Payne says interoperability for first responders among biggest challenges

U.S. Rep. Donald Payne, Jr. (D-NJ) recently said that continuing to improve interoperability among first responders and ensuring that they have access to the best equipment and technology are his top goals.

Payne, who serves as the ranking member of the House Homeland Security Subcommittee on Emergency Preparedness, Response and Communications, said that more progress needs to be made to ensure that police, fire and medical services operate on the same bandwidth to facilitate critical communication during emergencies.

“Interoperability has really been one of the issues that we’ve seen that causes a real problem when we have a disaster,” Payne told Homeland Preparedness News in a recent interview.

During emergencies, disasters or severe weather, wireless service can be unreliable and first responders in many parts of the country have to compete with the general public for limited bandwidth.

Payne said that he is in discussions with first responders from various agencies to determine how best to improve interoperability in order to craft new legislation.

Payne has been successful in pushing for improvements in communications within the Department of Homeland Security, with his Department of Homeland Security Interoperable Communications Act signed into law in 2015.

New technology to improve communication for first responders has been tested in Payne’s home state of New Jersey.

JerseyNet, the nation’s first deployable wireless communications network dedicated for use by public safety agencies, was created as part of the First Responder Network Authority’s nationwide public safety broadband network, which is still under development.

JerseyNet provides communication service throughout three regions in New Jersey – the Route 21 corridor, Camden and Atlantic City.

JerseyNet serves to facilitate the interoperability of existing on-scene radios to enable access to the mobile applications used by first responders. The service also provides Internet access that is not dependent on the existing commercial network.

Keeping first responders as safe as possible during emergencies and disasters is also a top priority for Payne. The House passed legislation authored by Payne in September to make it easier for first responders to acquire the new equipment and technologies they need to respond to evolving threats.

“We’re trying to stay on the cutting edge and see what the best equipment is and what we can do to get it in the hands of our first responders as quickly as possible,” Payne said.

The bill, the First Responder Access to Innovative Technologies Act, H.R. 5460, requires the Federal Emergency Management Agency to develop a review process for requests by first responders to use their Urban Area Security Initiative or State Homeland Security Grant Program funds to purchase equipment for which voluntary industry standards do not exist.

“A lot of times you can have a situation where you go through the grant process and get approval and by the time you go to market, the technology has evolved and there is something even better,” Payne said. “This will allow more flexibility in using those dollars.”

The House approved Payne’s bill as part of a package of six national security-related bills that drew bipartisan support.

Payne said that he is hopeful that the legislation will be approved by the Senate before the end of the year.