The Pennsylvania Office of Public Safety Radio Services Holds Interoperability Conference

The Pennsylvania Office of Public Safety Radio Services Holds Interoperability Conference

FEMA Official Says PA Moving in Right Direction

STATE COLLEGE, Pa., June 14 /PRNewswire-USNewswire/ -- More than 200 stakeholders representing first emergency responders and federal, state and local organizations gathered today to find ways to improve emergency response communications in Pennsylvania.

The one-day conference, sponsored by the Office of Public Safety Radio Services in partnership with the Pennsylvania Commission on Crime and Delinquency and Penn State University, focused on defining, promoting and standardizing response communications interoperability with the Pennsylvania Statewide Radio Network.

"We are committed to fostering the most effective communications between state agencies and local first responders and we plan to create interoperability solutions tailored to both county and state needs," said Secretary of Administration Joe Martz. "We are dedicated to establishing a communications link between the state and all 67 counties regardless of the type of radio system each county may have."

Conference sessions included details on how each county can connect to the state's radio network. The key objectives of the conference were to:

-- Educate counties on the four ways to connect to the statewide radio
network;

-- Enhance the counties' understanding of the commonwealth's role in
interoperability planning and implementation in Pennsylvania; and

-- Enhance the state's understanding of the counties' technical and
operational requirements for intercommunication.

This forum is a vital step in the development of the commonwealth's statewide interoperability plan, which is required by the U.S. Department of Homeland Security before the end of this year. Federal grant funding of $1 billion is available for nationwide distribution to promote public safety communications interoperability.

Glenn Cannon, director of response for the Federal Emergency Management Agency, told conferees that Pennsylvania is moving in the right direction by coming together to develop a common plan for communicating among the many different types of public safety communications systems.

Law enforcement agencies, fire and emergency medical services providers, public safety agencies, mass transit and port authority agencies, as well as private-sector communications technology and service suppliers attended the conference.

CONTACT: Mia DeVane

(717) 772-4237

Source: Pennsylvania Office of Administration

CONTACT: Mia DeVane of the Pennsylvania Office of Administration,
+1-717-772-4237

Web site:

http://www.state.pa.us/

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