Communication and Problem Solving Practices in Public Safety Agencies
Abstract
Communication and problem solving are necessary for public safety agencies to be effective. Employees cannot adequately respond to disasters if they do not have the correct information or the information at all. Historically, public service agencies have used different communication protocols and equipment. This has resulted in a severe lack of coordination to disasters and emergencies that require the cooperation of different public safety agencies. The September 11, 2001 attacks on the World Trade Center and Hurricane Katrina are prime examples of the lack of coordinated communication and problem solving amongst different agencies. New technologies such as geographical information systems are a promising solution to some of these problems. A lack of budgetary funding and the inability to negotiate with a single, overarching communication/information solutions provider are additional barriers. The City of Pompano Beach’s Fire Rescue Department has established relationships with outside public safety agencies, which is positive given the fact that the area is prone to hurricanes. Whether the city’s fire department has a means of coordinated communication is unknown, but unlikely.
Keywords: public safety communication, problem solving, disaster response
Communication and Problem Solving Practices in Public Safety Agencies
Introduction
Effective communication and problem solving has been a largely unsuccessful undertaking for public safety agencies. Although this fact became readily apparent during Hurricane Katrina and the September 11, 2001 terrorist attacks, most citizens continue to be in the dark as to why these inefficiencies exist. One of the problems is a lack of coordination and technological capacity between public safety agencies (National Institute of Justice). Police, fire, emergency management, and the federal government’s emergency response agency need to coordinate response efforts, but these agencies have separate missions and objectives. In addition, these agencies are known to use different methods of communication – radio systems that operate on different frequencies (National Institute of Justice).
In order for emergency response problems to be solved successfully and efficiently, various public safety agencies must have access to the same data and be able to communicate with each other in real time. Geographical information systems are a means by which public safety agencies can compile and share pertinent data (Wartell). These systems help public safety agency employees analyze data about the history of emergencies in specific areas, and the history of how agencies have responded to those emergencies (Wartell). Communication gaps inhibit the ability of public service agencies to respond to emergencies effectively, particularly if one set of employees does not receive the same critical information. This was observed in the September 11, 2001 terrorist attacks, when firefighters did not receive radio communication that the towers were about to collapse. Police employees had received this notification prior to the collapse and were able to evacuate in time. The radio frequencies used by both agencies were not on the same wavelength (Peha, 2016). A lack of funding is often cited as the source of these communication mismatches (Peha, 2016).
The City of Pompano Beach’s Fire Rescue Department does not reveal what type of communication equipment it uses. The city’s website does indicate that it communicates with the community, in terms of providing voluntary emergency notifications, engaging the community in volunteer programs, disaster preparedness, and community emergency response team training (City of Pompano Beach, 2016). The city’s site also indicates the department spends a great deal of time on fire prevention, indicating a desire to effectively problem solve. Fire investigation, smoke detectors, sprinklers, construction plan reviews and fire inspections are a part of the city’s fire prevention program(s) (City of Pompano Beach, 2016). The review and analysis of communication and problem solving in public safety agencies will focus on why these areas are crucial, why they continue to be an impediment to organizational effectiveness, and how the City of Pompano Beach’s Fire Rescue Department can overcome these clichés.
Literature Review
Public safety agencies have historically been unable to effectively communicate with one another due to incompatible equipment. Each agency typically has its own communications equipment that does not necessarily work well with another agency’s equipment. Compounding the problem is the fact that agencies within different areas operate incompatible equipment (National Institute of Justice). In other words, neighboring cities and states may have not have the ability to communicate efficiently with each other when responding to an emergency or disaster that spans neighboring areas of jurisdiction.
The inability to communicate with fellow first responders that need to address public safety severely cripples first responders’ performance in critical areas. First, employees will plan and respond to emergency situations quite differently if the employees receive varying degrees of information (or no information). The firefighters responding to the attacks on the World Trade Center would have not stayed in the buildings or continued to operate under the assumption there was still time to rescue citizens if those firefighters knew the buildings were about to collapse. A lack of funding is often cited as the scapegoat for the lack of common communication infrastructure between different agencies (Peha, 2016). While budget is a concern, perhaps it is the lack of a centralized communication system and a lack of a centralized form of data analysis that is the real culprit (Wartell).
