Editorial: Time to Unite for Funding Recognition

Today President Obama released his fiscal 2010 proposed budget, and it focuses on “A New Era of Responsibility” for health care, education, infrastructure and clean energy. What the budget–and the recently passed economic stimulus package–does not include is any reference to public safety communications, a complete failure on the part of the community to present and explain the critical needs of the nation’s comm centers. Perhaps worse, it represents a complete failure by the public safety community to take responsibility for the requirements of the nation’s citizens, which is the ability to call for help using any type of devices, and from anywhere in the country. Who’s to blame for not prepping Congress and the Executive branch? You could certainly point to all the acronym agencies, including APCO, NENA and PSWN. But the fault may lie closer to the console. It’s time to bring the nation’s comm centers together, headset by headset. It might take a national union, it might even take a national training standard. Obviously the word about staffing, technology and response times isn’t reaching the right ears in Washington. As a result, the latest federal funding completely ignores public safety communications. — Gary Allen, Editor