January 2019 2018 SAFECOM Annual Summary

2018 SAFECOM Annual Summary In 2018, SAFECOM, administered by the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security Agency (CISA), worked to enhance public safety communications capabilities and improve coordination among the community. SAFECOM supported the progress of strategic priorities through its four committees: Education and Outreach, Funding and Sustainment1, Governance, and Technology Policy2. Additionally, SAFECOM members supported a number of other initiatives through organized working groups comprised of SAFECOM members and subject matter experts (SMEs) across multiple disciplines and levels of government for Next Generation (NG) 911; Identity, Credential, and Access Management (ICAM); and the Communications Section Task Force (CSTF). This document provides a summary of 2018 committee work, associated key products and activities, and summaries of in-person meeting and election outcomes.

2018 SAFECOM Committees

Chair: Chris Lombard

Vice Chair: Michael Murphy

Public Safety Communications Evolution

Brochure (revision)

SAFECOM School and New Member

Orientation

Joint Blog Posts

Joint Newsletters

SAFECOM Website Maintenance

EDUCATION AND OUTREACH COMMITTEE ACCOMPLISHMENTS

GOVERNANCE COMMITTEE ACCOMPLISHMENTS

Chair: Don Bowers (October 2016 – October

2018); George Perera (January 2019- Present)

Vice Chair: Paul Fitzgerald (Acting Chair,

October 2018 – December 2018)

2017 Annual Report

2017 SAFECOM Strategic Priorities: Summary

of Accomplishments

2018 Strategic Plan

SAFECOM Recommended Guidelines for

Statewide Public Safety Communications

Governance Structure

Statewide Public Safety Communications

Governance Coordination

SAFECOM Membership Search and

Solicitation

Education and Outreach Committee – The Education and Outreach Committee continued to promote SAFECOM’s role and its impact on public safety communications nationwide through attendance at relevant public safety conferences and through the publication of blog posts, website updates, and quarterly newsletters. In addition to strategizing methods and platforms to best communicate SAFECOM’s mission, goals, and priorities, the Committee updated the Public Safety Communications Evolution Brochure. The updated Evolution Brochure analyzes the current public safety communications landscape and its evolution as well as future considerations for how both land mobile radio (LMR) systems and long-term evolution (LTE) technologies can operate concurrently during emergency response operations. The Committee also established and debuted the SAFECOM School and New Member Orientation as an opportunity for new members to learn more about the SAFECOM Program, membership requirements and expectations, and the importance of active participation.

Governance Committee – In 2018, the Governance Committee focused on establishing effective nationwide governance and networks. This included managing and providing modifications to core program documents, such as the SAFECOM Strategic Plan and the SAFECOM Annual Report. The Governance Committee also focused on Statewide Public Safety Communications Governance Coordination, providing guidance and recommendations for messaging SAFECOM’s emphasis on the value of a single coordinating position or body and the optimal governance structure to enhance state interoperability. The Committee led major efforts to onboard 12 new at-large members and conduct SAFECOM Leadership elections in December. Members also reviewed recommended guidelines for statewide public safety communications governance structure to improve representation in policy-making while reducing duplication of efforts among those involved.

1 Jointly coordinated with the National Council of Statewide Interoperability Coordinators (NCSWIC) 2 Jointly coordinated with the NCSWIC

January 2019 2018 SAFECOM Annual Summary

Joint Funding and Sustainment Committee – A major focus for the Joint Funding and Sustainment Committee in 2018 was completing and publishing the 2018 Emergency Communications Systems Lifecycle Planning Guide (Lifecycle Guide)—an update to previously-developed guidance that assists public safety officials with maintaining and sustaining emergency communications systems by sharing funding examples as well as best practices and lessons learned related to funding and managing systems. The Funding and Sustainment Committee also developed a suite of marketing materials to educate the community on and promote the Lifecycle Guide. The Committee also began scoping content for an Emergency Communications Value Analysis Guide, which helps practitioners determine whether the selection and maintenance of communications systems and equipment are cost effective and efficient while remaining functional, reliable, and in alignment with public safety interoperability requirements.

