A communications system interoperability assessment of 75 urban and metropolitan areas nationwide reveals that overall most large cities deserve average to above-average grades on their progress reports. To gauge readiness, the U.S. Department of Homeland Security (DHS) examined the policies, technologies and training required to enable emergency personnel from multiple jurisdictions to communicate effectively within one hour of an incident. While some counties and cities are going above and beyond what is expected of them, others still are in the early stages of implementation.

The assessment was released this month, just days before the DHS announced that approximately $1.7 billion in grants will be awarded to fund state and local counterterrorism efforts (see News Briefs). The announcement also relayed changes occurring in homeland security grant programs to cities and localities. According to Homeland Security Secretary Michael Chertoff, interaction between the applicants and department personnel will increase and communities facing the highest risk will receive the majority of the funds. For the first time, high-risk cities will be allowed to dedicate up to 25 percent of their awards toward current state and local personnel who focus exclusively on counterterrorism field operations.

The progress report concentrated only on communications interoperability issues, and DHS officials say the results of the evaluation will not directly affect homeland security grant funding. However, the department expects these communities to use the scorecard information to decide where best to invest funds to increase interoperability. Since 2003, the department has spent $2.9 billion to improve the interoperability of state and local communications systems.

Five panels of subject matter experts reviewed the 75 urban and metropolitan locations. Panelists included state and local public safety and communications experts as well as representatives from the DHS Wireless Management Office and SAFECOM, the communications program of the department’s Office for Interoperability and Compatibility. The evaluation focused on the progress cities had made in three categories: governance, which comprises leadership and strategic planning; standard operating procedures (SOPs), which consist of plans and procedures; and equipment usage during real-world operations and exercises.

Each region received one of four implementation grades—early, intermediate, established or advanced—that reflected advancement in each of the three categories. Urban areas were considered to be in the early stages of implementation if they have only informal groups that make decisions and if they have not yet developed a plan for communications interoperability. In terms of SOPs, metropolitan areas at this level have developed but not distributed their procedures. An examination of usage shows that these urban areas rarely employ interoperable communications capabilities.

Regions that received a grade of intermediate have formal and informal agreements among their decision makers, some SOPs in place and first responders who use interoperability solutions regularly.

Urban areas that have reached an established level of implementation maintain formal agreements that outline the roles and responsibilities of a decision-making group. During exercises, these cities demonstrated their SOPs and successfully exhibited interoperability between multiple agencies.

“Advanced implementation” was the top grade metropolitan areas could receive. These cities and counties not only have a decision-making body set up but also are looking for ways to expand that body’s membership. Regional SOPs have been reviewed through the individual areas’ Tactical Interoperable Communications Plan process, are in position and are used regularly. First responders in these areas exploit interoperability solutions frequently and seamlessly.

According to the report, all urban and metropolitan areas examined have policies in place for interoperable communications. However, regular testing and exercises are needed to link disparate systems effectively and to facilitate communications between responders from different jurisdictions. In addition, while first responders in the field are cooperating well, governance has not been formalized as well across regions.

Some metropolitan areas have been working diligently on their interoperability issues and received top grades across the board. For example, the DHS panel concluded that the National Capital Region, which includes the District of Columbia as well as parts of Virginia and Maryland, has reached the level of advanced implementation in all three categories. Columbus, Ohio; areas in South Dakota and Wyoming; and the Twin Cities of Minnesota also received the top grades for all categories.

Many urban areas on both U.S. coasts also achieved high grades. DHS evaluators found that the vast majority of California’s metropolitan areas have reached a level of either established implementation or advanced implementation. San Francisco was the one notable exception in California’s progress. Although the city and the counties surrounding it demonstrated established implementation in the equipment usage area, they remain at the intermediate level for leadership and planning as well as SOPs.

In the South, the level of progress is mixed. While assessment of New Orleans’ communications interoperability revealed that its programs ranged from intermediate to advanced implementation, the city of Baton Rouge, Louisiana, and surrounding parishes have just begun to execute leadership and strategic planning, and their SOPs and equipment usage have reached the intermediate stage of implementation. Many metropolitan areas in Texas have achieved at least the intermediate level in most categories and the advanced level in a few.

The assessment showed consistency of progress in both New Jersey and New York. All of New Jersey’s evaluated cities and counties demonstrated established implementation for all categories. This also was the case for New York City, and areas of upstate New York showed similar gains. In addition, Boston received established implementation scores across the board.

According to the evaluation, Chicago was the only large city with below average to average scores in each category. Cook County, which includes the city of Chicago and 128 municipalities, is only in the early implementation stage for leadership and strategic planning and at the intermediate level for both SOPs and usage.

Chertoff says that the progress that many urban areas have made in closing communications gaps among first responders demonstrates that basic interoperability at the command level can be achieved. “We’re committed to making this a priority in every major urban area, and we’ll continue to push for closing these gaps by the end of 2008,” he states.