Tennessee Emergency Management Agency
James Bassham, Director

TEMA Headlines - Back

March 8, 2010

Second Interoperability Exercise Held in Middle Tennessee

At the Tennessee Fire Service and Codes Enforcement Academy on Tuesday, March 9-10, 2010, TEMA held an exercise focusing on interoperable communications with 13 counties, 11 state departments and two federal agencies.

The Academy is located at 2161 Unionville-Deason Rd. in Bell Buckle, Tenn.

Interoperability is more than a fancy buzz-word; it means knowing how to use what you have to talk to the people that show up during an emergency.

The second day will include field operations from remote locations around the academy. The public may see large communications vehicles, towers and responders operating equipment during the exercise.

The field exercise, consisting of approximately 18 communications vehicles, will ensure the more than 100 first responders become more familiar with their own equipment; have confirmed that their agency’s radio and communications equipment is properly programmed with the state’s mutual aid channels; and will have actually spoken to each other and to the State Emergency Operations Center in Nashville.