National Governors' Association to Help States with Public Safety Interoperability

Homeland security advisors’ ranked interoperable communications first on a list of their concerns. And while nearly every state has a statewide interoperable communications governance structure in place, There is still much work that needs to be done. Will a new program help that?

According to an article on the Government Technology website, the National Governors Association Center for Best Practices (NGA Center) has chosen six states — Arizona, Arkansas, Idaho, Massachusetts, New York and Washington —to participate in a Public Safety Interoperability Communications Policy Academy study focusing on governance issues.

“Emergency response officials consistently cite the ability to communicate with other first responders as critical to being able to better protect the public in the face of any emergency,” John Thomasian, director of the NGA Center, told the publication. “This policy academy will provide states the opportunity to addresses the coordination needed among key stakeholders to build efficient, effective interoperable communications.”

The academy will focus on helping selected states improve their governance structures that oversee statewide communications interoperability planning and implementation. States will have the opportunity to work closely with and learn from other states and a faculty of government officials, researchers and other experts.

Participating states will identify a set of specific objectives to improve governance for statewide interoperable communications and submit a final report of activities and outcomes.

To read the full article, click here: http://www.govtech.com/gt/articles/564292