Survey reveals coordination outweighs spectrum for solving interoperability
Results of a new survey of public safety professionals show that nearly 80% of those responding to the APCO Public Safety Communications Priorities Survey believe that coordination among public safety agencies is key to resolving interoperability problems.
According to an APCO press release, development of new technologies (28%) and additional spectrum (17%) were also considered important factors in solving the interoperability issues “plaguing our nation’s first responders.”
The survey uncovered some differences of opinion across the public safety community. While public safety communicators agree with the overall findings, 58% of the respondents indicated that funding is the most important issue facing their communities, while 26% specified wireless E9-1-1 as the most pressing issue.
Security and redundancy were also deemed critical as public safety communities develop appropriate homeland security responses.
“Clearly, the industry feels that having the best and most reliable applications and services is increasingly vital,” said Glen Nash, APCO International president. “It is clear from this survey that the public safety communications community is a critical member of the first response community and has much to contribute in developing comprehensive homeland security strategies.”
Other key findings included that 75% of respondents believed that network security and reliability is critical to homeland security.
Respondents also attributed “carrier delay” as the primary reason for E9-1-1 deployment setbacks.
Also, the report uncovered that since Sept. 11, public safety communications agencies have experienced increased anxiety among callers, increased reports of suspicious activity and increased questions from citizens concerning security precautions and advisories.