Interoperability is the ability to provide successful and trustable communications and services between end users across a mixed environment of different domain, network architectures, equipment, etc., from different manufacturers / providers. It provides a certain level of abstraction to the end-user, ensuring that the product will work with existing systems, without prior efforts or extra components. Now more than ever, our nation’s emergency responders require interoperability – the ability of public safety agencies to talk across disciplines and jurisdictions via radio communications systems, exchanging voice and/or data with one another on demand, in real time, when authorized. (Reference: “Statewide Communication Interoperability Planning (SCIP) Methodology” SAFECOM and Homeland Security. 2006)

Interoperability is a critical necessity to

• Improve the ability of public safety officers to save lives and property,
• Facilitate rapid and efficient interaction among all public safety organizations,
• Provide immediate and coordinated assistance in day-to-day missions, task force operations, and mass-casualty incidents.

A technical solution, however, will not fully address all interoperability barriers. Without doubt, one of the biggest challenges to solving interoperability problems is the organizational and political obstacles of making decisions that cross geographic and political boundaries. It is quite common for one jurisdiction’s rules and regulations to conflict with a neighboring jurisdiction. In a multi-jurisdictional response to a disaster, emergency responders will inherently operate under the communication protocols and operational culture of the unit to which they are assigned. Simply buying new equipment or standardizing police radio codes will not fix the problem.

To truly achieve a seamless network of public safety communications, jurisdictions must have “organizational” interoperability. Multiple agencies that are not accustomed to working together must now plan and exercise together to prepare for short- and long-term disaster responses. A culture of coordination and collaboration must be established to ensure that the perspectives of law enforcement, emergency services and public safety support agencies are considered.

Technical solutions can be attained, but without coordination, cooperation, and planning among agencies, the technologies cannot be implemented to their greatest potential. Fortunately, the lack of communication interoperability is a man-made problem and therefore can be solved.