2011

Annual Public Safety Interoperability Workshop Ends on a High Note

The Fifth Canadian Public Safety Interoperability Workshop – the flagship event of the Canadian Interoperability Technology Interest Group (CITIG) ‑ again brought together a broad base of public safety and emergency management practitioners to develop a mutual understanding of the key voice and data interoperability issues facing today's public safety sector. Held from December 5 to 7, 2011 in Ottawa, the nearly 300 delegates came away with real-world insights, practical knowledge, and a common sense approach to moving forward while attending sessions on the hottest interoperability issues facing public safety today and while being “put to work" during extensive break-out sessions.

The Workshop delivered on its theme of “From Results to Successes!” and participants (delegates, sponsors and exhibitors) widely regarded this year’s Workshop as the most successful event to date. Emerging from the Workshop was recognition that responders and partners were galvanized and well-positioned to address 700 MHz broadband spectrum challenge. There was also wide-spread agreement that land mobile radio voice interoperability remains a significant area of concern – more must be done to raise awareness about the issue and help mobilize leadership to operationalize impending technological advances. Participants also identified the need to strengthen links between responder community and national research efforts.

Overall, it was clear that CITIG has come a long way in five years. Building on that success, the three Chiefs associations, the Canadian Association of Chiefs of Police (CACP), the Canadian Association of Fire Chiefs (CAFC) and Emergency Medical Services Chiefs of Canada (EMSCC) announced that they will be transitioning the day-to-day operations of CITIG to the Associations as of January 1, 2012. The Canadian Police Research Centre (CPRC), a key supporter and contributor to the success of CITIG, will gradually take a less active role and reposition its interoperability work primarily into the technology, test and evaluation domain.

Despite the changes in governance, CITIG will remain the unified voice of the responder community. The CACP, CAFC, EMSCC and CPRC and the more than 850 volunteer members from the responder community, all orders of government, non-governmental organizations, associations, academia and industry continue to be committed to CITIG and to work together to improve public safety interoperability in Canada.

For those who attended the conference, please do you part to tell us how we did by filling out the electronic evaluation at http://www.surveymonkey.com/s/PMBYBBB. Those who complete the evaluation by Friday, December 16, 2011 will be entered in a random draw for a BlackBerry Playbook, courtesy of our friends at Research in Motion. And remember, the Sixth Annual Public Safety Interoperability Workshop is tentatively scheduled for December 2 to 5, 2012 in Toronto. Details to follow!

NPSTC Quarterly Newsletter

Please download or visit this link for the Fall 2011 National Public Safety Telecommunications Council (NPSTC) Quarterly Newsletter. Topics of interest include:

• Concepts on Information Sharing and Interoperability
• OEC Showcases Successful Implementation of the Interoperability Continuum
• NECP Update from Office of Emergency Communications
• Virtual USA: The Right Information, at the Right Time, for the Right People
• Intrinsically Safe Discussions Continue
• Updates of some Canadian Initiatives and Events

Maximizing Technology Partnerships in Challenging Economic Times

The Canadian Association of Chiefs of Police Informatics Committee is pleased to announce a workshop entitled Maximizing Technology Partnerships in Challenging Economic Times, taking place in Toronto from February 22 to 24, 2012. The workshop will focus on key issues including maximizing service delivery and cost efficiencies by leveraging emergency services partnerships and emerging technologies, as well as understanding the opportunities and implications of 700 megahertz for your organization. For complete details, visithttp://www.cacp.ca/index/eventscontent?contentId=1170.

Interoperability Case Studies

In September, the Department of Homeland Security’s Office of Emergency Communications Office published a series of case studies highlighting a few examples of the tremendous progress made in the field of emergency communications since September 11, 2001. These case studies align with the SAFECOM Interoperability Continuum and are available here and in the “Interoperability Case Studies” under the “Toolkit” tab on the CITIG member site.

Arctic Communication Infrastructure Assessment Report now Available!

The Arctic Communication Infrastructure Assessment (ACIA) report is now available at www.aciareport.ca. The Report identifies the issues and challenges facing governments and service providers in ensuring the Canadian Arctic is properly connected for the benefit of Arctic citizens and all Canadians. Of note, there’s a section on “Interoperability problems” in the chapter on “Emergency Response Challenges.”

