Virginia to use common language to help interoperability | 11.17.2006 | 06:20:38 | Views: 5493 | ID: November 17 '06: To facilitate communication between Virginia's first responders, Governor Tim Kaine (D) has announced that all day-to-day operations and mutual aid operations will be conducted using common language instead of the traditional 10-codes used by responders in the field, Government Technology reported. The governor's decision was formally announced at the 2006 Virginia Interoperable Communications Conference in Portsmouth October 3 and 4. The decision to go with common language has been embraced by the Virginia Sheriffs Association, Virginia Fire Chiefs Association, Virginia Chiefs of Police, Virginia Association and the Virginia State Police, GovTech reported. The initiative is being overseen by the State Interoperability Executive Committee and Commonwealth Interoperability Coordinator's Office. According to Kaine, "The use of coded language can often result in confusion and miscommunication because local, regional and state public safety agencies use different codes. This is a problem especially during mutual aid incidents where multiple jurisdictions and disciplines must work together. ... Virginia is leading the way in reaching an understanding across our public safety community to take this significant step towards improved interoperability." Under the National Incident Management System created and overseen by the Department of Homeland Security, a common language must be used during mutual aid operations, GovTech reported. According to Colonel W. Steven Flaherty, the Superintendent of the Virginia State Police, "There will still be certain situations in which public safety professionals need coded language to do the job safely. ... But for the majority of incidents, the use of common language will be of great benefit for those responding to and managing a scene."
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