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And We're Off and Running

"In the days and weeks ahead, our nation must ask tough questions about the response to the national tragedy in Louisiana, Mississippi and Alabama," Stupak wrote. "One thing is clear: The inability of our first responders to communicate is one of the biggest factors hindering our relief efforts. As a former law-enforcement officer and founder of the Congressional Law Enforcement Caucus, I once again call on your Administration to finally make a commitment to the public-safety officials who are working so bravely and diligently in the devastated areas of the Gulf by making a meaningful investment in public-safety communications and interoperability."

After Katrina: Congressman Slams Comms Funding: TelecomWeb Congressman Bart Stupak of Michigan knows what he's talking about when he calls for a better approach to communication for first responders. He's a former law-enforcement officer and founded the Congressional Law Enforcement Caucus. Some facts and estimates he cites to make his case:

- 80 percent of local U.S. first responders are unable to communicate with their counterparts at other agencies
- 97 percent of cities are unprepared to communicate during a chemical plant disaster
- 94 percent are unprepared for a rail disaster
- 92 percent are unprepared for a seaport disaster

There's a common thread building here. See similar comments from an expert of a different sort, former FCC Chairman Reed Hundt, highlighted on these pages a few weeks ago. Let's Use Proven Tools to Fix What's Broken - Amen, Reed, Amen.

One of the perplexing things for those of us who don't live "inside the beltway" is the painstakingly slow pace of progress on what should be patently obvious. Hello, Washington leaders, in a disaster, you get help from wherever you can find it, and on-site responders need to talk to each other and coordinate their efforts, or its a mess (I could use stronger language here).

Yet, four full years after 9/11, we see a glaring problem that has not been solved, much less addressed. First responders can't talk to each other after a disaster. The problem is described very factually, in excruciating detail in the June 2004 The United States Conference of Mayors Interoperability Survey, wherein mayors from 192 cities make very plain the problem and its root causes.

Communication in a disaster would seem to be a fairly straightforward problem to address and one that would have a sense of urgency attached to it. And yet, people died in New Orleans because of such a poorly coordinated response to a national disaster. This is a national shame and an utter failure of our nation's political leaders to do the most basic of their jobs, to keep our nation safe.

Hopefully, the efforts of leaders like Congressman Stupak will start to bear fruit now that Katrina has caught the attention of our representatives in Washington. Hopefully, they will turn from a focus on the politics of staying in office to a focus on the governing tasks of stewardship of a body public. Hopefully, our nation's voters will replace those who fail to lead and govern.

Let's hold on to our hopes, but in the meantime, prepare at the local level with municipal wireless broadband. Its within our grasp, and while help from Washington would speed things along, mayors can do this now without the help of the federal government. Either way, here's a call for leadership on this vital issue. As the saying goes,

Lead, follow, or get out of the way.

Posted on September 30, 2005 at 09:03 AM

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