at the opportunity to test the new radios we were evaluating,” said Chirhart, who manages S&T’s three-and-a-half-year-old multi-band radio (MBR) research project.

Starting this month, fourteen agencies across the United States will have the opportunity to try out this leading edge technology with fellow first responders through 30-day pilot projects.

Ashley Strickland, a captain at the Pittsboro Fire Department in Indiana who tested out an early multi-band radio prototype, observes that interoperability issues have become more important in the last decade as first responders now routinely respond to emergencies outside their official jurisdiction. “Ten to fifteen years ago you wouldn’t see many fire departments cross their borders on a daily basis,” said Strickland. “Today, these ‘border drops’ are more common than not. Whoever is the closest fire department goes on the run. To have that happen you need interoperable equipment that works so you can talk to different agencies.”

Boise Fire Department Captain Paul Roberts thinks about multi-band radio innovation much in the way he thinks about his smartphone. Once upon a time (not too long ago, actually), if you wanted to make a few phone calls, listen to your favorite tunes, edit your calendar, download e-mails, and surf the Web, you had to tote around five separate, bulky devices and all but wear a utility belt. The extra weight slowed