SAFECOM Blog

November 15, 2016
12:59 pm

Author: The Office of Emergency Communications

Cary MartinThe OEC Partnerships Branch is very excited to welcome Cary Martin as its newest team member. Cary will serve as the Program Manager overseeing the National Council of Statewide Interoperability Coordinators (NCSWIC) program. In this role, Cary will work closely with the NCSWIC Chair, Vice Chair, and Executive Committee to oversee the day to day work of the NCSWIC Committees and working groups. Cary will oversee this important program, which brings together SWICs at least twice a year to share best practices and lessons learned related to emergency communications interoperability.

Cary has over 27 years military and Special Operations experience and an additional ten years of public safety experience as firefighter and search and rescue professional. During his career, he has worked as a U.S. Army, Special Forces Communications and Operations Sergeant deploying to numerous overseas assignments meeting a wide variety of communications and operational needs working with foreign and domestic partners to understand their doctrine and capabilities at the local and strategic levels in the context of C4I and the Joint functions of command and control, intelligence, fires, movement and maneuver, protection and sustainment. As First Sergeant, he developed performance standards and conducted performance appraisals, enforced workplace standards, resolved complaints informally, and recommended disciplinary actions, set goals, milestones, and expectations, and reported progress, problems, and accomplishments, and was responsible for the discipline, morale, and welfare of seven civilians, 43 noncommissioned officers and over 1600 students. He also was employed as a trained firefighter for the state of North Carolina and five years as a search and rescue professional for the state of Colorado which included mountain, ground, and swift water search and rescue.

Previously, Cary served as a Functional Manager for Region I and Region IV in the OEC Technical Assistance (TA) Branch. In that role, he conducted assessments of emergency communications capabilities nationwide to identify gaps and develop policies to improve Federal, state, local, and public safety interoperability. Among his most recent accomplishments was facilitating a major TA workshop in Region IV EMAC workshop. Twenty representatives from Regions IV and VI participated. Cary facilitated attendance by state level Emergency Management Assistance Compact (EMAC) Coordinators and homeland security officials. EMAC is a national interstate mutual aid organization that enables states to share resources during disasters, but does not formally include COMU personnel as part of its current mission scope. This engagement has furthered collaboration between SWICs and state EMAC officials and the typing of emergency COMU assets. This TA engagement also aims to establish SOPs for emergency communications regional response teams analogous to state Incident Management Teams. Due to his efforts the participating states have demonstrated initiative in pursuing this effort on their own. The requested TA included developing resource typing and draft EMAC Mission Ready Packages of asset requests and specifications.

As the OEC project lead for the Interoperable Communications Capabilities Analysis Program (ICCAP), Cary was key to the launch of six pilot observations in 2016. ICCAP was initiated by Deputy Secretary Mayorkis to deliver objective analysis of all modes of interoperable communications during planned events in 59 major urban areas. Cary has lead the ICCAP defining roles and responsibilities between Federal staff and vendor support, creating plans and templates for control and reporting, and scheduling the initial six pilots. He also developed an improvement plan for scoping and logistics meetings to ensure the Federal and vendor team captured and incorporated changes to the observation process.

Cary can be reached at cary.martin@hq.dhs.gov or (703) 235-3611.

November 4, 2016
11:46 am

Over the past few months, the SAFECOM Governance Committee meticulously worked to establish a new SAFECOM Executive Committee (EC) governance structure, revise the SAFECOM Charter, and assist in holding SAFECOM leadership elections. Revisions to the SAFECOM Charter were based primarily on the Governance Committee’s recommendations to establish the new SAFECOM EC governance structure, which were approved by the EC in July 2016. The Governance Committee met in August 2016 to review the new EC structure and revise the SAFECOM Charter to align the document with the approved recommendations. The Charter was approved by the EC in September 2016.

In addition to the SAFECOM Chair, Vice Chairs, and current association members, the new EC membership will also include the four SAFECOM Committee Chairs, as well as four At-Large members. The SAFECOM Chair, Vice Chairs, Committee Chairs, and At-Large members will each have a two-year staggered term, to promote continuity of leadership for SAFECOM. The 15 association representatives will not have terms. This year, one SAFECOM Vice Chair was elected to a two-year term and the other to a one-year term to initiate the staggering between the Vice Chairs. Two of the four At-Large members were elected to a two-year term and two to a one-year term to promote staggering. The two At-Large members elected next year will hold a two-year term.

