Subject: [NEXTEL-1] D.C. to Test Emergency Transmission Network

From: [email-masked]
Date: Sun, 15 Feb 2004 02:49:38 -0500

D.C. to Test Emergency Transmission Network

By Yuki Noguchi
Washington Post Staff Writer
Friday, February 13, 2004; Page E05

The District of Columbia is beginning a pilot
program for emergency communications
that government officials hope could
become a template for cities around the
country.

The government will install a private
wireless network somewhat similar to a
cellular-phone network for police, fire and
other emergency workers that will allow
high-speed video, database and voice
transmission inside the Capital Beltway. The
$2.7 million trial program will last for a year.

About 200 people from public safety
agencies and Washington Metropolitan Area
Transit Authority will be allowed to connect
to the network on their laptops and handheld
computers during the trial period, the city
said.

"Washington is the first city to have the
whole city covered with this high-speed
mobile data network" for public safety use,
said Suzanne Peck, the District's chief
technology officer. If successful, she said,
she hopes the idea will be repeated in cities
across the country.

The new wireless system will be set up by
Motorola Inc., which is installing the and
maintaining the systems, and Flarion
Technologies Inc., which designed the
wireless technology. Using this system, an
emergency worker could mount a small
camera on a helmet when entering a
dangerous area, for example, and feed live
video back to a command station. A camera
mounted onto a helicopter could relay
images as well.

Getting reliable and secure communications is essential in emergency situations
to coordinate
emergency response, Peck said. Cellular and conventional telephone systems often
get clogged when
disaster strikes, which is why it is necessary to set up the city's own
communications system.

The city has yet to determine how much it would cost to maintain the network
over the long term, if
the trial program proves effective, Peck said.

It will also be used for everyday types of applications, such as for sending
photos from a crime scene,
or scanning and sending out photos for an Amber missing child alert, said Chuck
Jackson, vice
president of systems operations for Motorola.

Flarion systems are already being tested in commercial networks in Europe and
South Korea, said Ray
Dolan, chairman and chief executive. Last week Nextel Communications Inc. in
Reston said it would
test Flarion's systems in Raleigh, where Nextel customers will be able to use
its systems to send videos
and other data.

http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/articles/A38246-2004Feb12.html

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