Baton Rouge
– Today the Governor’s
Office of Homeland
Security and Emergency
Preparedness (GOHSEP),
the
Louisiana State
Police (LSP) and the
Statewide Interoperable
Communication System
Executive Committee
report the status of the
Statewide Interoperable
Communications System
and its recommended funding
for the fiscal year 2008
- 2009.
Key lessons learned that
have driven planning in
Louisiana over the last
several years include
those learned in the
nation’s response to the
9-11 terror attacks, and
the state’s response to
Hurricanes Katrina and
Rita. Louisiana’s
response to the
Hurricanes highlighted
the state’s need for
more robust systems to
support communication
among local, state, and
federal first
responders. In
September of 2005,
Louisiana partnered with
the federal government
and local agencies to
secure funding for
initial implementation
of the statewide system
in southeast Louisiana.
This
statewide communications
system is designed to
support statewide
interagency
interoperability among
local and state agency
first responders during
times of emergency,
mutual aid response and
day to day operations.
“During emergency
situations it is a
necessity that local and
state responders are
able to directly
communicate with one
another, and this system
will allow that
capability,” said Mark
Cooper, Director of
GOHSEP, “With this
funding Louisiana will
achieve 95% portable
radio coverage
statewide.”
Today, this system is
operational in all
parishes south of the
I-10 corridor and in
southeast Louisiana.
Currently the system has
6,712 state users and
8,410 local users, with
many agencies planning
to connect to the system
within the year 2008.
A multiphase
implementation strategy
was adopted due to the
overwhelming expense of
developing this
statewide system, which
will allow the initial
system acquisitions cost
to be spread across an
acceptable period of
time.
Phase I refers to the
areas along the Gulf
Coast which are most
prone to catastrophic
natural disasters. Phase
II refers to the
build-out in the middle
section of the State.
Phase III refers to the
build-out in the
northern part of the
state. Phase IV refers
to the addition of 34
sites, deployed
statewide, providing
secure 95% or better
coverage when using a
portable radio inside a
building at street level
in the more densely
populated seven
metropolitan areas of
the State, and secure
95% or better coverage
when using a mobile
street level radio in
all other areas of the
State, which will
optimize and further
improve statewide
interoperable
communications.
Louisiana continues to
pursue funding from
various federal, state,
local and private
sources to implement a
shared vision of a
statewide communications
system, with capacity
and capability to
transmit emergency
communications for
voice, data and imagery
technology for
Louisiana’s first
responders. Louisiana
has fostered development
of state and local
partnerships and ensures
communication and
coordination occurs at
all levels, on all
issues.
"The Louisiana State
Police is committed to
working with our state
and local partners to
realize interoperable
communications for
public safety
professionals across the
state," stated Colonel
Mike Edmonson.
"Utilizing this funding
to expand our collective
resources will help us
in accomplishing our
goal."
FY 2008-2009 Executive
Budget Recommendation:
Ř
$21.1
million will fund
connectivity for the
northern areas of the
state to the statewide
system, in addition to
the purchase of a master
site, which will provide
redundant connectivity.
Ř
$3.7
million will fund the
purchase of
approximately 1,057
portable or mobile
radios for local and
state agency responders
throughout Louisiana.
Ř
$8.4
million will fund
ongoing statewide system
maintenance provided by
the Louisiana Department
of Public Safety and
Corrections, Public
Safety Services.
Ř
$483,000
will fund 4 full-time
dedicated
interoperability
positions, which will
provide executive staff
support for planning,
policy and research.
The State’s plan is
purposely flexible, to
meet the challenges in
funding sources,
development of a
standard operating
procedures, on-going
evaluation of system
capacity and emerging
technologies, and public
information to increase
local buy-in and usage.