New this year, the entire SAFECOM membership voted for the SAFECOM Chair and Vice Chair, as well as the four At-Large EC members. SAFECOM Chair and Vice Chair nominees are selected from the EC membership, while At-Large members may be nominated by the SAFECOM membership based on various factors (e.g., tenure, new disciplinary representation, leadership qualities, participation). SAFECOM members met in Norman, Oklahoma on October 25, 2016, to elect the SAFECOM Chair and Vice Chairs. Results were:

  • SAFECOM Chair: Chief Gerald Reardon, SAFECOM At-Large, City of Cambridge (MA) Fire Department
  • SAFECOM Vice Chair (One-Year Term): Chief Doug Aiken, National Public Safety Telecommunications Council (NPSTC)
  • SAFECOM Vice Chair (Two-Year Term): Mark Grubb, National Council of Statewide Interoperability Coordinators (NCSWIC)

In addition, SAFECOM Committee Chairs are elected by the members of that committee for two-year terms, with Governance and Technology Policy Committee Chairs and Vice Chairs elected on even-numbered years, and the Education & Outreach and Funding & Sustainment Committee Chairs and Vice Chairs elected on odd-numbered years. Recent elections were held for the Governance and Technology Policy Committee Chairs and Vice Chairs. Results were:

  • Governance Committee Chair: Don Bowers, SAFECOM At-Large, Fairfax County (VA) Fire and Rescue
  • Governance Committee Vice Chair: Sheriff Paul Fitzgerald, National Sheriffs’ Association (NSA)
  • Technology Policy Committee Chair: Chief Gerald Reardon, SAFECOM At-Large, City of Cambridge (MA) Fire Department
  • Technology Policy Committee Vice Chair: Dan Wills, SAFECOM At-Large, Arizona State Forestry

From left to right: Douglas Aiken, SAFECOM Co-Vice Chair, Gerald Reardon, SAFECOM Chair, and Mark Grubb, SAFECOM Co-Vice Chair

From left to right: Douglas Aiken, SAFECOM Co-Vice Chair, Gerald Reardon, SAFECOM Chair, and Mark Grubb, SAFECOM Co-Vice Chair .

The four At-Large EC members were elected based on past practice and SAFECOM experience. These members represent their elected role with SAFECOM and vote on what they feel is in the best interest of their public safety discipline. In October 2016, the following members were elected to fill the four at-large positions:

  • Anthony Catalanotto, SAFECOM At-Large (Fire Department New York) [Two-Year Term]
  • Michael Murphy, SAFECOM At-Large (Baker, LA Police Department) [Two-Year Term]
  • Jay Kopstein, SAFECOM At-Large (New York State Division of Homeland Security & Emergency Services) [One-Year Term]
  • Charlie Sasser, National Association of State Technology Directors (NASTD) [One-Year Term]

Also new this year, all associations now have the opportunity to select both a primary and an alternate representative, with at least one association member attending all SAFECOM meetings. Thus, both the primary and alternate members may, but are not required to, attend all meetings.

November 4, 2016
11:36 am

Author: NCSWIC

The Office of Emergency Communications (OEC), in cooperation with several federal departments and agencies, developed a Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) that will allow State, Local, Tribal, and Territorial public safety agencies to use federal Law Enforcement and Incident Response (LE/IR) channels to improve emergency communications interoperability. The MOU is from the recent changes in the National Telecommunications and Information Administration (NTIA) Manual of Regulations and Procedures for Federal Radio Frequency Management (NTIA Manual section 4.3.16) governing how federal LE/IR channels can be used.

The New Rules

The new NTIA rules will not only increase the number of channels that can be used during emergencies and for coordination of law enforcement activities with federal agencies, they now eliminate the need for every State and local public safety agency to execute an agreement with every federal agency they work with. The rules specifically state “Non-federal use will be coordinated with the Federal Communications Commission (FCC) through the Statewide Interoperability Coordinator (SWIC) or a state appointed official. The FCC will grant authority to program and use the Federal Interoperability Channels through a signed agreement between the SWIC or state appointed official and a federal user with a valid GMF assignment.”

