NCJ Number
214874
Journal
Homeland Defense Journal Volume: 4 Issue: 5 Dated: May 2006 Pages: 10-12
Date Published
May 2006
Length
3 pages
Annotation
After describing a simulated terrorist attack used as a training exercise for first responders in Long Beach, CA, this article discusses the effectiveness of communications in the exercise and the new technology used.
Abstract
The simulated attack involved a terrorist running a fuel truck into a plane on the ground at Long Beach Airport, causing an explosion under the right wing. The response required the evacuation of just over 150 passengers and crew members, some wounded, from the airplane. More than 100 first responders and 25 agencies and organizations were involved in the exercise, including local, State, and national agencies. Improving communications between first responders from different agencies was a primary goal of the exercise. A new solution for quick and easy communication between different agencies was tested. The Aware Communication Suite, a software created by Packet-Hop of Redwood, CA, helped first responders keep communication operating even when normal communication networks were dead. The software runs on standard information technology equipment (laptops or handheld devices) and enables the devices to form a network without any infrastructure. Devices with the software installed can find each other and connect automatically, creating a local network based on so-called mesh technology, under which every unit is both a sender and receiver. With this software, first responders from different agencies successfully shared information instantly over a secure network as soon as they arrived at the scene. Another important feature of the software is its ability to share video and pictures over the network.