National Interoperability Field Operations Guide

The Office of Emergency Communications (OEC) publishes the National Interoperability Field Operations Guide (NIFOG) as a reference guide for public safety radio technicians and communications planners. The waterproof, pocket-sized guide (also available in PDF format and mobile version) contains radio regulations, tables of radio channels, and technical reference information. This guide is ideal for those establishing or repairing emergency communications in a disaster area.

New in NIFOG Version 1.4

New content:

• VTAC Repeater Channels
• U.S. Department of Justice 25 Cities Project
• Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) Regions - States and Territories
• U.S. Coast Guard Rescue Coordination Centers
• Cellular Telephone Emergency Response
• Text Messaging
• Line-of-sight Formulas

Updated content:

• VHF low-band interoperability repeaters and channel names
• All channel tables list frequencies in the same order as ICS-205 and ICS-217 forms
• An improved map showing where channel VTAC17 may be used, with county names
• 700 MHz Interoperability Channels – frequencies have been added to the table
• UHF MED channels – 12.5 and 6.25 channels added
• RJ-45 wiring – crossover wiring added
• VHF Marine Channel and Frequency tables
• Revised answer to the question "Don't I need a license for these channels before programming them into radios?"
• Revised "Ground to Air working channel" in the table "Federal/Non-Federal VHF SAR Operations Interoperability Plan"

To request a copy of the NIFOG

If you have a copy of NIFOG 1.3, please look at the new and updated content listed above to determine whether to order version 1.4. The new and revised content is available for download.

Public safety communications professionals and emergency communications specialists in private voluntary organizations can receive reasonable quantities of NIFOGs at no charge by completing the NIFOG request form.

Businesses may purchase copies from the U.S. Government Printing Office – go to http://bookstore.gpo.gov/ and type "Interoperability" in the Simple Search box.

Mobile Version

The NIFOG is now available in a mobile version for use on smart phones and tablets. Visit www.publicsafetytools.info/nifog to access the mobile version.

Downloads

• NIFOG version 1.4 – For Personal Printing (PDF, 98 pages - 749 KB)
• NIFOG version 1.4 – For Professional Printing (PDF, 98 pages - 866 KB)
• NIFOG version 1.4 – Rotated for Viewing (PDF, 98 pages - 760 KB)
• NIFOG version 1.4 – Resized for PDA Viewing (PDF, 98 pages - 549 KB) 
• NIFOG version 1.4 – What's New (PDF, 35 pages - 281 KB)
• Programming Guide for Interoperability Radio Channels (PDF, 3 pages - 20.2 KB)
• Programming Template for Interoperability Radio Channels (XLS, 108 KB)

If you require assistance in accessing these documents, please contact Ross Merlin at ross.merlin@hq.dhs.gov or 202-343-1667.