New RFP for Scientific and Technological Capabilities in Support to Public Security

On October 21, 2011, a Request for Proposals (RFP) for the provision of a range of S&T services to the Centre for Security Science (CSS) was posted on www.merx.com (search “CSS” ‑ closes November 30, 2011). The RFP involves ensuring “adherence to requirements and standards, access to first responders and reaching the desired level of performance” in 11 areas of expertise, including emergency management and systems interoperability.

Public Safety Minister Toews at CITIG National Workshop

The Honourable Vic Toews, Canada’s Public Safety Minister, will deliver a speech to emergency responder agencies from across Canada at The Fifth Canadian Public Safety Interoperability Workshop: A CITIG National Forum. Click this link for the media advisory.

Call for IAEM Canada Student Participation at the Fifth Canadian Public Safety Interoperability Workshop!

Students belonging to the International Association of Emergency Managers (IAEM) have been presented with a unique opportunity. In a new partnership, CITIG will be offering four students with a significant discount of the regular conference registration fee in exchange for assistance with the conference report and possibly other duties at the event. Download the application form or visit the IAEM Web site for complete details. Application deadline is November 18, 2011.

The Fifth Canadian Public Safety Interoperability Workshop is now SOLD OUT!

The conference is now sold out for anyone wishing to attend as a delegate! If you would like to be placed on a waiting list please fax the registration form to Sara Sowieta at (613) 383-0372.  A confirmation will be sent to you once received. There are a few exhibitor spaces left. The main Exhibit Hall sold out, but a minimal number of exhibit spaces are now available in a secondary room. For complete information, go to http://www.cacp.ca/index/eventscontent?contentId=1048.

Agenda Released for the Fifth Canadian Public Safety Interoperability Workshop!

Ottawa is the place to be from December 4 to 7 for the Fifth Canadian Public Safety Interoperability Workshop, and this year's event is shaping up to be the best ever with lots of great new speakers, workshops and new exhibitors. The agenda (just released and draft/subject to change) features:

• A Special Workshop on Social Media for Emergency Management – A “Hands On” Tutorial
• A Slave Lake Case Study
• Implementing a 700 MHz Broadband Network for Mission Critical Public Safety Data in New York City, featuring Deputy Chief Charles Dowd from NYPD
• 700 MHz for Mission Critical Public Safety Data in Canada: Why should I care?
• Arctic & Remote Interoperability – Challenges and Opportunities
• Networked/ Connected Vehicles – What it means to Public Safety Interoperability
• Communications Interoperability around the world – How Non-Governmental Organizations Manage
• Multi-Agency Situational Awareness System – Advancing on the Interoperability Continuum
• Public Private Partnership for Communications Interoperability Projects: Making it Real
• Workshops on Regional Interoperability Strategic Planning, Provincial Updates, P25 Updates, Interoperability Research and much more!

In addition, we will have a draw for a Blackberry Playbook courtesy of our friends at RIM. Be sure to register right away (we will sell out!) and please share this news with all your public safety interoperability contacts (and don’t forget to leverage Social Media)! For complete information, go to http://www.cacp.ca/index/eventscontent?contentId=1048.

2011 Provincial Emergency Management Conference

Presented by the Canadian Red Cross, the 2011 Provincial Emergency Management Conference features the theme “Best Practices-Reducing Risks, Improving Outcomes” and takes place November 6 to 9, 2011 at the, Ambassador Conference Resort in Kingston, Ontario. Join fellow emergency planners, first responders, government professionals, health professionals, non-governmental organizations, elected officials, safety officers and others who play an important role in emergency preparedness, management and response for what promise to be the best conference yet! Click here for complete details.

APCO Canada 2011 Conference in Ottawa

The APCO annual conference is being held in Ottawa from November 6 to 9, 2011. This educational and networking event is attended by public safety decision-makers, frontline operations personnel, instructors and associates across Canada as well as abroad. There will be four educational tracks for this conference: Frontline Operations, Leadership & Management, Training and Public Safety Technology.

