Terms Used In Louisiana Revised Statutes 29:725.3

  • Emergency: means :

                (a) The actual or threatened condition which has been or may be created by a disaster; or

                (b)(i) Any natural or man-made event which results in an interruption in the delivery of utility services to any consumer of such services and which affects the safety, health, or welfare of a Louisiana resident; or

                (ii) Any instance in which a utility's property is damaged and such damage creates a dangerous condition to the public. See Louisiana Revised Statutes 29:723

  • First responders: means the first arriving organized responders with the capability and mission to contain, mitigate, and resolve the emergency at hand, including but not limited to state agency essential workers. See Louisiana Revised Statutes 29:723
  • Interoperability: means the ability of two or more systems or their components to exchange information and to use the information exchanged. See Louisiana Revised Statutes 29:723

A combination of law enforcement, public safety leaders, health and emergency medical staff interests, technology and communication managers and technicians, vendors of communication systems, public officials, and state and federal agencies are all needed to address the complexities of communications interoperability in this state.  The creation of the office of interoperability is not to identify a single solution, but to identify and implement interoperability solutions that are always available and can be accessed statewide.  Solutions are needed for a secure and interoperable communications system accessible to public safety agencies and personnel, first responders, decision makers, and the public, allowing for clear and efficient exchange of voice, data, image, and video information during day-to-day operations, natural disasters, emergency response situations, and terrorist attacks.

Acts 2008, No. 797, §1.