The ability of emergency responders to effectively communicate is paramount to the safety and security of our Nation. During the last three decades, the Nation has witnessed how inadequate emergency communications capabilities can adversely affect response and recovery efforts. Locally, agencies developed ad hoc solutions to overcome these challenges. The issue of inadequate coordination of emergency communications received national attention in the aftermath of the January 1982 passenger jet crash into the 14th Street Bridge (and, subsequently, the Potomac River) near downtown Washington, DC. The inability of multiple jurisdictions to coordinate a response to the Air Florida crash began to drive regional collaboration. More recently, the terrorist attacks of September 11, Hurricane Katrina, and other natural and man-made disasters have demonstrated how emergency communications capabilities—in particular the lack of those capabilities—impact emergency responders, public health, national and economic security, and the ability of government leaders to maintain order and perform essential functions.4
During each of these events, the lack of coordinated emergency communications solutions and protocols among the responding agencies hindered response and recovery efforts. These events raised awareness of the issue among public policymakers and highlighted the critical role emergency communications plays in incident response. These events also prompted numerous national studies and assessments on the state of emergency communications, which in turn has helped DHS to formulate a unified approach for addressing emergency communications.5