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Bay Area UASI and BayRx updates: regional planning, interoperable radios and funding needs
Summary
Laura Phillips (Bay Area UASI) and Michelle Geddes (DEM) updated the council on regional UASI governance, projects (information sharing, debris removal, mass care annexes) and the BayRx interoperable communications program, which is more than 75% implemented in San Francisco and seeks funding and FCC spectrum for next phases.
Laura Phillips, general manager of the Bay Area Urban Area Security Initiative (UASI), and Michelle Geddes, interoperability program manager at San Francisco DEM, briefed the Disaster Council on regional preparedness projects and interoperable communications work.
Phillips described governance changes since 2006 when several core cities were combined into a single urban area for grant and planning purposes. She outlined the approval authority (a three‑tiered governance structure chaired in practice by San Francisco DEM) and said the UASI footprint covers the 10 Bay Area counties, with a strategic focus on core urban areas. UASI priorities highlighted in the presentation included information‑sharing tools (CopLink), regional exercises such as Urban Shield, and planning subprojects for debris removal, mass transportation strategy and mass care and shelter annexes. Phillips said the Regional Catastrophic Planning Grant is focused on planning (no equipment dollars) and will produce annexes for county and city plans.
Michelle Geddes reported implementation progress on the BayRx interoperable communications program. She said San Francisco is "over 75% complete" with initial phases and has active users; the city plans to implement 700 MHz channels by 2010, pending FCC allocations and funding. Geddes described efforts to negotiate a memorandum of understanding with SFMTA for a shared communications platform, to expand wireless broadband for first responders, and to develop options for a build/own/operate model or public‑private partnership. Geddes and Phillips both emphasized the need for continued funding to complete radio replacement and later phases.
Public commenters and department representatives used the update to press for resource priorities: a firefighter speaker urged funding for reserve fleets, air packs and a replacement for the city's 50‑year‑old fireboat; Dr. Lisa Carlson Chai urged quality monitoring of emergency medical response citing concerns about ambulance response times.
