The Los Angeles County Sheriff’s Office will use Rockwell Collins’ UrgentLink disaster communications network as a backup if primary communication infrastructure fails during natural or man-made disasters.
As a beyond-line-of-sight communications system that operates on the high-frequency (HF) communications system authorized by the Federal Communications Commission (FCC), UrgentLink creates communication coverage redundancies using ground stations based throughout the United States.
“The residents that we serve deserve to have the confidence in knowing that, even under the most extreme conditions, some communications platforms will be operational during a disaster,” Dean Gialamas, division director of the LA Sheriff’s Technology and Support Division, said. “This is an important addition towards expanding our disaster communications capabilities.”
The sheriff’s office has also announced plans to expand the UrgentLink system in the future, ensuring that first responders, hospitals and critical industries to remain connected through cell phones, landlines or land mobile radio systems.
“The Los Angeles County Sheriff’s Department continues to lead the nation by deploying the UrgentLink disaster communications system,” Scott Edson, executive director of the Los Angeles Regional Interoperable Communications System, said. “Given the most recent disasters in Northern California and elsewhere, I believe other law enforcement and fire service agencies in California and across the country would do well to consider adopting this unique disaster communications system as well.”
Marvin Ingram, principal program manager at Rockwell Collins, said the UrgentLink system provides public safety grade, mission-critical alternatives to amateur radios and commercial satellites.
“It’s affordable, easy to deploy and links directly to Rockwell Collins’ proprietary HF Cellular managed network,” Ingram said.