Sessions Applauds "First In The Nation" Interoperable Communications Network For First Responders

Press Release

Sessions Applauds "First In The Nation" Interoperable Communications Network For First Responders

U.S. Congressman Pete Sessions (R-Dallas) today applauded the City of Dallas Police, Fire-Rescue, and Aviation Departments for successfully implementing and operating a secure, interoperable communications system for local, state, and federal emergency personnel and the private sector.

Originally funded by a grant that Sessions secured from the U.S. Department of Homeland Security in 2005, the Dallas Interoperability Network solves one of the largest problems facing emergency response in our nation - the inability of first responders and law enforcement personnel to communicate with each other.

As the first in the nation and most advanced of its kind, this Network was showcased today as part of a successful Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) disaster drill held at Dallas' Love Field Airport.

"As we learned in the aftermath of 9/11, our public safety agencies must have the ability to communicate via secure radio systems to exchange voice, video and data information in real time," Sessions stated. "Today's disaster preparedness exercise highlights the completed goal of providing public safety officials at Dallas Love Field and in North Texas with cutting-edge, interoperable communications capability."

The Dallas Interoperability Network was recently recognized as a "best practice and model" for first responder communications by the U.S. Department of Homeland Security's Office of Interoperability and Compatibility (SAFECOM).[1] As a public-private partnership formed in 2005, the Dallas Interoperability Network's implementation represents a significant achievement that is now being used to support real-world events.

"This is truly a model for other cities, states, and the nation to follow, and I am pleased that the City of Dallas Police, Fire-Rescue, and Aviation Departments are leading the nation and paving the way to solving a critical homeland security challenge," said Sessions.

Assistant Airport Manager Terry Mitchell said, "Having real time access to reliable, secure communications is critically important. This exercise gives individuals and agencies the opportunity to use the Dallas Interoperability Network to practice and refine their inter-agency and inter-departmental procedures contained in the airport emergency plan using a unified command structure."

"The interoperable communications system in operation at Love Field increases the effectiveness of our individual agency and overall response capabilities by allowing us to securely share and leverage different communication resources both day-to-day and during emergencies," Mitchell concluded.

Deployed by the City of Dallas, the interoperable communications system is based on CoCo Communications' software that makes two-way radios compatible with other radios and commonly deployed devices, such as cellular phones and laptops, by creating a common interface that can be shared by all available resources. Known as the "CoCo Protocol," this overlay software technology "rides" on top of existing network infrastructures, thereby eliminating communication breakdowns created when systems fail to communicate to each other due to differing frequencies or operating systems.

[1] "Innovation and Cooperation in the Lone Star State." SAFECOM's Interoperability Technology Today. Spring 2007.

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