The National Task Force on Interoperability met several times in 2002 to engage in an interactive dialogue on communications interoperability. The discussions provided an opportunity for public policymakers to partner their efforts with those of the public safety community to address interoperability issues in a more comprehensive way.

Through this dialogue, NTFI developed a guide for public officials to raise awareness about the importance of interoperability, to provide the basic information that is necessary to understand the impact of this issue on their constituencies, and to provide guidance about the initial steps to take in developing interoperable public safety radio communication systems.

The following reports are available:

When They Can't Talk, Lives Are Lost
This publication was developed to facilitate education and discussion among and between elected and appointed officials, their representative associations, and public safety representatives on public safety wireless communications interoperability. The brochure is designed to provide public officials with easy-to-comprehend information on interoperability.
To read the report go to: www.agileprogram.org/ntfi/ntfi_brochure.pdf

Why Can't We Talk?
This publication discusses reasons for communications problems within the current emergency response infrastructure, ways public safety groups can assess their current state of interoperability and solutions for solving vital communications problems.

To read the report go to: www.agileprogram.org/ntfi/ntfi_guide.pdf