City seeks funds for faster, secure wireless

By Maria Garriga, Register Staff 08/18/2008

NEW HAVEN — The city hopes to obtain a $372,000 federal grant that will make Internet use by emergency service workers faster and more secure.

Margaret Targrove, the city’s deputy director for emergency services planning, said that currently, police, firefighters and other emergency workers use mobile Internet units that, while secure, lack the bandwidth and reliability of a wireless system that uses fixed transmission points, she said.

Access to the secure system would be restricted.

The Board of Aldermen must approve the application before it is filed.

The funds would come from the Department of Homeland Security through its Federal Emergency Management Agency arm.

The proposed broadband system would use multiple paths to connect all fire stations, the city’s Emergency Operations Center, the Police Department and any other building deemed useful, such as substations, transfer stations or training facilities.

All would be directly connected to the city’s 911 dispatch service.

Any system used needs to offer the highest possible security from hackers because emergency workers will place demand on the system for immediate access to documents that use large amounts of bandwidth, such as detailed building plans and geographic information system mapping.

Firefighters need instant access to the plans to devise their strategies on tackling each blaze, especially large blazes.

The system also will be used to convey information about hazardous materials at a site, for remote training, and to share information with the National Fire Incident Reporting System.