Report Details Importance of Communications to Emergency Services in Europe
Analysys Mason developed the report - The study identified that TETRA is widely used but is not ubiquitous across Europe by emergency services.
A new report on communications technology in Europe details the essential role it plays for emergency services officials to respond to crisis situations.
The European Network and Information Security Agency (ENISA) report looks at how the technology and processes used in emergency response could be improved, with the aim of providing guidance to policymakers in EU member states and EU organizations. Analysys Mason developed the report.
For the report, interviews were conducted with a range of people working directly in crisis response, as well as representatives from regulatory areas and service provision. The aim was to identify good practices and highlight potential gaps and barriers to effective crisis communications. In post-crisis reviews of major incidents, interagency communications are often identified as a problem. The report highlights a range of issues that can contribute to difficulties that if corrected, could make emergency communications far more effective.
Issues include the development of different communications standards and practices between, for example, police and ambulance services, and technology failure in crisis situations. Based on the report’s findings, ENISA makes a series of recommendations to member state governments, competent authorities, service providers and the bodies of the European Union.
The recommendations aim to do the following:
- Develop improved interagency crisis communications technology and procedures
- Define standards in crisis communications technology and procedures
- Encourage the uptake of data services in emergency communications, particularly in the area of public interaction
The emergency communications stocktaking project is an initiative of ENISA to determine how emergency services communicate within their own organizations and with each other in times of emergency or crisis. The aim is to identify how processes and technology might be improved, and to provide guidance to policy makers in Member States and the European Union.
The study identified the following:
• TETRA is widely used but is not ubiquitous across Europe by emergency services
Click here to read more
Source: Radioresourcemag
