Maine prepares for the worst

First of three parts.

Maine has identified a number of ways in which it can substantially improve its emergency communication system, a process that has been underway since the ice storm of 1998, with added momentum since 9/11. However, much more remains to be done before a new 21st century network emerges. In this series, I will examine how much progress has been made, and what lies ahead.

The term MaineComm 21 here will describe several projects that, when completed, would make up the nucleus of the state’s 21st century communications solution. The state has no official name for this collective undertaking. Much of this activity at the state level has its roots in the May 2002 session at the Bangor Air National Guard Base where representatives from state, county and local agencies and organizations created a comprehensive strategic plan for homeland security.

Although the threat of terrorism is one consideration, MaineComm 21 objectives in 2002 called for a complete communications network upgrade with new protocols in place. A new warning and alert system for the deaf and

hard-of-hearing in particular was a goal, too.

So, more than three year later, where is MaineComm 21 today?

The Legislature has approved millions of dollars for the design, and installation of a new statewide VHF radio system. Whatever is deployed impacts Public Safety, IF&W, and the Marine Patrol directly. Meanwhile, the

Departments of Transportation and Conservation will maintain their existing communications systems. Regulatory approval from the FCC must be obtained, and new protocols or rules governing the use of this new communications network must be established.

A better way to link multiple agencies beyond any existing mutual aid frameworks has to be agreed upon and adopted as well. This involves what is known as interoperability or the ability of multiple agencies to communicate quickly and effectively with each other, and was on the list of objectives in 2002.

A necessity for responding to major disasters in particular, this can be achieved via better frequency management, training, and radio discipline. The good news is that guidelines and a consolidated operations plan for interoperability already exist, thanks to Cumberland County and a working group, which devised them back in 2003.

Yes, the tempo is picking up. Maine’s Chief Information Officer Dick Thompson has MaineComm 21 on track. Besides the green light from the legislature, another indicator that Thompson has a good game plan in motion

involves the recent appointment of Shawn Romanoski as the new state interoperability coordinator.

Want more good news? For the first time, the deaf and hard of hearing community in Maine – more than 100,000 Mainers – can access text pagers and special receivers from the Maine Center on Deafness (MCD) in Portland as part of the new Emergency Notification System (ENS). Using these devices, text and printout versions of statewide and countywide emergency alerts are delivered instantly to an audience, which had been cut off from such vital information in the past.

Enhancing ENS performance is an ongoing process, according to Jonathan Connick, MCD executive director, who credits the successful outcome in this instance to the diligent work of the Maine Emergency Management Agency, MCD, and the Maine Department of Labor Bureau of Rehabilitation Services, Division of Deafness .

The Department of Public Safety is stepping aside, making way for the Office of Information Technology, which will “own” and manage the new statewide radio network. Talk in Augusta too of a greater emphasis on

coordination of effort, inter-agency cooperation, and joint planning, suggests that a significant cultural shift is under way as well.

Such talk and upbeat promises of coordination and cooperation are nothing new. Many first responders at the local level in particular will no doubt view what is said here with skepticism. Expecting business as usual, they

will demand results and more tangible proof of a shift in attitude and culture in Augusta. In fact, there is a widely held belief that any progress Maine has made to date has been minimal at best.

For this reason, Romanoski and the new Communications Bureau are being handed an opportunity. Among the big potential winners here are the taxpayers whose dollars have often been squandered on redundant infrastructure in the past. The essential process of building strong coalitions and partnerships requires attention to detail, and because the governance structure of the new Communications Bureau includes first responders – Fire and EMS – policymakers and citizens, there is a strong possibility that a fresh start looms.

Romanoski is the first state employee assigned specifically to this task. At the same time, he must use existing wired and wireless assets wherever possible including microwave links, and the state’s wide area network.

Overseeing the consolidation of tower sites is one of his top priorities as well. Installing a single tower wherever possible makes good sense as it cuts management and maintenance costs. Coogans Mountain in Union, where DoT and DPS maintain and operate two towers, two generators and numerous buildings is where this proposed tower consolidation process would begin.

Romanoski will be working with a consultant who is expected to report by March 31 on issues that may affect the state’s system such as the compatibility of the state system with local communities. The goal is to help ensure that the state makes every effort to include solutions for seamless communications within each community, among other things. This will be the third report done on this subject. A Macro Corp. study was completed in 2003, and another one was done at no cost by the Public Safety Wireless Network.

Keep in mind that only activities at the state level are part of MaineComm 21, and that dozens of other communications projects are under way simultaneously at the county and local level. Bangor, for example, is using a COPS grant to start a citywide upgrade of communications infrastructure. A consultant has been hired to identify weaknesses and make recommendations. In addition, three or four new repeater or receiver sites will

soon be installed, and a reliable wireless network designed for mobile data is likely to appear in the city in the near future.

MaineComm 21 is just getting under way, while the landscape is changing quickly. The search is on for an appropriate set of solutions in a dynamic all hazards response environment. Up next, we explore why technology alone will not get the job done, and finally in part 3, we will examine emergency communications in the context of public health and hospital preparedness in Maine.

Peter J. Brown, a freelance writer from Mount Desert, took part in the 2002 communications and interoperability working group activities. He was appointed by Gov. Baldacci to serve on the ENS working group in 2003.