Joint Technology Policy Committee – In 2018, the TP Committee continued to support land mobile radio (LMR) systems, promote broadband technology and deployment, and work with partners, such as the Federal Partnership for Interoperable Communications (FPIC) and the Advanced Technology Group, to further the use and security of various technologies and frameworks within the emergency communications ecosystem (e.g., NG 911, ICAM, cybersecurity). The committee also collaborated on the research and development of guidelines, best practices, and considerations for implementing encrypted land mobile radio communications; reviewed documents to assist with assessing and ensuring public safety communications network resilience; and refreshed a position document to support ongoing discussions on, and communicate challenges associated with, the T-Band relocation. Additionally, the committee finished 2018 by finalizing the four components of the RFP Best Practices for LMR Subscriber Units Toolkit for the public safety community.

NG 911 Working Group: The NG 911 Working Group identified short- and long- term priorities to support

stakeholder efforts to fund, assess readiness, and complete the transition to NG 911. In 2018, the group focused on identifying and sharing best practices on management of geographic information system data, developing executive summaries of vital NG 911 documents to facilitate information sharing, developing tools to help agencies identify transition steps for NG 911, and addressing inconsistencies in Public Safety Answering Points (PSAPs) architecture and operations across all levels of government. Members developed the Cyber Risks to NG 911 White Paper to provide an overview of NG 911 systems and the cyber risk landscape for PSAP administrators and public safety officials. Members

JOINT FUNDING AND SUSTAINMENT COMMITTEE

ACCOMPLISHMENTS

SAFECOM Chair: Mel Maier

Vice Chair: Lloyd Mitchell

2018 Emergency Communications Systems

Lifecycle Planning Guide with marketing

materials:

Blog Post

Fact Sheet

Elevator Speech

Mission Critical Article

Emergency Communications Value Analysis

Guide (scoping and outlining)

SAFECOM Grant Guidance on Emergency

Communications Grants Input

JOINT TECHNOLOGY POLICY COMMITTEE ACCOMPLISHMENTS

Chair: Gerald Reardon

Vice Chair: Eddie Reyes (October 2017 – October 2018);

Jonathan Lewin (January 2019 – Present)

Developed the Request for Proposal (RFP) Best

Practices for LMR Subscriber Units Toolkit, which

includes the:

RFP Best Practices for LMR Subscriber Units (“Do’s

and Don’ts” Document)

Request for Information (RFI) and RFP for LMR

Subscriber Units Roles and Responsibilities

RFP and RFI Development Timeline for LMR

Subscriber Units Procurement

RFP and RFI Sample Language and Resources for

LMR Subscriber Units Procurement

Refreshed the T-Band Giveback: Implications for the

Public Safety Community Fact Sheet

Completed the NG 911 Work Stream Analysis

Developed the Cyber Risks to Next Generation 911

white paper

Developed the ICAM Protocols Technical Guidance,

Identity Assurance Technical Guidance, and

Baseline Security and Privacy Controls Technical

Guidance

January 2019 2018 SAFECOM Annual Summary

continued efforts to develop the NG 911 Maturity State Self-Assessment Tool, to allow stakeholders to assess their position and better plan transition steps to move from a legacy 911 system to a fully-functioning End State System

ICAM Working Group: The ICAM Working Group established a sub-working group composed of SMEs and the public safety community to develop outreach materials and technical guidance documents. The sub-working group developed four ICAM value proposition documents (Active Shooter Response, 2018 Austin Bombing, Opioid Crisis, and Hurricane Response) to discuss the importance of ICAM in assisting the public safety community during emergency responses. Members began development on an ICAM Protocols Technical Guidance, Identity Assurance Technical Guidance, and Baseline Security and Privacy Controls Technical Guidance.

Communications Section Task Force: The CSTF was established to address gaps within the National Incident Management System (NIMS) Incident Command System (ICS). In 2018, the CSTF continued to work towards developing a nationwide federated governance model to promote and provide consistent recruitment, training, retention, and support for all-hazards incidents. The Task Force also made strides in supporting the development of national standards for qualification, certification, and credentialing; updating training courses and curriculum; clarifying existing position descriptions [Communication Unit Leader (COML), Communication Technician (COMT), Radio Operator, etc.] to include the all-hazards environment; and establishing new information technology (IT) positions, including the Information Technology Service Unit Leader (ITSL) position. The ITSL trainings will begin in fiscal year 2019.

