Sunday, July 8, 2012

Disgruntled Dealer or Friend of the Taxpayer? Chapter 2

We’ve had some interesting comments since we threw the sword down and asked the Alabama DHS, the FCC, and FEMA to do their job relative to the proper administration of federal funds extended for the purchase and operation of approved communications equipment through the FEMA AFG program.


Some Firehouse Forum readers professed outrage that we would have the audacity to insist that those responsible for administering tax payer funds should do their job while simultaneously telling those who knowingly violate guidelines and regulations that there IS a price to pay for breaking the rules. Everyone is entitled to an opinion, even when it's wrong!


Notably, many folks apparently just cannot accept the fact that P25 is the interoperable communications standard – the only standard, and it has been the standard since the inception of the AFG program.  In cases of dispute, the normal procedure is to go to the highest level of information for the answer, so that's what I did.  Click here for the answer directly from FEMA.  Have a problem with that?  Click here for earlier comments.  If you are still not convinced,  click here for a link directly to the FEMA Responder Knowledge Base web site.  Let me ask you something - Do you see ANY MotoTRBO or NEXEDGE radios listed?  Do you see any PROPRIETARY Motorola almost kind of like P25 but closed standard Motorola equipment listed?  Do you seen ANYTHING besides P25 and analog?  If so, let me know!


The objective of interoperable communications is to provide the infrastructure to collectively deal with common emergencies rather than fulfilling personal goals. Not playing by the rules hurts everyone. Playing by the rules benefits everyone, or did I miss something?