WASHINGTON—States have made significant progress toward achieving interoperable communications, but more work is needed before information can be freely exchanged among jurisdictions during an emergency, according to a new Issue Brief by the NGA Center for Best Practices (NGA Center). 

The Issue Brief, Advancing Public Safety Interoperable Communications: Recent State Actions, highlights states' progress to date in advancing interoperability and reviews the obstacles they face to efficiently sharing information across all levels of government. Interoperable communications allow first responders, public safety agencies and leadership to communicate and operate effectively during an emergency situation. The NGA Center's 2008 Homeland Security Directors' Survey identified public safety interoperability as one of the top priorities of state and territorial homeland security advisors.

"Emergency response officials consistently cite the ability to communicate with other first responders as critical to being able to better protect the public in the face of any emergency," said John Thomasian, director of the NGA Center. "Over the last several years, governors' leadership has bolstered statewide and regional communication interoperability capacity."

According to the report, states continue to face challenges to interoperability in five key areas, including informal oversight and governance; uncoordinated Standard Operating Procedures; incompatible and obsolete technology; infrequent and inconsistent trainings and exercises; and difficulty integrating interoperability into routine, daily use. 

The brief recommends several strategies governors can follow to overcome these challenges, including:

• Strengthen governance by gaining commitments from all disciplines in the state through a statewide interoperability coordinator;
• Foster development of Standard Operating Procedures through collaboration across disciplines;
• Fund technology for the long-term by planning and budgeting for ongoing updates to systems, procedures, and documentation;
• Develop routine trainings and exercises for interoperable communications; and
• Encourage the use of interoperable communications on a routine basis.

For more information, please visit www.nga.org/center/hst.

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Founded in 1908, the National Governors Association (NGA) is the collective voice of the nation's governors and one of Washington, D.C.'s most respected public policy organizations. Its members are the governors of the 50 states, three territories and two commonwealths. NGA provides governors and their senior staff members with services that range from representing states on Capitol Hill and before the Administration on key federal issues to developing and implementing innovative solutions to public policy challenges through the NGA Center for Best Practices. For more information, visit www.nga.org.