Paper Session I-B - From Space to 911- The Peace Dividend for Public Safety

Public Safety Systems are our first line of reaction and response for any emergency, whether personal, local or regional. Described are ways in which we are applying military and space technology to improve the capability and efficiency of our Public Safety Systems community. Law Enforcement, Firefighters and Emergency Medical Services provide us with safety, security and help as well as our first line of response to major disasters, such as hurricanes, floods, earthquakes and civil disorder. However, as economic realities act to reduce the amount of money available for these essential services, the Public Safety Systems community is forced to operate with less and less money. Yet, the jobs they perform, and the disasters to which they respond, will continue to occur. Affordable solutions to this looming crisis are available by exploiting the significant investments was as a nation have already made in our defense and space programs. Examples include the application of Global Positioning Satellites, Infrared Night Vision, Virtual Reality, Distributed Integrated Simulations, Battle Management and Command, Control, Communications and Intelligence. We propose the initial elements of an evolutionary, national, integrated safety system that uses proven DoD and NASA derived technology