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Wavelengths
Embracing change
By Mary Rose Roberts
February 29, 2008
LAS VEGAS--Sometimes life forces us to change, even when we're not
ready. Often, it's gradual. At other times, it comes at us so fast we
have to hold on for dear life. And it may happen to us directly or
indirectly through heartbreaking events that change the way we see the
world.
In fact, tragedy is way too commonplace. We move about in our daily
routine only to be blindsided by a disaster, be it from the wrath of
Mother Nature or the result of a man-made event. In my lifetime alone, I
have seen the devastation of a terrorist attack -- a day I will never
forget -- as well as destructive hurricanes, tsunamis and wars. We also
live in a time where our youth, instead of being focused on furthering
their education on university campuses, fear reprisal from mentally ill
and unstable people who unleash their rage on unsuspecting students and
their faculty. We saw this at Virginia Tech and just last month at
Northern Illinois University (NIU) in DeKalb, Ill., where the safety of
a lecture hall turned into a parent's worst nightmare.
Everyone wants to be safe, to live their lives knowing that their daily
routine will move forward uninterrupted by tragedy. But those tasked
with keeping our family, neighbors and colleagues alive and secure
during emergency situations are only human. Yes, they've done the
training. They run drills before they apply them in real-life scenarios.
They believe in their mission. But in the end, each first responder
depends, to some degree, on technological innovation and vendors that
bring their wares to market to ensure they can respond appropriately to
an incident.
The International Wireless Communications Expo is a reminder of this,
with multiple vendors introducing new radio technologies with the
promise of performance and reliability. But one area specifically where
public-safety innovation is behind commercial capabilities is E-911.
Commercial carriers let cell phone users send multimedia and still
images from one end of the country to the other. Friends and family can
sign up for unlimited text messaging to keep in touch. Yet, if someone
witnesses a crime in progress and captures an image on one of these
commercial devices, what's next? How does that data transmit to a 911
center?
We all know that it doesn't.
Think of those students in the lecture hall at Virginia Tech of NIU.
Each one probably was armed with a cell phone that had the capability to
capture still images and send text messages. Imagine the information
that could have been sent to campus police and local law enforcement
during the shooting rampage if students transmitted information or
images of the event. First responders would have been able to recognize
the subject, know his or her location and save precious minutes by
responding with a full cache of information. It could have been the
difference between life and death for many students who perished that
day.
Public-safety access points (PSAPs) will adapt to the new technologies,
but they still await legislative action and technological innovation to
help move them in the right direction.
In addition, there is the human aspect. Call takers and operators jobs
continue to be more sophisticated than 15, 10 or even 5 years ago. Each
must learn new call-taking software. Handling calls and data from
wireless devices will require new processes and procedures. As well,
access to more information about emergency situations will involve new
decision-support tools that will interpret the data for call takers and
dispatchers.
Change is scary. For PSAPs and those personnel essential to the success
of E-911, it means reinventing how they do their jobs. With wireless
voice and data devices becoming more ubiquitous, however, so will the
challenges faced by an already overworked and overstressed segment of
the first-responder community: 911 operators and call takers. But each
must embrace these disruptions to their daily routine, because, whether
each is ready, change is needed -- and coming full speed ahead.
E-mail at mroberts@mrtmag.com.
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In the news
IWCE:
Daniels expands transportable repeater system
By Glenn Bischoff
February 29, 2008
LAS VEGAS--Daniels Electronics announced the addition of
a portable, collapsible antenna mast, solar panel and battery for use
with its transportable repeater system, which was introduced two years
ago.
IWCE:
M/A-COM debuts software-update solution
By Donny Jackson
February 29, 2008
LAS VEGAS--Tyco Electronics' M/A-COM this week at the
International Wireless Communications Expo (IWCE) introduced the
SUMSplus automation server, which is designed to simplify third-party
software maintenance in many of the company's LMR networks.
IWCE: Rugged
encryption key management device
By Glenn Bischoff
February 29, 2008
LAS VEGAS--Tait Radio Communications introduced during
IWCE 2008 in Las Vegas this week its Key Fill Device that is designed to
let a tactical squad or SWAT team quickly and efficiently load an
encryption key onto radios in the field.
More News
Hydrogen
fuel cell
February 29, 2008
Space-saving
interface for dispatch workstations
February 29, 2008
Pyramid
Communications unveils two new vehicular repeaters
February 29, 2008
Dekolink
announces mid-power signal booster
February 29, 2008
Bird
Technologies launches spectrum analyzer
February 29, 2008
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