During the summer of 2018, CISA conducted an outreach and marketing campaign to brief organizations and agencies with a large stake in NIMS ICS on the CSTF’s mission and goal for creating a Communications Section within NIMS ICS. At the request of Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) National Integration Center (NIC) in July 2018, the Incident Communications Advisory Council (ICAC) was established to review and vet the CSTF’s recommendations for creating a Communications Section. The ICAC began meeting in September 2018. In November 2018, the ICAC met for the first time in person in Seattle, Washington. In 2019, the CSTF and ICAC will continue to discuss the best path forward for improving NIMS ICS.

In-Person Meetings

In-person meetings are an integral part of the SAFECOM program. CISA hosted a number of large- and small- in-person meetings throughout the year to promote collaboration and networking among members as well as determine solutions to some of the nation’s most pressing issues on emergency communications interoperability. Below, please find select summaries for some of the group’s larger in-person meetings. Full meeting summaries for these and other in-person committee meetings may be found under the SAFECOM Meetings section of the SAFECOM website.

May 2018 In-Person Meetings

SAFECOM and NCSWIC members met in Portland, Oregon, May 14-18, 2018, where they had multiple opportunities to engage on and discuss the evolving landscape of interoperability. The keynote presentation from Jeanette Manfra, CISA’s Assistant Director for Cybersecurity, focused on reducing cyber risk through increased coordination among stakeholders and decision makers. Additionally, a panel of emergency communications experts from Oregon presented on coordination and governance efforts in the state. Mike Duyck, Former SAFECOM At-Large Member, highlighted the value of Oregon’s active Statewide Interoperability Executive Council (SIEC) and the effectiveness of appointing the SIEC as Oregon’s liaison to FirstNet. Members also heard an update on the CSTF, which received growing buy-in from partner agencies to elevate the Communications Unit, currently positioned under the Logistics Section, to a section level within the NIMS ICS structure.

COMMUNICATIONS SECTION TASK FORCE ACCOMPLISHMENTS

Chair: Christopher Lombard

Vice Chair: Don Bowers (March 2017- October

2018), John Miller (October 2018- Present)

Presented the CSTF Proposal to FEMA Developed the ITSL Training Curriculum Developed the CSTF Executive Summary Developed the CSTF Executive Briefing Developed the CSTF Position Paper Established the ICAC Began drafting the CSTF Letter of Support

January 2019 2018 SAFECOM Annual Summary

The Task Force will continue to build support from key partners; engage them in building a nationwide governance framework; finalize the IT Section Unit Leader Courses; and engage FEMA NIC and National Advisory Council (NAC).

At the SAFECOM-only meeting, members received briefings on emerging 5G technologies, DHS Science and Technology (S&T) Directorate projects, National Governors Association (NGA) Workshops accomplishments, and the effects of cybersecurity threats on major industries.

SAFECOM’s Contributions to Nationwide Guidance in 2018

SAFECOM members provided significant input into the revision of both the National Emergency Communications Plan (NECP) and the 2018 Emergency Communications Governance Guide for State, Local, Tribal, and Territorial Officials (SLTT Governance Guide). The SAFECOM Nationwide Survey (SNS), which closed in March 2018, reached statistical validity and the data informed the development of the Nationwide Communications Baseline Assessment and the development of new content for the NECP. CISA established the NECP National Development and NECP SAFECOM-NCSWIC Working Groups in April 2018 and facilitated regular feedback sessions throughout the summer to review and update content. SAFECOM reviewed a draft of the revised NECP in November 2018 prior to broader distribution for public comment, which is available for further review through the month of March 2019 at www.dhs.gov/NECP. CISA has requested additional assistance from SAFECOM Associations pushing the draft NECP to their membership and partners.

The SLTT Governance Guide was also updated through the expertise of a working group made up of emergency communications experts at all levels of government. SAFECOM approved the final product in December 2018, which was recently published electronically on the SAFECOM Website for download.

