ANNAPOLIS, MD - (Friday July 18, 2014) Today, Governor Martin O’Malley joined Superintendent of the Maryland State Police Colonel Marcus Brown, and several other state and local officials to make the ceremonial second call on the Maryland First Responders Interoperable Radio System Team or “Maryland FiRST,” the new statewide 700 MHz radio system.
Today’s event continues the ‘Governing for Results’ series, which highlights the Administration’s 16 strategic goals to keep Maryland moving forward. Today’s focus was on one of the Administration’s primary homeland security goals -- to connect first responders on one interoperable radio system to better coordinate state and local resources in the event of an emergency.
“We are unified in our efforts to provide first responders with the tools they need to continue saving lives and protecting the public’s safety,” Gov. O’Malley. “Our most sacred duty as a government is the safety and security our people. By setting measurable goals and investing in better technology, we will continue to meet evolving challenges together and build a stronger and more resilient Maryland.”
Governor O’Malley made the ceremonial second call today on the new radio system connecting the Maryland Joint Operations Center at the Maryland Emergency Management Agency, Maryland State Police Centreville Barracks, the State Highway Administration’s Easton District, a Department of Natural Resources vessel located off of Deal Island, and with Ocean City Emergency Services Department.
In total there are eleven State agencies and three Federal law enforcement agencies operating on the system. As a result of the completion of phase 2, the entire Eastern Shore is now covered.
“This second phase of the new statewide secure radio system will allow for even more of Maryland’s public safety agencies to communicate more efficiently on the same system, which will ultimately enhance our mission of homeland security,” said Colonel Marcus L. Brown, Superintendent of the Maryland State Police. “Achieving maximum interoperability is a high priority for those who dedicate their lives to public safety. This new technology provides increased efficiency, heightened awareness as situations occur and an even more rapid response time.”
“Maryland FiRST” began providing statewide interoperable communications to connect Maryland’s first responders on one secure radio system in 2012. This first phase became fully operational in 2012. The first phase connection completed coverage for Central Maryland and Kent County, and key infrastructure patrolled by the Maryland Transportation Authority Police which includes: the I-95 corridor, BWI Airport, Port of Baltimore, the Inter County Connector (ICC), the Key Bridge, the Chesapeake Bay Bridge, the Harry Nice Bridge and both tunnels under the Baltimore harbor. The entire Maryland FiRST system is anticipated to be complete by 2016.
“Governing for Results” is a statewide effort to promote the O’Malley-Brown Administration’s 16 strategic goals and highlight Maryland’s progress in the areas of opportunity (jobs and schools), sustainability, public safety, and health. Kicked off in early June, events will continue over the next several months and will chronicle some of the different strategies the Administration is using to make Maryland a safer, healthier place with more jobs and opportunity for all Marylanders.
