The SAFECOM program fielded the National Interoperability Baseline Survey May-July 2006. By providing a clear representation of national capacities, survey findings will help emergency response leaders and policy makers make informed decisions about strategies for improving interoperability. Major Baseline Survey findings include the following: About two-thirds of agencies report using interoperability to some degree in their operations; cross-discipline and cross-jurisdiction interoperability tends to be at a more advanced stage than state-local interoperability; agencies tend to be more advanced in technology and in some governance elements than they are in standard operating procedures (SOPs) and exercises; and, law enforcement and fire response/emergency medical services tend to show the same level of development in most areas of interoperability.
The Baseline Survey assessed capacities across a wide array of factors, making it the first survey derived from a comprehensive definition of interoperability. The survey was designed in partnership with the emergency responder community, and founded on the five elements depicted in SAFECOM’s Interoperability Continuum—governance, standard operating procedures, technology, training and exercises, and usage of interoperable communications.