Cellular telephones improved communications at the Oklahoma City tragedy when public-safety groups’ two-way radios-all on different frequencies-couldn’t connect.
“At the site of a disaster, radio channels max out immediately with just tactical communication,” said Ron Baker, director of wireless services for McCaw Cellular Communications Inc.’s Cellular One Oklahoma district. “Telephones, if they’re working, can get gridlocked. Cellular becomes a common way for everyone to communicate and it can do voice, data and fax,” Baker said.
When the bomb exploded April 19 in front of the Oklahoma City federal building, firefighters, police and medical crews immediately arrived at the site. All had two-way radios, but each agency was operating on a different frequency, making communication between agencies difficult.
“Anybody in such a response situation should have been able to communicate, but we did well with what we had,” said Gene Thaxton, director of telecommunications for the Oklahoma Department of Public Safety. “Agencies worked together and Cellular One really took the lead. But if you look at what happened, there is a need for public-safety frequency,” Thaxton added.
At first, the city’s two cellular phone systems were overloaded with people trying to check on friends and loved ones in the area and emergency workers could not get through until the operator prioritized public-safety numbers, Thaxton said.
Cellular One in Oklahoma City helped organize the Oklahoma Disaster Preparedness Council three years ago, Baker said. Through its service contracts with federal, state and local agencies, Cellular One created a directory of cellular phone numbers for all public-safety officials.
“Within about two hours of the blast, we had priority service for about 50 numbers at first, then added some,” Baker said. Immediately after the blast, system use shot up 282 percent above normal, Cellular One reported. In the 24 hours after the bombing, call volume was up 54 percent, the company said. Two cell sites on wheels, or COWS, were set up in Oklahoma to help with communications. An AT&T Corp. microcell was brought in from Ohio and set up at the Myriad Convention Center, a multiagency disaster command post about eight blocks from the bomb site.
“It has worked wonderfully. We set it up in the drive-through warehouse center outside the building,” Baker said. Cellular One also distributed up to 1,000 phones for emergency use.
Oklahoma City’s other cellular operator, Southwestern Bell Mobile Systems, donated at least 500 phones and also brought in several mobile cells. “We arranged special battery charging banks that were manned 24 hours,” said Walter Patterson, vice president of corporate relations for Southwestern Bell Mobile. “If a rescue worker’s battery ran out, he could just replace it.”
The day after the bombing, the Southwestern Bell Foundation donated $1 million to the relief effort. More than 900 Southwestern Bell employees work within one mile of the bombing site; the company said employees were actively involved in disaster relief. Both Cellular One and Southwestern Bell donated airtime during the crisis.
While cellular boasts that it saved the day, public-safety leaders remain convinced that several dedicated radio channels to network public-safety crews are needed.
It’s not news that public-safety groups can’t talk to one another at the scene of a disaster. Some are on 150 MHz and others at 450 MHz, and a group’s equipment often ties it to its sole frequency.
Public-safety committees nationwide are working on large-scale plans to hook agencies onto the same frequencies. “There’s nothing like a real life experience to solidify genuine radio issues and kick out superficial ideas,” Thaxton said.
There needs to be special public-safety spectrum and interoperability between federal, state and local agencies, said Ronnie Rand, executive director of the Association of Public Safety Communications Officials International Inc. The not-for-profit group claims 12,000 worldwide members.
“I think the after-action reports from Oklahoma City will show that communication was a problem, but it shouldn’t be. Our association has encouraged the Federal Communications Commission to give this quite a bit of thought and they’ve invited us for discussions,” Rand said.
APCO suggests giving public safety a variety of spectrum spots depending on the usage needed. Generally, 800 MHz is good in urban areas because it bounces off buildings; 150 MHz is good for statewide systems, Rand said. APCO also is interested in spectrum at 380-400 MHz, which was recently abandoned by NATO.
Oklahoma has a 32-member, statewide strategic communications committee for public safety. It includes representatives from state government, local emergency medical teams, the military, firefighters and others. Thaxton said one goal is to complete the statewide 800 MHz trunked radio infrastructure project the state started in the 1980s. It currently covers seven counties around Oklahoma City and is used by the Oklahoma Highway Patrol. Its growth was deterred by an economic downturn, said Thaxton, who also is APCO’s frequency coordinator for Oklahoma.
“The state funds radios for all agencies, but they can’t communicate. As we approach the 21st century, we need to be in a position to take advantage of mobile data imaging and live prints. The 800 MHz frequency is very clean,” Thaxton said.
At the Oklahoma City bombing site, the Department of Public Safety used the 800 MHz system at its command center. Thaxton said most agencies at the site set up their own command posts, transmitting at their own frequency but monitoring all others through a scanner.
“We programmed the 800 frequencies into the (disaster) command post of the Oklahoma City Police Department, so when we transmitted, they could copy. And when the U.S. Marshall’s Office brought in a command center, we programmed our 800 frequency into that,” Thaxton said.
Thaxton envisions an Oklahoma “disaster fleet” system operating through one 800 MHz system. Each agency in a disaster could operate on its own channel, but it also could go into a sub fleet channel.
“Each agency buys radios and installs some equipment in its dispatch. It can go on different channels, but if necessary, it can go statewide-such as for a manhunt.” he said.
The state or federal government doesn’t have to be the sole builder of an 800 MHz public-safety system, he said. When Oklahoma’s 800 MHz project began to wind down from lack of funds, authorities in Tulsa came up with their own money for an 800 MHz system. Today it almost reaches the Oklahoma City system, except for a small gap. Oklahoma City leaders and authorities in Tulsa have agreed to work together to fill in the missing area.
Project 25, a program under which manufacturers create standards for public-safety equipment, is progressing, and the establishment of specific digital standards is expected to be announced in August, Rand said.
