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SAFECOM and NCSWIC Publish Fall 2023 Joint SAFECOM-NCSWIC Bi-Annual Meeting Executive Summaries

Released

Ralph Barnett, III, and Edward “Ted” Lawson, Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security Agency (CISA) 

Related topics:
Emergency Communications

SAFECOM and National Council of Statewide Interoperability Coordinators (NCSWIC) members came together for the Fall 2023 SAFECOM-National Council of Statewide Interoperability Coordinators (NCSWIC) Joint Bi-Annual Meeting, December 4-7, 2023, in Cape Coral, Florida. Key sessions at the NCSWIC meeting included:

  • NCSWIC election updates
  • An interstate interoperability workshop to describe lessons learned and best practices for interstate interoperability
  • An overview of CISA’s Technical Assistance (TA) offerings
  • Regional discussions on TA prioritization criteria, processes, timelines, and barriers as well as general regional updates
  • Real-world public safety communications successes and challenges panels focused specifically on responses to Hurricanes Idalia and Ian as well as the Royal ransomware cyberattack in Curry County, Oregon
  • A discussion on how to support telecommunicators and emergency responders who are exposed to graphic imagery that can cause stress and the new and ongoing efforts of NCSWIC’s Planning, Training, and Exercises (PTE) Committee to develop resources to support the human factors elements of emergency response
  • A review of National Highway Traffic Safety Administration National 911 Program updates

Members then attended a joint day meeting, where members received sessions on:

  •  CISA’s strategic focus areas and plans to work with public safety to address communications interoperability and cybersecurity issues from CISA Deputy Director Nitin Natarajan
  • Real-world public safety communications successes and challenges in response to the Maui wildfires and the East Palestine, Ohio, train derailment
  • Link layer encryption (LLE) updates and how LLE differs from link layer authentication
  • The Public Safety Next Generation 911 (NG911) Coalition and efforts by public safety to define NG911 and interoperability, as well as updates on the deployment of NG911 across the State of California’s Public Safety Answering Points
  • Open Artificial Intelligence tools and implications for public safety and cybersecurity
  • Emerging technology in land mobile radio (LMR) and the future of LMR
  • National Emergency Communications Plan updates
  • CISA’s latest offerings and services

The following day, SAFECOM reconvened independently to receive sessions on:

  • SAFECOM membership updates and updates from each of SAFECOM’s committees, working groups, and task forces
  • The evolution of 911 technology and how the roles and responsibilities of public safety telecommunicators have expanded to address these new technologies
  • Current and ongoing congressional legislation with regards to public safety communications
  • One of SAFECOM’s newest associations, the American Radio Relay League: The National Association for Amateur Radio, including their current public safety communications priorities
  • The First Responder Network Authority’s current initiatives and how they will more broadly affect the emergency communications community in 2024
  • Real-world public safety communications successes and challenges in response to the Royal ransomware cyberattack in Curry County, Oregon

In addition to the plenary meetings, members of several sub-groups met to further collaborate on identified work products, including the NCSWIC Academy, SAFECOM School, Next Generation 911 Working Group, Project 25 User Needs Working Group, Communications Section Task Force, Joint SAFECOM-NCSWIC Funding and Sustainment Committee, Joint SAFECOM Education and Outreach Committee-SAFECOM Governance Committee, SAFECOM Governance Committee, NCSWIC Governance Committee, NCSWIC PTE Committee, NCSWIC Executive Committee, and SAFECOM Executive Board. 

View the full summaries on SAFECOM’s website: https://www.cisa.gov/safecom/meetings   

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