Emergency Communications Support

Florida Governor’s Hurricane Conference

May 13, 2014 – 8:30-9:30 AM

Chris Essid

Deputy Director

Office of Emergency Communications

HomelandSecurity

Office of Cybersecurity and Communications

About the OEC

OEC supports and promotes communications capabilities used by

emergency responders and government officials to keep America safe,

secure, and resilient

Planning and Preparedness

CoordinationResponse

HomelandSecurity

Office of Cybersecurity and Communications

Who do we support?

1,900,000

Firefighters

3

900,000 Police

Officers

19,400 municipalities

Governors, Mayors,

public works, council

members

825,000 EMS

Professionals

1,000

Wireline

Carriers

Critical Infrastructure

5,700 Hospitals

6,800 Banks

7,000 Power Plants

1,200 Certified

Emergency

Managers

562 Federally

Recognized Tribal

Nations

562

Federally

Recognized

Tribal

Nations

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Office of Cybersecurity and Communications

How OEC Supports Public Safety

OEC has been a leader in key emergency communications advancements for

the last 7 years:

» National Emergency Communications Plan (NECP)

» Statewide Interoperability Coordinators (SWICs)

» Statewide Communications Interoperability Plans (SCIPs)

» More than 1,000 Technical Assistance workshops since 2007

» Over 5,000 COML, COMT & AuxCom trained

» Response-Level Communications Evaluation

NECP Goal 1 – 63 Urban Area Security Initiative (UASI) jurisdictions

NECP Goal 2 – More than 3,000 counties

» Broadband Consultation Workshops

» More than 430,000 users of WPS, GETS, and NGN Priority Services

Public Safety (and the public they serve) is entering a period of

communications advancement at a pace never before seen in history

OEC has the responsibility to lead at this critical time

HomelandSecurity

Office of Cybersecurity and Communications

Update to the NECP

NECP 2008 NECP 2014

HomelandSecurity

Office of Cybersecurity and Communications

National Emergency Communications Plan

Released in July 2008, the NECP is the Nation’s

single dedicated strategic plan for emergency

communications nationwide.

OEC conducted assessment of key capabilities &

performance in more than 2,800 counties, focusing

on: Frequency of training, SOPs, NIMS, and use of

interoperability solutions

Maturity of governance and planning structures

Communications system quality and continuity

Title 18 requires OEC to “periodically update” the

NECP in coordination with F/S/L/T/T agencies and

the private sector.

HomelandSecurity

Office of Cybersecurity and Communications

NECP Update Process

Stakeholder-driven process that included more than 350

stakeholders at all levels of government and the private sector

Coordinated with all major public safety partnerships and

associations, and all public safety disciplines, emergency

management agencies, 9-1-1/PSAPs, and tribal nations

Reviewed by DHS sector coordinating councils,

including the communications and information technology

Federal coordination through One DHS and Emergency

Communications Preparedness Center (ECPC) ECPC: Federal departments and agencies involved in

emergency communications (e.g., Department of Defense

(DoD), Department of State)

DHS components: Science and Technology, Federal Emergency

Management Agency Alerts & Warning, DHS Operations,

Customs and Borer Protection

HomelandSecurity

Office of Cybersecurity and Communications

The Future of First Responder Communications

HomelandSecurity

Office of Cybersecurity and Communications

9

OEC in Action: Boston Marathon Bombing Case

Study

Before

• 2009 Statewide Communications Interoperability Plan (SCIP) workshop

• Communications assessment of the 2010 Marathon and recommendations for improvement

• Communications Unit Leaders and Communications Unit Technicians training

• Two SCIP workshops in 2012

During

• Field support from OEC Regional Coordinator

• Over 280 response and recovery calls placed via GETS with over a 99% completion rate.

• 152 expedited WPS enrollment requests. 93% of calls made with WPS were completed.