The MOU and the NCSWIC Partnership

The MOU was developed by a Department of Homeland Security focus group, the Department of the Interior, and the Department of Justice. To streamline the Federal/State coordination process, the Department of the Interior National Radio and Spectrum Program Office agreed to serve as the Federal signatory for all MOUs. The MOU greatly simplifies the process of coordinating the use of these channels.  

From left to right: Bob Symons, Wyoming SWIC, Ron Hewitt, Director, Office of Emergency Communications, Chris Lewis, Department of the Interior, and Jim Downes, Office of Emergency Communications

From left to right: Bob Symons, Wyoming SWIC, Ron Hewitt, Director, Office of Emergency Communications, Chris Lewis, Department of the Interior, and Jim Downes, Office of Emergency Communications.

The National Council of Statewide Interoperability Coordinators (NSWIC) has agreed to help facilitate the execution of the MOU in all the States and Territories by coordinating the process among its membership. At the recent Joint SAFECOM -NCSWIC meeting in Norman, Oklahoma, the first MOU was signed by Chris Lewis of the Department of the Interior (on behalf of the Federal Government) and Bob Symons, the State of Wyoming SWIC. This signing is unique as it marks the first MOU of its kind based on the new NTIA rules. Ron Hewitt, OEC Director, and members of SAFECOM and NCSWIC witnessed this landmark event.

For more information on the MOU and its impact on interoperability, please contact Jim Downes at James.Downes@HQ.DHS.GOV.

October 14, 2016
2:31 pm

Author: Southwest Border Communications Working Group (SWBCWG)

The Southwest Border Communications Working Group (SWBCWG) continued efforts to enhance communications operability and interoperability along the Southwest Border Region during an in-person meeting held on September 1st in Phoenix, Arizona.  The meeting focused on building partnerships, identifying best practices and lessons learned for border region communications, and sharing information regarding the Asia-Pacific Telecommunity band plan (a key Federal Communications Commission regulatory issue that impacts public safety communications along the international border). 

Deployable Assets Available Nation-wide

The United States Coast Guard (USCG) provided an overview of their deployable communications support assets. These deployable support assets provide backup communications capabilities in emergency situations and communications support for planned events.  The USCG has two full-time deployable teams on duty which include various technicians and specialists.  Many of the technicians can perform on-the-fly communications device programming and coding, enabling them to provide support across the United States.  The USCG currently has a total of three Mobile Communications Vehicles (MCVs) and two Enhanced Mobile Incident Command Posts (EMICPs).  Some of the capabilities of the MCVs/EMICPs include: 700/800 MHz; unfiltered internet; voice over IP; satellite phones; secure/non-secure video teleconference; conference room space; a generator for self-sustainability; and over-the-air television.

The USCG is interested in working with Statewide Interoperability Coordinators (SWICs) and other public safety communications practitioners to support upcoming activities and exercises.  For those interested in utilizing USCG’s deployable emergency communications assets to support a training exercise or another planned event, please contact SWBCWG@hq.dhs.gov for more information.  All requests should only state the capability needed, and not specific equipment.  Equipment will be provided based on the operational necessities and availability.

Texas Broadband Activities and Training

Mr. Todd Early, Texas Department of Public Safety, briefed on Texas’s Early Builder Public Safety Broadband Program.  A spectrum management lease agreement between the First Responder Network Authority (FirstNet) and the State of Texas was signed in August 2014.  This three-year agreement includes five key learning conditions: core transition; data analytics; special events; extended mode; and training.

Utilizing this spectrum management lease agreement, Harris County, Texas, deployed the first operational Long-Term Evolution (LTE) based public-safety network using Band 14 spectrum. Currently there are 19 sites operational in Harris County and 18 sites that are in the planning/deployment phase. Once established, these additional 18 sites will complete mobile coverage across the county.  The Brazos County Sheriff’s office is currently a test site for Harris County LTE.  The Brazos County Sheriff’s Office has 64 patrol units equipped with LTE modems.  These units utilize Band 14 for primary data communications, and Verizon’s commercial spectrum as their secondary means of data communications.

