New Orleans Gulf Oil Spill Interoperability
On April 20, 2010, the Deepwater Horizon oil rig, owned by Transocean and leased by BP plc, suffered a blowout, caught fire and sank to the bottom of the ocean. The catastrophic explosion and fire killed 11 workers and caused the massive oil spill in the Gulf of Mexico.
As Louisiana state emergency personnel and volunteer fishermen worked to manage the catastrophic damage caused by the offshore drilling rig explosion, radio communication problems between the diverse groups began to emerge. Louisiana’s Orleans, Jefferson, Plaquemines and Saint Bernard Parishes’ emergency management personnel were communicating over a single, hand held, push-to-talk, state-wide radio system, while local volunteer fishermen were using marine band radios within their boats. As a result of being on disparate radio systems, the clean up effort was significantly delayed as UASI Region 1, the U.S. Coast Guard and other state and local emergency management entities and civilian fishing boats were unable to communicate with each other. CoCo helped to solve these communications challenges with an interoperability solution that bridged together incompatible radios in minutes.
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The Challenge:
- - Needed interoperable communications between Public Safety 700 MHz radios and VHF marine radios at sea
- Needed a solution that is easy to deploy in an disaster situation that requires a multi-agency tactical response
The CoCo Solution:
- CoCo equipment was unpacked, deployed, tested and in use in under 30 minutes and is still in use today
- CoCo bridged multiple VHF marine channels to the public safety radio network in minutes
- CoCo tactical products bridge the communications gap during emergencies until permanent infrastructure can be established
Download The New Orleans Disaster Communications Solution Sheet
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If you are interested in learning more about CoCo please contact us at cocosales@cococorp.com or call us at 206-284-9387.
