15847. COMMUNICATIONS SYSTEMS IN EMERGENCY MANAGEMENT. This paper addresses the importance of communications systems in emergency management and considers various proposals for improving such systems in the wake of the terrorist attacks of 9/11. Topics addressed include: the need for redundancy (back-up systems); the need for interoperability; and the idea of enabling civilian-based emergency managers to connect to military communications systems. 14 pages; 40 footnotes; 13 bibliographic sources, 2 appendices.