Texas’ LTE website, www.TxLTE.com, features free LTE/wireless data training courses that are open to the public.  

Support the SWBCWG

To get involved and/or receive regular updates from the SWBCWG, please reach out via email at SWBCWG@hq.dhs.gov.

October 12, 2016
2:37 pm

Author: Federal Partnership for Interoperable Communications (FPIC)

Encryption is a complex topic that has generated much discussion in the public safety community. While encryption is critical to certain public safety disciplines and missions, it can also increase the system cost, and impact interoperability and public safety operations. Public safety agencies must determine what type of information should be encrypted and the method of encryption; recognizing that not all public safety communications need to be encrypted. Complicating matters further, encryption algorithms and methods vary and do not always comply with Project 25 (P25) standards. Proprietary non-standards based encryption poses a serious threat to interoperability.

To support public safety; the Federal Partnership for Interoperable Communications (FPIC) Security Working Group (SWG) collaborated with SAFECOM, the National Council for Statewide Interoperability Coordinators (NCSWIC), and other Department of Homeland Security (DHS) entities to develop a series of guidelines, best practices, and considerations for public agencies considering implementation of encrypted communications. The suite of Encryption Materials includes:

These documents were developed to support stakeholders throughout the public safety community by providing key concepts and critical factors to consider before implementing encryption. Included are best practices and guidance for public safety agencies to make informed procurement decisions. For any questions about these documents, please contact SAFECOMGovernance@hq.dhs.gov or NCSWICGovernance@hq.dhs.gov.

The FPIC is recognized as a technical advisory group to SAFECOM and the ECPC and works to address technical and operational wireless issues relative to interoperability within the federal emergency communications community, as well as interfaces with state and local agencies.  It includes more than 200 federal, state, local, and tribal public safety representatives from over 45 federal agencies, as well as representatives from state, tribal and local entities.

September 23, 2016
11:17 am

Author: The Office of Emergency Communications

On September 9, 2016 the National Telecommunications and Information Administration (NTIA) published a blog on their website requesting the public safety community to submit comments on the National Broadband Research Agenda.

Some of the questions they’re asking are, “what research proposals regarding broadband access should be prioritized? How can cross-disciplinary collaboration in broadband research be enhanced? What is needed to understand how to reach population groups that have traditionally under-utilized broadband technology?”

Comment should be submitted to NBRArfc2016@ntia.doc.gov by Tuesday, October 11, 2016.

How is this relevant to SAFECOM?

The Department of Homeland Security and FirstNet are members of the Broadband Opportunity Council (BOC). The BOC supports the development of the National Broadband Research Agenda, and is researching ways in which the Federal government can support the deployment of broadband across the U.S. in rural and underserved communities.  While broadband deployment assists in community economic development, broadband also supports first responder/emergency communications and interoperability in those same communities.  FirstNet and Public Safety could leverage the deployment of broadband in these areas, and provide needed synergy between public safety and other public services to assist in community growth.

The Office of Emergency Communications encourages SAFECOM and the public safety community to provide their comments on this issue. 

August 24, 2016
11:13 am

Authors: SAFECOM and National Council of Statewide Interoperability Coordinators Chairs

On August 11, 2016, SAFECOM and the National Council of Interoperability Coordinators (NCSWIC) sent a letter to Brian E. Kamoie, Assistant Administrator for the Grant Programs Directorate (GPD) at the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA), providing recommendations for strengthening grantee compliance with P25 standards.

Currently, the annual SAFECOM Guidance on Emergency Communications Grants (SAFECOM Guidance) allows grantees to submit written justification for non-standards purchases, when needed. SAFECOM and NCSWIC believe this clause creates a loophole for state and local agencies to purchase non-standard equipment, hindering interoperability. Thus, SAFECOM and NCSWIC proposed the following recommendations in the letter for establishing stronger P25 compliance standards:

  1. SAFECOM and NCSWIC recommend compliance with P25 standards be required for all grantees and the language in the 2017 SAFECOM Guidance should reflect that requirement (i.e., change “should comply” to “must comply”).
  2. SAFECOM and NCSWIC recommend FEMA grant staff and grant reviewers be trained and educated to identify P25 and non-P25 equipment and provided a list of P25 compliant equipment; such a list should be similar to the list developed by the Public Safety Communications Research (PSCR) Program (see: Grant Eligible Equipment List), to ensure equipment purchased with federal grant dollars is P25 compliant. 
  3. SAFECOM and NCSWIC recommend FEMA remind State Administrative Agencies (SAA) of these standards-related requirements, and encourage states to appoint a single point of contact (e.g., the Statewide Interoperability Coordinator [SWIC]) to review communications projects submitted for funding to ensure compliance with the technical standards in the SAFECOM Guidance (a best practice).

