Baton Rouge Boosts Interoperability with Regional Approach

When Hurricane Katrina struck in 2005, Louisiana’s West Baton Rouge Parish and Port of Greater Baton Rouge became the hub of rescue and relief operations, because those areas hadn’t sustained damage. But officials weren’t prepared to take on that role. Are they prepared now?

In an article on the Government Technology website, Chandler Harris says the area is working on a new interoperable communications plan to ensure it won’t be unprepared again.

In 2005, the port could only rely on its communications system used during regular business operations, including cell phones, Internet, marine radios and communications from river pilots, other emergency personnel and evacuees.

“All these forms of communications were intermittent in their service, if they worked at all,” Larry Johnson, current member and former president of the Greater Baton Rouge Port Commission, told Harris. “These agencies were inundated with calls and requests for assistance from everywhere. Responding to the disaster came down to identifying and using available resources, and people helping people.”

That’s when local officials realized they needed to coordinate rescue and recovery efforts through communication between the parish, port and other interagency groups at the local, state and federal levels. Johnson worked with local agencies and officials to help create interoperable communications.

In the article, Harris outlines the extensive research and development effort officials in Baton Rouge have gone through to create this system of interoperable communications. “While no emergency response agency in the West Baton Rouge area has ever experienced this kind of collaborative effort, parish officials are eagerly looking forward to interoperable communications between emergency responders. And when the next big storm hits, West Baton Rouge hopes to be overly prepared to be the disaster management headquarters,” Harris says.

“All of us working together on a common goal, creatively thinking, were able to maximize resources, improve multi-agency communications, and improve communications and systems for better emergency response for the benefit of our citizens in West Baton Rouge Parish as well as help our neighbors,” Johnson told Harris. “This is a good partnership between West Baton Rouge Parish and the port. It took a tremendous cooperative effort.”

To read the full article, click here: http://www.govtech.com/em/417598?topic=290167