December 2018 In-Person Meetings

SAFECOM and NCSWIC members convened in Norman, Oklahoma, December 3-7, 2018, where they were briefed on the NG 911 Working Group’s self-assessment tool, interoperable data exchange, design comparisons and other differences between LTE and LMR technologies, and the FEMA OneResponder Network. Special presentations were also delivered by Chris Lombard, The InterAgency Board for Emergency Preparedness & Response (IAB)/SAFECOM At-Large (Seattle Fire Department), and Eddie Reyes, International Association of Chiefs of Police, focusing on recent emergencies in their respective states, including various technology and human challenges.

During the meeting, SAFECOM introduced its 12 new At-Large Members (see Table 1). These new SAFECOM At-Large members were carefully chosen by the Membership Working Group through an in-depth process including applications, screening, and interviews.

Table 1. New SAFECOM At-Large Members at December 2018 In-Person Meeting.

Name Position and Organization Represented

Darryl Anderson Major/Interoperable Communications Specialist; Stark County Sheriff’s Office (Ohio)

Chris Carney Communications System Specialist; Orange County Department of Emergency Services (New York)

D. Jeremy DeMar Director; Springfield Emergency Communications Department (Massachusetts)

Sean Fensterwald Master Technician/Deputy Program Manager-Operations; Fairfax County Fire & Rescue (Virginia)

Ashley Gonzalez Training Coordinator; City of Houston-Public Safety Radio (Texas)

Mark Hogan Director of Asset Management; City of Tulsa (Oklahoma)

Walt Magnussen Director of Technology Evaluation Center; Texas A&M University (Texas)

J.M. Rowe ESF-2 Liaison/Volunteer Communications Coordinator; Arkansas Department of Emergency Management (Arkansas)

Steve Staffer Communications/Interoperability Manager; Massachusetts Port Authority (Massachusetts)

Chad Steffen Patrol Officer; Communications Unit Leader (COML)/Communications Technician (COMT) Administrator; City of Red Wing Police Department/Lower Sioux Indian Community (Minnesota)

January 2019 2018 SAFECOM Annual Summary

John Stevens SWIC/Single Point of Contact (SPOC); New Hampshire Department of Safety (New Hampshire)

Keith Victor Communications System Manager; Town of West Hartford (Connecticut)

Lastly, Dusty Rhoads, CISA, shared an early draft of the “An Extraordinary Day” video, developed by CISA, to highlight an incident in Fairfax County, Virginia, in which Computer Aided Dispatch (CAD)-to-CAD systems allowed seamless response to three large fires from multiple jurisdictions May 2, 2018. Stakeholders offered comments and agreed the video conveys the importance of coordinated response.

2018 SAFECOM Elections

Beginning in September 2018, SAFECOM conducted elections to fill leadership positions for the Governance and Technology Policy Committees. Elections were also held to determine the open EC At-Large positions and SAFECOM Chair and Vice Chair positions. Results of these elections are as follows:

SAFECOM Chair (2-year Term): Chief Gerald Reardon, SAFECOM At-Large [City of Cambridge (MA) Fire Department]

SAFECOM Vice Chair (2-year Term): Michael Murphy, SAFECOM At-Large [Baker (LA) Police Department]

EC At-Large Positions (2-year Term): Michael Murphy and Anthony Catalanotto

Governance Committee Chair: George Perera, SAFECOM At-Large (Miami-Dade Police Department)

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: Chief Jonathan Lewin, Major Cities Chiefs Association (MCCA)

2019 SAFECOM Priorities

Looking ahead to 2019, SAFECOM identified several areas of focus for the public safety communications community. Top stakeholder concerns continue to include: funding, technology, LMR/LTE integration, education and outreach, governance, succession planning, training, the Communications Section of the ICS, information interoperability, and cybersecurity. Major areas of concern to come out the December 2018 touched upon the need to address NCSWIC and SAFECOM’s roles modernizing the NIMS ICS to better manage span of control when delivering both LMR and IT; further developing and implementing a data/information interoperability framework that addresses the need for end users to access standardized, interoperable, and consumable information at the scene; and cybersecurity for public safety to ensure interoperable, secure emergency communications.

Many SAFECOM Committee products are available on the SAFECOM website.

For additional questions regarding the SAFECOM Program, please contact SAFECOMGovernance@hq.dhs.gov.