The SAFECOM and NCSWIC Funding and Sustainment Committee have been tracking federal efforts to support emergency communications, and appreciate the role FEMA and other federal granting agencies play in supporting state and local public safety communications. The members of SAFECOM and NCSWIC offer their technical expertise and assistance to FEMA, as well as other federal, state, and local program managers to ensure federal purchases are P25 compliant, and to ensure waiver criteria is the same across all federal grant programs.    

SAFECOM and NCSWIC are eager to work with federal agencies, federal coordinating bodies focused on grants (e.g., Emergency Communications Preparedness Center Grants Focus Group), and state-level representatives (e.g., State Administrative Agencies) to promote P25 requirements and these recommendations in an effort to advance interoperability in every state and across the Nation.

For further assistance in understanding P25 standards and requirements, see the 2016 SAFECOM Grant Guidance and the P25 for Project Managers white paper, posted to the SAFECOM funding page at: https://www.dhs.gov/safecom/funding

August 5, 2016
1:35 pm

Author: The Office of Emergency Communications

The SAFECOM Education and Outreach Committee has started executing a long-term strategic goal of both SAFECOM and the Office of Emergency Communications (OEC) - to implement and maintain an ongoing outreach effort across all public safety disciplines.

First, the Committee developed the SAFECOM Membership Outreach Plan and established the SAFECOM Engagement Team (SET).  This team will be used to complement OEC’s Outreach staff in increasing the number of SAFECOM engagements across the public safety community. 

SAFECOM has also been developing several tools to assist state and local decision makers in understanding the issues they will be addressing concerning funding and sustainment of current Public Safety Land Mobile Radio (LMR) systems into the foreseeable future as the Nationwide Public Safety Broadband Network (NPSBN) is developed by FirstNet across the country.  The joint SAFECOM/National Council of Statewide Interoperability Coordinators Funding and Sustainment Committee developed the LMR Trio- Part 1, LMR 101; Part 2, LMR for Decision Makers; and Part 3, LMR for Project Mangers.  The Committee has also developed a Funding and Maintaining Public Safety Radio Systems brochure to ensure decision makers and elected officials provide funding and resources to LMR systems.  These materials will be used in SAFECOM’s outreach engagements across the country. 

In June, SAFECOM and OEC collaborated to launch the initial SAFECOM pilot outreach effort at the Public Safety Communications Research (PSCR) Public Safety Broadband Stakeholder Meeting, held in San Diego, California.  OEC worked with PSCR to set up a SAFECOM display at the event where Mike Murphy, SAFECOM Member at Large from the Baker, Louisiana Police Department, spoke with PSCR stakeholders about SAFECOM and its activities.  The pilot effort was a success, and Mike Murphy stated that the event was ideal for the initial outreach pilot for the SAFECOM team. 

SAFECOM and OEC then worked together in July to hold their first joint booth deployment at the National Association of Counties (NACo) 2016 Annual Conference and Expo in Long Beach, California.  Representatives from OEC’s Outreach team, along with Mike Murphy, displayed the OEC and SAFECOM booths together and spent three days talking about the organizations’ programs with county officials from across the country.  This event was an excellent opportunity for SAFECOM and OEC to combine their outreach efforts and reach key stakeholders.  “We were able to engage the target audience for several of our recent publication efforts, especially the Funding and Maintaining Public Safety Radio Systems brochure we introduced at this conference.  There was a lot of interest in the Land Mobile Radio (LMR) Trio publications, especially the LMR for Decision Makers”, Murphy said. 

Mike Murphy, SAFECOM Member at Large, displays the new SAFECOM outreach banner at the NACo 2016 Annual Conference.

