Copyright 2006 Capital City Press
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By MICHELLE MILLHOLLON
The Advocate
The state would hire a communications chief to make sure emergency responders can stay in touch during a storm under legislation that sailed through the Senate on Wednesday.
Senate Bill 739 by Sen. Walter Boasso would establish a framework for planning, implementing and maintaining a statewide interoperability plan.
An office of interoperability would be established within the Governor’s Office to direct a communications plan developed by local, state and federal officials.
The Senate unanimously passed the legislation. It moves to the House.
Interoperability - different agencies being able to talk to each other in a crisis - is a word that got kicked around after the Sept. 11, 2001, terrorist attacks.
The day of the attacks, firefighters raced into the blazing World Trade Center to rescue those inside. As the towers toppled, New York City police radioed for rescue workers to get out of the buildings.
The warning did not reach hundreds of firefighters because their radios were not compatible with the police equipment.
Four years later, the emergency communications system broke down during Hurricane Katrina, showing how little progress has been made in using the tools of technology to stay connected in a crisis.
Boasso, R-Arabi, said his legislation is a common sense approach to addressing the communication breakdown.
Many local governments in Louisiana are trying to upgrade to a 700-megahertz radio system. They still will not be able to talk to State Police unless they subscribe to the state system, Boasso said.
Sen. Tom Schedler, R-Mandeville, said it is absurd to force locals to pay to get into the system.
Boasso said the communications chief’s salary would be paid with federal funds.