NCJ Number
210086
Journal
Law and Order Volume: 53 Issue: 5 Dated: May 2005 Pages: 60-63
Date Published
May 2005
Length
4 pages
Annotation
This article first describes the features of Communications-Applied Technology's Incident Commander Radio Interface (ICRI) and then presents two case studies in which the ICRI has been a cost-effective means of enabling emergency responders from different jurisdictions and agencies to communicate with one another across incompatible radio systems.
Abstract
Costing less than $6,500 per unit, the portable ICRI accepts audio from 5 incompatible radios and 1 telephone, automatically switching signals between them to create an "audio bridge." The ICRI accomplishes this by plugging into each radio's microphone and speaker ports. The ICRI is portable, lightweight, and easy to install and remove from a vehicle. This is why it has been purchased and installed by the Jefferson County Type III Incident Management Team in Colorado, as well as the Cambria County Department of Emergency Management in western Pennsylvania. Jefferson County encompasses 774 square miles of suburbs, industry, and business offices. Incompatible radio systems are used by the county's police, fire, and emergency medical services. The need for interoperability was apparent, leading the county's Type III Incident Management Team (IMT) to purchase two ICRIs in 2000. Currently, the IMT has one of the ICRIs, with the other having been assigned to the Jefferson County Sheriff's Department. With this system, managing multiagency communications in Jefferson County has become easy and affordable. Cambria County's first-responder agencies have a lot of territory to cover, and incompatible radio systems have complicated the effectiveness of cooperative responses. The City of Johnstown bought an ICRI and installed it inside the assistant fire chief's Chevy Suburban, added a rooftop satellite antenna/transceiver and a WiFi transceiver and achieved interoperability. Placing the equipment on a pallet makes it easy to remove and install in another vehicle in a matter of hours.