First responders network

BANTAY GOBYERNO

Ike Señeres

I would not usually want to compare what a first world country with what a third world country is doing or not doing, but I also think that there are basic actions that all countries should undertake, regardless of their state of development. The issue of having an exclusive communications network for the use only of first responders to emergencies might still be debateable, but there is no argument that each country should have one early in its development, or as soon as possible no matter what barriers it would face. But for the sake of argument however, it could be said in theory that any country could decide not to have one for whatever reason, but that should come with the caveat that the leaders who made that decision should be able to take full responsibility for the loss of lives and property in the event that disaster strikes.

As far as I know, the Philippines does not have a First Responders Network (FRN) as of now. What that means is that as of now, the first and the subsequent responders have no other choice but to use the existing commercial networks, assuming that they are still up during extreme emergencies and assuming that the heavy commercial traffic will allow commercial messages to go through. In the past, there were actually reports about certain persons in authority who wondered why they could not find a signal on their cell phones, until some people of average intelligence told them that the cell sites are down. Our over dependence on cell sites has a matter of fact spoiled us to the point that many of us would completely be at a loss if and when the cell sites are down. What is worst is that there seems to be little awareness that aside from cell phones, there are many other ways to communicate that do not depend on telco signals.

As many of us have been spoiled by the use of cell phones, not too many would seem to realize that no matter how high tech cell phones are, these are still using radio frequency (RF) signals and there is really nothing modern about that. Even the most touted Long Term Evolution (LTE) technology that is supposed to be new is really not that new, being an old RF signal that has been revived, so to speak. Even microwave signals that may sound so high tech are also using RF. We need not go too far however, because even the very well known GPRS actually means General Packet Radio Service, a packet based wireless communications service. Yes Virginia, radio is radio and as long as it is radio, the signals are always broken up into packets that would always assemble at some point after it disassembles. So where does that take us?

Before we go any further, let us not forget that Amplified Modulation (AM) and Frequency Modulation (FM) spectra are also using RF, even if these are only used for one way broadcast communications. My point in mentioning that reality is to bring out the truth about the fact that broadcasting stations including the television stations using either the Very High Frequency (VHF) and or Ultra High Frequency (UHF) bands are supposed to interrupt their broadcasts every so often in order to test the required emergency messages, but very few are doing it. I am sure that that has nothing to do with the FRN concept, but something tells me that since these required tests are not being done, there will be a steep uphill climb in implementing the concept. Hopefully, the awareness of its need will grow, and we will come around to it.

Based on the experience of the United States, it would seem that the best approach is to allow a private company to operate and use the FRN reserved frequencies, with the caveat that these could be immediately and instantly pre-empted in the event of emergencies. That way, these frequencies could be income generating in the meantime, and that could be an important factor in its sustainability. While it is very clear that the 911 Commission would be the default user of the FRN during “normal” times, it goes without saying that the National Disaster Risk Reduction and Management Council (NDRRMC) would also need to use it during incidents of national disasters. Beyond that, the Quick Response Center (QRC) would certainly need it too, in times of crisis beyond national disasters.

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