WASHINGTON – With more than 80 percent of America’s local first responders not able to interoperate with their counterparts at agencies, the inability of first responders to communicate with each other is a major concern. Congressman Bart Stupak (D-MI) along with Congressmen Vito Fossella (R-NY) and Eliot Engel (D-NY) reintroduced the Public Safety Interoperability Implementation Act to create an essential funding source to ensure critical communications investments occur.

“Daily we are reminded about the people both living in the U.S. and abroad threatening our safety. President Bush said in 2002 that the first minutes and hours after an attack are critical and it is essential to have the equipment, strategies and communications for our first responders,” Stupak said. “Yet in the last two years, the President has not included funding to address the problem.”

Stupak’s bill would establish the Public Safety Communications Trust Fund. After an initial three year grant program, the funding for the Trust Fund will come from future sales of spectrum, or public air waves. Grants will be allocated to eligible entities to achieve interoperability, with multi-year grants available to ensure that agencies can develop long term plans without having to worry about funding from one year to the next. 

A report issued by the U.S. Conference of Mayors last June stated that 97 percent of cities are unprepared to communicate during a chemical plant disaster; 94 percent are unprepared during a rail disaster; and 92 percent are unprepared during a seaport disaster. While costs for full interoperability are estimated at $18 billion, for the 2^nd year in a row the President’s budget completely zeros out specific funding for interoperability.

“The 9-11 Commission concluded that the inability of first responders from different agencies to talk to one another was a key factor in the death of at least 121 fire fighters,” Stupak said. “We would save lives with improvements to communication through something as simple as talking to one another over a radio network, regardless of agency or jurisdiction. Making funding available for interoperability is vital in protecting our homeland.”

The 9-11 Commission Report said, “the inability to communicate was a critical element of the World Trade Center, Pentagon, Somerset County, Pennsylvania, crash sites where multiple agencies and multiple jurisdictions responded.  The occurrence of this problem at three very different sites is strong evidence that compatible and adequate communications among public safety organizations at the local, state and federal levels remains an important problem…Federal funding of such (interagency communication) units should be given high priority…”

Other original cosponsors include: Carolyn McCarthy (D-NY), James Oberstar (D-MN), Edolphus Towns (D-NY), Jerrold Nadler (D-NY), Gary Ackerman (D-NY), Michael McNulty (D-NY), Shelley Berkley (D-NV), Bart Gordon (D-TN).

An actuality is available at 1-800-320-6091. Enter access code 2721.

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