SAFECOM-NCSWIC Joint Session Executive Summary

TECHNICAL ASSISTANCE
EXECUTIVE SUMMARY
Joint Meeting of SAFECOM and the
National Council of Statewide Interoperability Coordinators (NCSWIC)
June 12-14, 2012: Los Angeles, California
Rich Reed provided an update on OEC’s three pronged Technical Assistance
(TA) approach that will help address each State’s specific needs. OEC
received about 226 requests for 2012 TA, with new offerings being created
based on TA recipient feedback. OEC encourages States to submit requests
now if they would like to receive additional TA during 2012, as funds to
support these services may be available.
FY 2013 brings new changes to the TA program. Instead of releasing a new TA catalogue each year, an online
version will continually be updated. In addition, TA requests will be due in August rather than December to allow
additional time for execution. TA will be targeted to address gaps identified through the National Emergency
Communications Plan (NECP) Goal 2. There are two National TA priorities for 2013: broadband and engagement to
support Goal 2 data collection from the 565 Federally-recognized tribes in the U.S.
The number of automated tools available on www.publicsafetytools.info has increased this year. OEC hopes to
leverage automated tools as a method to make OEC’s services widely available at a lower cost. Tools are available for
response-level communications, Communication Assets Survey and Mapping (CASM), narrowbanding, the National
Interoperability Field Operations Guide (NIFOG), and SWIC mapping. New computer-based training is also in
development in cooperation with Carnegie Mellon University. If you have computer based classes you would like to
have considered for the site, or if you have any additional questions about OEC TA, please contact Rich Reed at
richard.reed@hq.dhs.gov.
To avoid duplication of effort, the Emergency Management Institute (EMI) and OEC combined the COML courses in
to one nationally standardized course. In May 2011, FEMA began leading this effort with OEC providing all technical
content. Additional BETA testing for two new COML and COMT Train the Trainer (TtT) courses are expected to be
finished by the end of the summer. OEC has also developed a COMU awareness course focused on educating leaders
about the courses’ purpose and capabilities. Meeting participants also expressed interest in an Auxiliary
Communications (AuxCOM) TtT course, hosted by a COML representative.
PROJECT 25 PROGRAM UPDATE
OEC Acting Regional Coordinator Program Chief, Ross Merlin, provided an update on P25 progress on behalf of Jim
Downes, OEC. He reviewed the status of the suite of baseline standards that include over 76 published documents.
These documents currently address 11 interfaces, but that number is expected to increase upon the completion of
Phase Two. The P25 Suite of Standards is voted on by the P25 Steering Committee and has representatives from
industry and user communities. As the group moves forward, more subject matter expert input is needed to maintain
the most up-to-date information and clarification of existing standards. OEC is interested in identifying possible
problems with the interoperability or performance of P25 equipment and systems. If you encounter any issues
implementing your own system, please contact Jim Downes or the P25 Users Needs Subcommittee. Moving forward,
Mr. Downes is interested in forming a P25 SWIC Working Group to identify possible problems with interoperability
or performance of P25 equipment and systems . Please contact him if you are interested in participating at
james.downes@hq.dhs.gov.
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Three Pronged TA Approach
� State-Requested TA
� OEC National Priorities
� Automated Tools