An excellent example of collaboration among emergency services and other stakeholders interested in emergency communication interoperability is the Canadian Interoperability Technology Interest Group (CITIG). It is a worthwhile initiative emergency management professionals should be aware of and consider joining.
The Canadian Interoperability Technology Interest Group (CITIG) was created in 2007 to improve Canadian public safety communications interoperability. It is a responder-driven, primarily federally-funded activity, led by the Canadian Police Research Centre that brings together responders, academia, industry and government stakeholders who share a common interest in enhancing Canada's communications interoperability and are dedicated to improving the safety and security of first responders, and the people and critical infrastructure of Canada. CITIG was formalized when the Canadian Police Research Centre (CPRC) and the Canadian Association of Chiefs of Police (CACP) joined forces with the Canadian Association of Fire Chiefs (CAFC) and Emergency Medical Services Chiefs of Canada (EMSCC) to work together to improve public safety interoperability in Canada.
Today, CITIG is made up of more than 500 volunteer members from the responder community, all orders of government, non-governmental organizations, associations, academia and industry. Click here to learn more about joining CITIG.
CITIG held an excellent regional forum in London, ON. Here is a link to the event.
1 Comment
Interoperable communications between response agencies is vital to an effective and efficient response. CITIG's initiative is timely and necessary. I will be looking at building Interoperability Standard Operating Procedures and governing policies for Perth County, Ontario and am looking for any input from my colleagues. Surely I am not the only small municipality that faces the challenges of communicating with all the agencies who use different technology and frequencies during an emergency. Baring the technical aspect, what procedures need to be in place to ensure the interoperability of communications?
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