Port Security Applied Policy Project - Belfer Center for Science and ...

Problem 3: Incompatible Communications Systems
receive instructions from its own agency’s command and control system. When
assets from various agencies are working together in the same vicinity, there may be
circumstances where communication between them is appropriate. For example, in a
typical search and rescue case where both the Coast Guard and another agency
respond, the Coast Guard will not tell the other agency’s boat where to go, but once
on scene, the boats will contact each other to coordinate the rescue effort. 149
Consideration must also be given to the volume of radio traffic that an interoperable
system would have to support. A study of first response at the World Trade Center
on September 11, 2001 conducted by McKinsey & Company concluded that
communications were completely overwhelmed by police officers, EMS personnel,
and firefighters speaking at the same time. 150 If the port agencies’ primary
communications channels were all patched onto a single frequency, a similar failure
may occur, resulting in response delays or unnecessary loss of life.
3) Accessibility: Solutions must be readily accessible during an emergency at the port
complex.
The purpose of having interoperable communications capabilities is for first
responders to be able to communicate while responding to a major emergency.
Solutions that require excessive time to transport or configure will be of limited use.
4) Vulnerability of infrastructure: Solutions cannot not rely on a fragile infrastructure.
Systems that rely on a fragile infrastructure are inherently vulnerable. The
communications infrastructure may sustain damage during a terrorist attack, or might
suffer a technical failure. Centralized common systems require more redundancy
because they are vulnerable, and breakdown could have disastrous consequences.
5) Cost: Higher priced solutions do not necessarily buy better results.
Communications solutions range in price from $50 cell phones to satellite systems
that cost hundreds of millions of dollars. High-end solutions do not guarantee
effective results and may not be the best choice for the port complex’s needs.
Additionally, there is an enormous gap between local homeland security needs and
the availability of federal money to fund those needs. Given this challenge, cost
effectiveness is critical.
6) Technological limitations: Consideration must be given to the possible technological
limitations of solutions.
Although a thorough technical analysis of each alternative is beyond the scope of this
study, we seek to identify possible technological pitfalls that should be considered
when evaluating solutions.
149 Commander George Cummings, USCG, interview.
150 McKinsey & Company, Improving FDNY’s Preparedness, (New York: McKinsey, 2002), 8.
60 Department of Policy Studies, UCLA School of Public Policy and Social Research