Today San Francisco Mayor Gavin Newsom and Oakland Mayor Ron Dellums announced the nation's largest urban area collaboration to streamline communications between first responders.

"Today, as we mark the sixth anniversary of 9/11, the best way we can pay tribute to the fallen is by giving our first responders the tools to handle a major disaster," said Newsom. "By connecting our first responders, we are ensuring that we will be better prepared for future disasters -- natural or man-made."

"As we remember the tragic events of 9/11, the images are still clear in our hearts and minds," said Dellums. "As heart-wrenching as that day was, we've all accepted the challenge to learn from it. This initiative provides our first responders with the ability to communicate with other cities and counties across the Bay Area, further improving upon the way our emergency officials can respond."

The mayors said that the scarcity of radio frequencies has hindered the ability of public safety agencies to communicate with one another - an issue known as interoperability. Many jurisdictions use different or incompatible systems and equipment that create a significant barrier to effective communication during critical events or disasters. These problems were highlighted in New York City during 9/11. The Oakland firestorm and the Loma Prieta earthquake brought the same challenges to the Bay Area.

Over the past year, through the leadership of San Francisco, Oakland and San Jose and the counties of Alameda, Contra Costa, San Mateo, Marin and Santa Clara - along with support from the Bay Area Super Urban Security Initiative (SUASI) - Bay Area jurisdictions formed an alliance, the Bay Area Interoperable Communications Initiative, that has produced a plan to streamline and connect the Bay Area's first responders.

"Disasters don't recognize city or county borders," said San Jose Mayor Chuck Reed. "By working together as a region, our firefighters, police officers and medical personnel can respond more quickly in times of crisis."

Key Elements of the plan:
 

• Construction of a regional, shared communications network to provide voice and data interoperability between the Bay Area and into the Sacramento area. Funded by federal grants, completion is expected within one year.

•  Implementation of a standards-based communications network utilizing new 700MHz public safety voice channels (available in 2009) in the urban areas, and VHF in the rural areas. This innovative hybrid design will provide seamless roaming and interoperability capability all on the same network.

Target Timeline for Completion of the Initiative

Five-year strategic planning process is currently underway. Project implementation began in 2006 and will continue to occur in phases. Dependent on funding, estimated completion at the end of 2010.

Funding Sources

• $15M: PSIC Grant (Public Safety Interoperable Communications) for Bay Area

• $17.5M: SUASI (Super Urban Area Security Initiative), which includes:

• 2006 - $6.5M

• 2007 - $11.5M

• 2008-2010 - to be determined