• Use of COMLs and COMTs

• Interoperable communications between jurisdictions

After

• Debrief sessions with the National Council of Statewide Interoperability Coordinators

• SAFECOM dissemination of after-action reports

• Development of a Case Study to share lessons learned

HomelandSecurity

Office of Cybersecurity and Communications

“In Watertown police asked residents to

remain indoors, and so-called “reverse

911” calls were made to every house

advising residents, many of whom were

just waking up, to stay put.” – The

Independent, Watertown, MA

“Immediately after the announcement, the

FBI.gov website received more traffic than

it has ever seen, an official said, as well as

a "sizable" jump in calls to their tip line.

The FBI set up a new site,

bostonmarathontips.fbi.gov, to report

tips”– The Wall Street Journal

“Our two-way radio systems performed

well, and our communications plan saw

first responders through those chaotic

hours after the blast”

Steve Staffier (MA SWIC and Event COML)

Evolving Emergency Communications

Ecosystem – Boston Marathon Bombing

Incident Response and Coordination

Public Information Exchange

Governmental Agencies

(F/S/L/T/T)

Citizens / NGOs /

Private Sector

Citizens / NGOs /

Private Sector

Reporting &

Requests for

Assistance

Notifications,

Alerts &

Warnings

Governmental Agencies

(F/S/L/T/T)

HomelandSecurity

Office of Cybersecurity and Communications

2014 NECP – Strategic Framework

Stakeholders: Recognizes the increasing interconnections of responder communications and takes an expanded view of the

stakeholder community across incident response, from traditional public safety (e.g., law enforcement, fire, EMS) to the whole

community (e.g., 911/PSAPs, emergency management, industry)

Goals and Recommendations: Stresses need for updated governance, planning, standard operating procedures, training and

exercise and research and development to keep pace with new technologies and partners

Vision: Updated to include information sharing (in addition to communications) for emergency response personnel (as needed, at

all levels of government, across all disciplines)

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Office of Cybersecurity and Communications

Goal 1 – Governance and Leadership: Enhance decision-making, coordination, and planning

for emergency communications through strong governance structures and leadership

Goal 2 – Planning and Procedures: Update plans and procedures to improve emergency

responder communications and readiness in a dynamic operating environment

Goal 3 – Training and Exercises: Improve responders’ ability to coordinate and communicate

through training and exercise programs that use all available technologies and target gaps in

emergency communications

Goal 4 – Operational Coordination: Ensure operational effectiveness

through the coordination of communications capabilities, resources, and

personnel from across the whole community

Goal 5 – Research and Development: Coordinate research, development, testing, and

evaluation activities to develop innovative emergency communications capabilities that support

the needs of emergency responders

2014 NECP – Strategic Goals

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Office of Cybersecurity and Communications

Lessons Learned from Hurricane Response

SAFECOM/NCSWIC panel on Response to Hurricane

Sandy identified best practices and lessons learned that

support the NECP draft goals:

Pre-incident coordination (i.e., training, exercises,

planning) across the whole community is important

Plans need to be current and widely disseminated to

those who need to implement them

Large-scale incidents will transcend State borders – need

to identify the capabilities across the whole community

prior to an incident

Understand mutual aid processes and mechanisms to

expedite support from other States

Identify and establish relationships with POCs in

government and private industry

HomelandSecurity

Office of Cybersecurity and Communications

Top Priorities Among Recommendations

Continue to drive improvements in current emergency

communications, such as LMR systems

Address gaps identified during goal assessments

Continued planning for LMR systems

Enhance planning and preparing for the adoption, integration, and

use of emerging technologies, including the NPSBN

Importance of applications, cybersecurity, and the NPSBN

Increase coordination among stakeholders, processes, and planning

activities across the emergency response community

SWICs; Broadband Point of Contacts (POCs); chief information officers, chief

information security officers and chief technology officers, Statewide

Interoperability Governing Bodies 9-1-1 Boards

NPSBN, NG9-1-1, Integrated Public Alerts and Warnings (IPAWs)

HomelandSecurity

Office of Cybersecurity and Communications

Examples of State and Local Recommendations

Work with SWICs to identify and coordinate with positions and organizations within States that have EC responsibilities

