DALLAS LOVE FIELD HOME TO FIRST INTEROPERABLE
EMERGENCY COMMUNICATIONS SYSTEM
Johnson Calls System Model for States, Federal Agencies
WASHINGTON (September 14, 2006) – Congresswoman Eddie Bernice Johnson (TX-30) today heralded Dallas Love Field for being home to the nation’s first interoperable communications system for emergency response personnel and the private sector. The Dallas Love Field Wireless Integration Project was funded by a grant that Johnson helped secure from the U.S. Department
of Homeland Security (DHS) through the office of the Chief Information Officer.
“The service in place at Dallas Love Field is a present day solution to a serious problem in emergency response, which is making sure first responders, emergency personnel and law enforcement can quickly communicate with one another in times of crisis,” said Congresswoman Johnson, who sits on the House Transportation and Infrastructure Subcommittee on Aviation. “It
is with great pride that I commend the collaborative efforts of Dallas Love Field, the City of Dallas and the State of Texas, the North Central Texas Council of Governments and for their initiative and dedication to public safety by achieving this goal.”
In Dallas, emergency response personnel on the ground and the private sector responsible for ensuring public safety now are able to seamlessly communicate with each other, using the existing equipment and devices they have used for years. With more than 18,000 law enforcement agencies and 35,000 fire and emergency medical agencies operating in the U.S., and
the vast majority of them purchasing communications equipment independently of each other, the interoperability now available in Dallas is a major step forward.
Congresswoman Johnson recognized the critical need for interoperable communications for first responders and began to identify potential solutions. In close cooperation with her colleagues in the Texas Congressional Delegation, the U.S. DHS, the Texas Office of Homeland Security, the City of Dallas, and the North Central Texas Council of Governments, Congresswoman Johnson obtained a grant for the Dallas Love Field project through DHS’ Information Technology and Evaluation Program (ITEP), a nationally competitive program initiated by the DHS Chief Information Officer in partnership with the DHS Preparedness Directorate’s Office of Grants and Training.
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U.S. Representative Eddie Bernice Johnson is the highest-ranking Texan on the House
Committee on Transportation. She represents the 30th Congressional District, which
comprises of downtown Dallas, DeSoto, North East Dallas, Cedar Hill, Glenn Heights,
Lancaster, Wilmer, Hutchins and Balch Springs.
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