January 17-18, 2012 | Wausau, Wisconsin
Featured National Interoperability Expert Sessions
Joplin Tornado: Communications Challenges and Successes
Jonathan Ayres ~
Director, Office of Emergency Management, Laclede County, MissouriIn late May 2011; emergency services personnel from across Missouri and the Midwest were taking a well-deserved break for the weekend after wrapping up the 2011 National Level Exercise; focused on the New Madrid Seismic Zone. Little did they know that just 2 days later; many of the resources, plans, and personnel that they had tested during the week-long exercise would be used in one of the largest single incidents in recent history. On Sunday, May 22, 2011 an EF-5 Tornado struck the city of Joplin, Missouri destroying a third of the city; killing 161 people and injuring over 1,000. This presentation will give information on the size and scope of the incident; then focus on the communications challenges and successes that were found along the way.
In the Beginning with WyoLink: Lessons Learned
Robert Symons ~
Administrative Support, Public Safety Communications Commission, State of Wyoming
This presentation will discuss some of the challenges Wyoming experienced while launching WyoLink, a statewide digital trunked VHF P-25 compliant public safety communications system designed to coordinate and integrate communications between state, local, and federal public safety agencies.
Benefits of Tactical Interoperability Planning (TICP): Real World Application
Eric Burmeister ~
Director, Marinette County Emergency Management
Eric will discuss how having a TICP benefited his county during recent incidents. Effective interoperable communications is the ability of public safety agencies to communicate. There is a misconception that public safety agencies across jurisdictions/jurisdictional boundaries can communicate with each other effectively and efficiently during a crisis; however this is often not the case. Pre-planning through a TICP is needed to insure communication flows effortlessly during an incident.