Mike Murphy, SAFECOM Member at Large, displays the new SAFECOM outreach banner at the NACo 2016 Annual Conference.

The Committee’s decision to send local representatives to engage with stakeholders also proved to be a success.  Murphy added that “Being a SAFECOM representative from a small, local, police department was a real advantage in engaging the attendees in the booth.  I was able to discuss on a first hand basis a lot of the questions and issues from the vast majority of attendees who were from smaller counties across the country.”

Both SAFECOM and OEC look forward to continuing their joint outreach activities in the coming months.  

August 4, 2016
8:07 am

Author: The Office of Emergency Communications

Last month, the Office of Emergency Communications (OEC) and the National Governors Association (NGA) conducted workshops in Alaska and Hawaii as part the Policy Academy on Enhancing Emergency Communications Interoperability. The Pilot Academy – which officially kicked off in May 2016 – will help states design specific strategies to strengthen interoperability plans, including assessing and formalizing governance structures and standard operating procedures. Five states were invited to participate in the Academy: Alaska, Hawaii, Illinois, Utah, and West Virginia.

“The NGA Policy Academy is an exciting initiative that will improve interoperability in the pilot states and make sure first responders are better positioned in an emergency to save lives,” said OEC Deputy Director Chris Essid, who participated in the Alaska and Hawaii workshops. “We’re excited to help Alaska and Hawaii in this critical aspect of public safety and we look forward to implementing the lessons learned in all states and territories going forward.”

OEC originally partnered with NGA in 2007 to conduct a Policy Academy that focused on interoperable communications. While the 2007 Policy Academy focused almost exclusively on Land Mobile Radio (LMR), this year’s Academy is addressing interoperability challenges across the new emergency communications ecosystem – LMR, broadband, and Next Generation 911, among others. By the end of the Academy, participating states will be prepared to present recommendations and a plan of action to their governor. In addition, OEC will incorporate the best practices and recommendations from the Academy into the Office’s Technical Assistance offerings and Statewide Communications Interoperability Plan workshops.

The Alaska workshop took place on July 11-12. The Hawaii workshop – which was kicked off by Governor David Y. Ige and featured Adjutant General Arthur “Joe” Logan – took place on July 19. The next NGA Policy Academy workshops are scheduled for August 23-24 in West Virginia, August 30 in Utah, and September 8-9 in Illinois.

For more information, please the preview SAFECOM Blog from April 7, 2016.

August 1, 2016
3:48 pm

Author: Bob Symons, NCSWIC Chair, Wyoming SWIC, Wyoming Office of Homeland Security, Wyoming Public Safety Communications Commission

Statewide Interoperability Coordinators (SWICs) collaborate with partners involved in responding to disasters at all levels of government, advance long-term emergency communications initiatives, and enhance the response capabilities of public safety responders. Although SWICs continue to hold a central role in emergency communications interoperability across the nation, the number of full-time SWIC positions has significantly declined over the years. The decline in funded SWIC positions is a major concern for many states and territories as they struggle to sustain momentum executing these initiatives, including maintaining and upgrading land mobile radio systems to further interoperability in the face of broadband planning and implementation. Despite the reductions in funding support, the SWIC remains steadfast in the development and maintenance of governance structures across all disciplines and levels of government; standard operating procedures; voice and data technologies; training and exercises; outreach and education materials; funding and grant opportunities; and emergency communications polices, plans, and services.

The NCSWIC Governance Committee, which serves as a forum to promote the role of the SWIC as well as to review and improve both internal and external emergency communications governing processes and structures to address the evolving operating environment, recently updated the SWIC Roles and Responsibilities fact sheet in an effort to showcase the increasing value of the SWIC at the state and national level.

The NCSWIC Governance Committee encourages SWICs to utilize the “Supporting and Leveraging Your Statewide Interoperability Coordinator” document to educate members of their state legislatures on the value of the SWIC and to promote sustained funding for the position.

If you would like to contact your State’s SWIC please visit the NCSWIC Contact Information webpage.

For more information on the NCSWIC, please visit the About NCSWIC page or if there are questions about this document or other Governance Committee activities, please contact NCSWICGovernance@hq.dhs.gov.

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