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Congress should establish a federal interagency committee to coordinate development of guidance, standards and other components to facilitate interoperable emergency communication systems across the nation, an advisory group has recommended.

A report from the congressionally created Joint Advisory Committee on Communications Capabilities of Emergency Medical and Public Health Care Facilities also recommends:

* Policy makers should encourage development of interoperable and secure broadband networks built on standardized Internet Protocols;

* Federal and state agencies should develop common criteria for all contracts and grants supporting emergency communications;

* The Department of Health and Human Services should create a Command and Coordination System using open standards to enable uniform patient and emergency vehicle tracking;

* Greater coordination, investment and utilization of telemedicine technologies are needed for day-to-day and emergency response; and

* Better coordination is required between existing systems to share and analyze real-time data.

The Joint Advisory Committee on Communications Capabilities of Emergency Medical and Public Health Care Facilities comprises representatives from communications firms, government agencies, local and state governments, emergency medical services agencies and hospitals. For the complete report, click here.