WASHINGTON-The First Response Coalition-which came out against other public-safety organizations at the 11th hour last year in the fight to stop interference in the 800 MHz band-has re-emerged as a tax-exempt organization, this time fighting for more money for public-safety interoperability.
“We see a need for first responders but also the people who support them in the general public to put pressure on Congress to provide adequate funding for interoperability,” said Gene Stilp, president of the Dauphin-Middle Paxton Fire Company No. 1 of Dauphin, Pa.
For the first time, the First Response Coalition publicly admitted that Verizon Communications Inc. funded last summer’s attempt to derail the 800 MHz rebanding plan supported by Nextel Communications Inc. and the major public-safety advocacy groups. Verizon was a consistent critic of the Nextel/public-safety plan.
The re-organized First Response Coalition is also being partially funded by a grant from Verizon, said Todd Main, director of the First Response Coalition.
“Our funding will come from corporate sponsorships, with a grant from Verizon, philanthropy funding and we are developing a membership database to solicit funds,” said Main.
The First Response Coalition released a report Thursday decrying what it calls the gap between the rhetoric and reality of public-safety funding.
“We have to get on top of this and get the proper funding for the first responders. If we don’t get the equipment we need, we are just as useless as the ordinary citizen out there,” said Bill Fox, commissioner of the Metropolitan Fire Association of New York City.
Stilp also called for a streamlined grant process.
“Currently we are filling out grant applications to refurbish a 15-year-old fire truck. The amount of paperwork is enormous. We have to not only prove there is a need to the state government but to the federal government,” said Stilp. “It is a mind-boggling effort.”