For more information on the 2011 APCO Canada Conference, please visit the conference website atwww.apcocanada-conference.ca and be sure to follow them on Twitter (APCOCanada) and Facebook (APCOCanada2010).

Registration Now Open for the Fifth Canadian Public Safety Interoperability Workshop: A CITIG National Forum

Join us in Ottawa from Sunday evening December 4, 2011 to noon on Wednesday December 7, 2011 for the Fifth Canadian Public Safety Interoperability Workshop. With a theme of “from results to successes,” this year’s Workshop aims to again bring together a broad base of public safety and emergency management practitioners to develop a mutual understanding of the key voice and data interoperability issues facing today’s public safety sector. With a focus on information exchange, topic-specific discussion and interactive break-outs, the fifth national workshop aims to support and promote the transfer of best practices and experience, and the development of a more unified approach to public safety interoperability across the country, between nations and internationally. Click here to register online. Do it early — all past workshops have sold out! Exhibit and sponsorship opportunities still available. Visit this link for full details.

FCC Workshop/Webinar on Rapidly Deployable Aerial Communications Architecture

On October 31, 2011, from 9:00 a.m. to 12:30 p.m., the Federal Communications Commission (FCC) Public Safety and Homeland Security Bureau (PSHSB) will hold a workshop and webinar to explore how “deployable aerial communications architecture” (DACA) can be used to provide communications following a catastrophic event when the terrestrial communications infrastructure is severely damaged or unavailable. Audio and video of the meeting will be broadcast live with open captioning over the Internet from the FCC’s web page at www.fcc.gov/live. For complete details, including the agenda, click here.

8th Canadian Risk and Hazards Network (CRHNet) Symposium

Taking place in Ottawa from October 19 to 21, 2011, the 8th CRHNet Symposium explores how to build disaster resilience, concentrating on what we have learned about the multidimensionality and complexity of resilience and in Canada about what makes a resilient city and aboriginal community. Consider attending, and visit www.crhnet.ca for full details.

CITIG #5 Agenda Coming Together and a Social Media Workshop Announced!

The Fifth Canadian Public Safety Interoperability Workshop is being held in Ottawa from December 4 to 7, and this year's event is shaping up to be the best ever with lots of great new speakers, workshops and new exhibitors.  Please be sure you have booked your booth (only a few left) and/or registered as a participant ‑ we expect to sell out even earlier this year (we turned away 40 people last year).

The official agenda will be released soon. Of note, recognized expert Massimiliano (Max) Claps from Gartner Government Research will lead a discussion on public-private partnerships (P3) that will surely interest many. Max will be joined by David Guscott, President and CEO, E-Comm and Jamey Burr, Director, Business Development, P3 Canada, to discuss how P3s present unique opportunities to first responders and government agencies looking for innovative solutions to their communications needs.

As well, we are pleased to announce a Special Workshop on the afternoon of Sunday, December 4, 2011. The Social Media for Emergency Management: A Hands On Tutorial will introduce you to the power of social media and help you get started with creating your own social media accounts. NOTE that this session is only open to delegates who have ALREADY registered for the full Fifth Canadian Public Safety Interoperability Workshop, and we are only accepting the first 50 registrations in order to make this event as interactive and personal as possible. For full details, see this link.

Be sure to register right away and please share this news with all your public safety interoperability contacts (and don’t forget to leverage Social Media)! To register for CITIG #5, go to http://www.cacp.ca/index/eventscontent?contentId=1048.

PSHSB White Paper on the Role of Deployable Aerial Communications Architecture in Emergency Communications

Most will agree that communications capabilities are often limited during and immediately after disasters, when the terrestrial communications infrastructure may be severely damaged or unavailable for a period of time. To gain insight into potential technological solutions to this issue, the Public Safety and Homeland Security Bureau (PSHSB) issued in early 2011 a public notice soliciting comment on the ability of deployable aerial communications architecture (DACA) to provide communications when the terrestrial communications infrastructure is severely damaged or unavailable. The resulting white paper is available here.