Geographical information systems are a centralized form of data analysis that can assist fire departments in solving common problems. The literature notes that both fire and police departments have to resolve the following: traffic accidents, homeless communities, insurance fraud, arson and explosives, and public drunkenness (Wartell). Centralized databases would ensure that agencies have access to the same degree of information, even if radio communication systems needed to remain separate due to budgetary limitations. The costs of not addressing the communication gaps between public safety agencies includes impaired interdependence, impaired interoperability, efficiency across the spectrum, a reduction in advanced capabilities, a loss of security, and increased physical costs (Peha, 2016).
The challenges preventing a conversion to a centralized form of communication and problem solving for public safety agencies are not limited to budgetary funding. Other challenges include the fact that one company would likely need to supply the equipment and software needed for centralized communication. Individual agencies do not have the adequate clout to negotiate prices, distribution and implementation support with companies that would be able to provide a large-scale centralized communication system (Peha, 2016). In addition, public safety agencies and the government could become overly dependent on one company. It is not outside the realm of possibility that this company could go under or not be able to provide the level of security needed for sensitive communications related to public safety (Peha, 2016).
The City of Pompano Beach’s Fire Rescue Department is likely not immune to the circumstances and challenges presented in the literature. The city’s website does not reveal information on how the department’s employees communicate internally. Any equipment used by the city’s employees to communicate with each other is unknown. What is known is that the department’s training efforts examine advances in equipment technology (City of Pompano Beach, 2016). More than likely, the department is aware of geographical information systems, even if the department is not actively using it. In addition, the department likely experiences the frustrations detailed in the literature when responding to disasters (e.g. hurricanes) that require the cooperation of other public safety agencies.
Based on the information the city provides citizens on its disaster preparation page, the fire rescue department heavily relies on the cooperation of outside public safety agencies. Some of those agencies are national and others are local. For instance, the State of Florida and Broward County are listed as points of contact and sources of information for residents needing assistance with emergency planning (and aftermath). National sources of information from the Red Cross, the Humane Society, Homeland Security, FEMA and even the Weather Channel are listed (City of Pompano Beach, 2016).
Communication with citizens takes on a reactive tone in response to large-scale disasters, but does take a proactive one for problems that fall within the department’s area of expertise. Fire prevention is an area of concentration for the department. Communication in this area is focused on community education and providing access to resources that some community members may not have to ability to obtain (City of Pompano Beach, 2016).
Analysis of Field Research and Investigative Findings
The City of Pompano Beach has likely formed relationships with outside public safety agencies. Whether the city and these outside agencies share communication methods is unknown. A known centralized form of communication needs to be established between the city’s fire department, the State of Florida, local county offices and FEMA. Since the area is susceptible to dangerous hurricanes, the ability to communicate effectively and efficiently with these cooperating agencies is critical to minimize the loss of life. At the very least some form of geographical information system should be implemented by the fire department, hopefully in cooperation with the local police department, local area hospitals, the State of Florida, and local county offices. Beyond the need to respond conjointly to hurricane disasters and their aftermath, the city’s fire department needs to look at ways to implement enhanced communication training amongst its firefighters. Such a training initiative would need to analyze the way the agency has responded to events in the past, how information flowed, and what information was communicated.
Reflection
The supreme importance of communication in effective emergency response was revealed through the research for this assignment. Information contained within the literature was eye-opening, especially in regards to the lack of communication and coordination of public safety agencies that must respond as a team to disasters and emergency situations. Although the lack of funding for public agencies is well-known, the inability of society to correct this problem is perplexing. After all, the safety of the individuals denying the agencies funding is what is being compromised. The City of Pompano Beach’s Fire Rescue Department is just another example of this phenomenon.
References
http://pompanobeachfl.gov/index.php/pages/fire/fire_rescue
National Institute of Justice (n.d.). When They Can’t Talk Lives Are Lost. Retrieved from
https://www.ncjrs.gov/pdffiles1/nij/211512.pdf
Peha, Jon M. (2016). Improving Public Safety Communications. Issues in Science and
Technology. Retrieved from http://issues.org/23-2/peha-2/
Wartell, Julie (n.d.). Using GIS to Problem Solve Across Public Safety Agencies. Crime
Mapping and Analysis News. Retrieved from http://crimemapping.info/article/using-gis-problem-solve-across-public-safety-agencies/
