Monthly Archives: March 2019

SAFECOM Encourages Comments on the Proposed National Emergency Communications Plan Updates

SAFECOM, in conjunction with its member associations, the Emergency Communications Preparedness Committee, and many additional members of public safety, has worked for over the past year with the Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security Agency (CISA) to update the National Emergency Communications Plan (NECP). The NECP organizes our nation’s efforts to sustain and improve emergency communications capabilities. It is a critical planning document for public safety agencies and all those involved in the safety and security of our communities. Now the broader community has the opportunity to review and provide feedback on the NECP updates.

Key proposed updates to the NECP address the range of changes public safety stakeholders face including rapid technological advancements, increasingly complex incidents, and constrained resources. For example, the update offers a new cybersecurity goal to help improve public safety’s cyber security posture. A staggering 81% of local agencies that responded to the SAFECOM Nationwide Survey reported they had insufficient or no funding for cybersecurity efforts yet nearly 40% reported cyber disruptions impacting their emergency communications.

Additionally, the NECP offers an updated graphic and explanation of the emergency communications ecosystem. This key concept has served the community well as it articulates the breadth and inclusiveness the people and functions involved in emergency communications. The draft also revises content on important advancements made in data interoperability, FirstNet adoption, personnel impacts and much more since the last update in 2014.

You can access the draft updated NECP on the DHS webpage. Please review the document and submit your feedback via the comment form to oecnecp@hq.dhs.gov by March 22, 2019.

IAFC and NAPSG Deliver Training to Emergency Managers in Kuwait

On February 20, 2019, the International Association of Fire Chiefs (IAFC) partnered with NAPSG Foundation to develop and deliver a training workshop on Continuity of Operations through Intelligence & Resilience at the Kuwait International Health, Safety, Security, and Environment Conference in Kuwait City.

The training was delivered as a certificate-earning all day workshop for a group of 20 leading Emergency Managers and Planners from the petroleum industry, Kuwait government ministries, and staff from the Secretariat General of the Gulf Cooperation Council. This training focused on building knowledge, skills, and the overall capacity of Emergency Managers and Planners responsible for protecting petroleum-related critical infrastructure, as well as protecting the life and safety of the communities surrounding key infrastructure in the region. The graphic below illustrates the how the training workshop was organized to effectively build knowledge and skills in all key areas of preparedness to support business continuity in the event of a major incident. NAPSG Foundation and IAFC provided live demonstrations of existing GIS-based tools and resources relevant to each  training module, thereby illustrating how preparedness and planning for continuity of operations can be enhanced through rich data analysis and decision support tools.

The training content was developed and delivered to address the objectives outlined below:

  • Discuss and provide case studies on Consequence Management best practices
  • How to develop comprehensive, effective and reliable COOP playbooks
  • An overview of the National Incident Management System (NIMS) used to protect organizations from unexpected disasters and business disruptions
  • Overview of the IAFC National Mutual Aid System and who this system may be deployed internationally
  • Use of Geographic Information Systems (GIS) and technology as intelligence applications to support planning and operations

Provided below are the materials developed and delivered for this training workshop.

NAPSG Foundation was honored to work with the IAFC in support of building a culture of preparedness in Kuwait and the Gulf Coast Region, and is gracious for the invitation of the KIHSSE Steering Committee to support this important training opportunity.