Technology communication failures in the New York City Fire Department after 9/11

Information Technology -- Communication Issues

The Importance of Technology Communication Strategy within an Organization

One of the most pervasive changes in the modern business organization is the degree to which information and communications technology (ICT) has become crucial to myriad different organizational functions. In virtually every application, modern technology offers improvements in the efficiency, speed, and accuracy of the transactions, analyses, and communications that are important to business operations. However, one potential problem is that as ICT systems become increasingly complex and increasingly sophisticated, they can be correspondingly more prone to technical problems that require specialists to resolve in order for business operations to continue. To a large extent, the modern business organization has become dependent on specialists who may not be involved in the actual business of the enterprise. Likewise, even the highest levels of authority within organizations are now unqualified to maintain some of the systems upon which their organizations rely to conduct business operations.

In that regard, modern business organizations now rely substantially on the ability of its communications systems to work together in fully integrated synchronicity among and between various technological component systems. In principle, the value of communications technology systems is no longer capable of being measured in isolation with respect to the specific functions provided by those systems in isolation. Today, the value of technology systems in general and of communications technology systems in particular is largely dependent on their mutual compatibility and their ability to function properly within an integrated network of multiple systems in environments where organizations cannot afford significant breakdowns of communications efficiency.

Commander. Specifically, the Incident Commander will use portable systems

(e.g., post radios, cellular phones, satellites, sound-powered phones), mobile systems (e.g., borough dispatchers VHF radio, 800 MHz radio, vehicle cross-band repeaters), and auxiliary radio communication systems (e.g., subway repeaters, coaxial cables) as voice systems; helicopter videos and Command Tactical Units

(CTU) as video systems; and, the Fire Department Operations Center (FDOC),

Electronic Command Boards, Critical Response Information Management

Systems (CRIMS), Electronic Riding Lists, and 3-D Firefigher Tracking as data systems in order to relay important and relevant information."

Reference

DeGuttry, E. (2009). Working Paper 09-03 Adaptation of the FDNY Command Structure

and Training Following 9/11. Christian Regenhard Center for Emergency

Response Studies (RaCERS) John Jay College of Criminal Justice of the City

University of New York. Accessed 23 July 2011 from:

http://christianregenhardcenter.org/pdfs/racers%20wp0903.pdf