Increase awareness of emergency communications training and exercise opportunities, including COML and Federal participation

Continue to promote NCSWIC-endorsed recognition criteria for Communications Unit training

Support States’ and territories’ ability to track and share trained Communications Unit personnel

Ensure the NECP aligns with SCIPs and State and Local Implementation Grant Program Guidance, particularly for updates for broadband

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Office of Cybersecurity and Communications

Implementation will be conducted in coordination with stakeholders

through OEC and other DHS programs and activities

State Planning workshops: Support updates to SCIPs for broadband and

maintaining LMR

Measurement/Assessments: Leverage processes, relationships, and

foundations established under first NECP to “re-test” the goals

Governance guidance: Update State bodies, improve coordination with

other entities (e.g., 911 Boards), ECPC coordination with FirstNet

Technical Assistance: Broadband planning support for NPSBN, NG-9-1-1

planning, dispatch operations, continuity of operations workshops

Grants: Drive implementation of NECP priorities and recommendations

through DHS grant guidance (e.g., SAFECOM)

OEC Tools and Services: CASM, PSTools database, COML tracking,

virtual training opportunities

NECP Implementation

HomelandSecurity

Office of Cybersecurity and Communications

Dispatch / 9-1-1 BroadbandLand Mobile Radio

Reverse 9-1-1

Text to 9-1-1

9-1-1 Coord. NG 9-1-1

NENA / APCO

CAD

Dispatcher

PSAP

Backup Centers

Tactical Dispatcher

9-1-1 Plans

AuxComm

UHF

800 MHzCOML

P25

Gateways

COMT

SWIC

TICP

Radio Cache

VHF

IECGP

SAFECOM

Smartphones PSAC

Aircards

SLIGP

Applications

Commercial Service FirstNet

SPOC

LTE

Satellite

NGN

State / Fed Funds

4GMission Critical Voice

NIMS / ICS

PSIC

Statewide Interoperability Governance Bodies

National Emergency Communications Plan

Statewide Communications Interoperability Plans

Emergency Communications Preparedness CenterStatutory Responsibility:

“Support and promote the ability of emergency response providers and relevant government

officials to continue to communicate in the event of natural disasters, acts of terrorism, and other

manmade disasters”

OEC’s Role - More Critical than Ever

HomelandSecurity

Office of Cybersecurity and Communications

New Technologies, Same Interoperability Challenge

HomelandSecurity

Office of Cybersecurity and Communications

19

OEC’s involvement with FirstNet

OEC continues to focus on current mission critical services, including

land mobile radios and priority telecommunications, while working with

its stakeholders to identify the necessary building blocks for broadband

preparation and integration with FirstNet.

• Policy support and guidance to the Secretary of DHS and the Secretary’s

designee as FirstNet Board members

• Supports the Public Safety Advisory Committee meetings to ensure open

dialogue between FirstNet and the Nationwide Public Safety Broadband

Network (NPSBN) stakeholders

• Coordinates with stakeholders to help maintain current technologies and

prepare for the NPSBN and Next Generation Network 911. Assistance

includes:

• Cyber Infrastructure Risk Assessment (CIRA)

• State Planning Workshops

• Governance Guidance

• Technical Assistance

• OEC Tools and Services

HomelandSecurity

Office of Cybersecurity and Communications

Enhancements in emergency communications

have been made since the 2008 NECP

As the emergency communications landscape

evolves, so must the emergency communications

framework established by the NECP

Striking the right balance between addressing

gaps and requirements while integrating new

technologies is a challenge

The 2014 NECP is designed to support public

safety in meeting challenges

NECP Update – Preparing for the Future

HomelandSecurity

Office of Cybersecurity and Communications

Resources

NECP

For more information on the NECP, please email:OECNECP@hq.dhs.gov

Or visit:http://www.dhs.gov/national-emergency-communications-plan-necp-goals

General OEC

Email OEC@DHS.GOV or visit WWW.DHS.GOV (keyword “OEC”)

HomelandSecurity

Office of Cybersecurity and Communications