In his 30-year communications career, Manfred Blaha has attained an international level of expertise in the ever-changing and wide-ranging world of public safety communications. Blaha, a native of Vienna, Austria, is brigadier general with the Austrian Ministry of Interior (MOI), where he heads the telecommunications department for emergency services.

Blaha’s reputation as the implementer of numerous telecom systems in Austria extends beyond the country’s borders. He’s a widely respected leader in the field. A regular attendee of APCO International conferences, he appreciates the inter­actions with communications experts from around the world.

“It’s good to make contact with so many people,” he says.

A Technician
Blaha’s aspirations were to be “a little technician,” he says. In Austria, “we have to decide at the age of 14 what we want to do. We select a course of study for that, whether it is language or mathematics or technical. So I had chosen the technical side. But at that time, it was economically quite difficult to find a good job. That’s what led to police work.”

An engineering graduate of the Higher Technical College, Blaha could have gone directly into the telecommunications department. Instead, he requested a post as an officer with the Vienna Police.

“I wanted to see what the job of a police officer was about, so I started as a regular police officer and spent a year on the street,” Blaha says. “I felt it was necessary to see what the officers go through. What do they do, what do they need, what are their problems? It was a good experience, and I learned a lot from it.”

After a year, Blaha transferred to “telecoms,” and by 1989, he had been promoted to first lieutenant (supervisor), having helped upgrade several police radio and communications systems.

In 1990, he joined Austria’s MOI, serving as deputy head of the Austria Federal Police’s Telecommunications Branch before being promoted to head of that branch in 1999. During that decade, Blaha led multiple radio system upgrades and introduced new dispatch centers throughout Austria.

By 2000, a countrywide reorganization led to additional duties. Blaha became telecommunications coordinator for both federal police forces in Austria. He also developed the Austrian Public Safety Radio Network (Project ADONIS), which changed a police-exclusive radio system into an all-inclusive network for the country’s law enforcement, fire and EMS agencies. It was a massive integration project, networking more than 1,300 base stations and 80,000 portable radios. Blaha also managed the complicated transition from the former government-owned-and-operated system to an outsourced network designed to use cutting-edge technology while keeping costs down.

In 2003, Blaha was promoted to his current post and became technology advisor for Austria’s National Disaster and Crisis Prevention Management. By 2006, he was technical project manager of another large-scale deployment: an emergency operations center for the government that coordinates operations, tactical and telecommunications needs, as well as networks other critical infrastructure agencies and the logistics and transportation among them.

Blaha’s international career began after he joined the MOI in 1990, when he led Austria’s delegation to Interpol’s telecommunications conference. It was a first for Blaha, who has since become well-traveled. Blaha has visited more than 100 countries, representing Austria at various functions. He still heads Austria’s delegations to NATO’s Partnership for Peace and the EU’s Expert Group on Emergency Access. In May, he will begin a one-year term as president of Public Safety Communications Europe (PSC-E), of which he is a founding member.

APCO Membership
Blaha’s APCO involvement began in 1996, when he went to the APCO conference in San Antonio.

“[My boss] was going to retire in five years,” Blaha recalls. “So he said, ‘Send the young guy. We need to do this. We need to be affiliated with APCO.’ And that’s how it started.”

Blaha found APCO’s conferences informative and the networking opportunities invaluable. At that time, APCO had no International Chapter. But that began to change in 2003, when APCO’s Inter­national Development Committee, of which Blaha was a member, sought to create a chapter for members who resided outside the U.S. Blaha has represented the International Chapter on APCO’s Executive Council since 2008. The chapter has more than 100 members, each with unique perspectives on communications and a willingness to learn from each other.

“At conferences, we always have an International Chapter gathering,” Blaha says. “It’s good to exchange experiences and learn how other countries have overcome various challenges.”

Off duty: Blaha and his wife, who have a 22-year-old daughter, enjoy outdoor activities.

“After sitting around in an office, my body needs to move,” Blaha says. “I enjoy being active. And I love to take lots of photos of the places I visit.”

About the Author
Courtney McCain has worked as a paramedic and an air medical dispatcher in Kansas and Texas. She is now a writer focusing on public safety issues. Contact her via e-mail at [email protected].

Originally published in Public Safety Communications, Vol. 77(5):21, May 2011.