Talking Public Safety Communications After Juan

TRANSPORTATION/PUBLIC WORKS--Talking Public Safety Communications After Juan

The time and place for talking about evacuation planning, threat assessment, and other public safety topics couldn't be better.

One week after Hurricane Juan roared through the area, Halifax is hosting 350 public safety communications officials this week at the national conference of the Association of Public Safety Communications Officials.

The hurricane has influenced a number of conference sessions. Several Nova Scotia speakers are adjusting their presentations to discuss their experiences, and the hurricane's affect on communications networks.

The province, a conference host, played a key role in ensuring that the public safety communications network was maintained before, during and after Hurricane Juan.

"Safety is our number one priority, and the trunked mobile radio network provided critical support to public safety workers across the province during the hurricane," said Ron Russell, Minister of Transportation and Public Works. The department is responsible for the trunked mobile radio system. "Hurricane Juan provided an incredible test, and Nova Scotia can be proud that our public safety communications professionals convincingly proved they were up to the task."

The Public Safety Communications Services Program Office operates the trunked mobile radio system, a state-of-the-art network serving more than 400 organizations across the province. The system's 68 towers improve radio contact across Nova Scotia and allow emergency organizations to talk to one another on the same broadband frequency.

More than 10,000 volunteer emergency service providers and public works users have access to the system. It supports several provincial departments, as well as many municipal police, volunteer and paid firefighters, paramedics, ground search and rescue teams and emergency measures officials.

The province -- with the support and assistance of emergency groups across Nova Scotia, including many volunteers, and Aliant and Motorola Canada -- began building the system in 1999.

The province's system received a Technology in Government Distinction Award in 2001.

Since 2002, the province has donated 400 surplus government radios and repeaters to volunteer firefighters, amateur radio operators and ground search and rescue specialists to boost safety across Nova Scotia.