4th Annual First Responder Vendor Outreach Forum only Weeks Away

Join us on October 18 and 19 at the Pan Pacific Hotel in Vancouver for the4th Annual First Responder Vendor Outreach Forum. This Forum brings together a seminal and exclusive gathering of Canada’s First Responder and public safety leaders with some of North America’s most innovative providers of security technologies for the primary purpose of creating discussion and forging professional relationships between these normally distant groups.

Special offer: Act now, and CITIG members can take advantage of “CATA Member” rate ($200 savings versus non-member rate) to the Forum on a first-come, first served basis. Any vendors interested in obtaining an Executive Boardroom can also mention this announcement and receive 10% off their purchase. To learn more about the Forum including speaker agenda, identities of the 30+ Dragon Den ‘investors’, and Boardroom costs, please visit the launch portal(http://www.cata.ca/Media_and_Events/FR_VOF/BC/).

Canadian Land Mobile Radio (LMR) Deployments and Tri-Services Interoperability Study

This is a pivotal piece of research for Canadian First Responders. By quantifying LMR spending, and better understanding where and when these systems will be renewed, First Responders, funding bodies and governments will be able to make more informed critical, cost effective communication decisions that support technological interoperability. Please go tohttp://survey.openvenue.com/cprc to access the study and obtain your password. The survey is also available in French: Veuillez vous rendre à http://survey.openvenue.com/cprc pour accéder à l'étude et obtenir votre mot de passe.

CITIG #5 Only a Few Months Away!

The Fifth Canadian Public Safety Interoperability Workshop is being held in Ottawa from December 4 to 7, and this year's event is shaping up to be the best ever with lots of great new speakers, workshops and new exhibitors. Of note, we we'll have a couple of surprises: we will be hosting a special Sunday afternoon session on Social Media, and one lucky workshop delegate will receive a BlackBerry Playbook (a $500 value) courtesy of Research in Motion ‑ details on the session and delegate draw coming soon. Please be sure you have booked your booth (only a few left) and/or registered as a participant ‑ we expect to sell out even earlier this year (we turned away 40 people last year). To register for CITIG #5, go to http://www.cacp.ca/index/eventscontent?contentId=1048.

4^th Annual First Responder Vendor Outreach Forum – Deadlines to Sponsor/Register Fast Approaching

The Fourth Annual First Responder Vendor Outreach Forum takes place October 18 and 19 in Vancouver at the prestigious Pan Pacific Hotel. Now available are the official agenda identifying the keynotes and speakers addressing the Forum’s exclusive audience of emergency responders, public safety leaders, vendors, government and academic stakeholders, and the list of the “Dragon’s Den investors” providing their exclusive audience to our sponsors. Visit the launch portal for more information and to register to attend. Of note, vendors looking to sponsor the Forum and obtain an audience with our ‘investors’ should download the prospectus.

Agenda Released for the Wireless Innovation Forum Workshop

The Wireless Innovation Forum Workshop on "Enabling Interoperability” takes place in Montreal on September 15, 2011. The goal of the workshop is to explore how various technologies can be utilized to improve communications between services, agencies, or jurisdictions that have historically been hampered by incompatible radio systems operating on different protocols or frequencies. The workshop will cross commercial, public safety and defence domains, and will include a look at both requirements and regulations. Click here for the agenda and visit the conference Web site for registration and other details.

FCC Open Meeting

The tentative agenda for the next Federal Communications Commission (FCC) open meeting scheduled for Tuesday, July 12, 2011 includes:

• Low Power FM and FM Translator Stations Third Further Notice of Proposed Rulemaking
• Cramming Notice of Proposed Rulemaking
• E911 Location Accuracy Third Report and Order, Second Further Notice of Proposed Rulemaking, and Notice of Proposed Rulemaking

The Meeting is scheduled to commence at 10:30 a.m. in Washington, D.C. The event will be shown live atwww.FCC.gov/live.

NPSTC Quarterly Newsletter

Please visit this link for the Spring 2011 National Public Safety Telecommunications Council (NPSTC) Quarterly Newsletter. Topics of interest include:

• Canada-United States Border Radio Coverage
• Intrinsically Safe Discussions Continue
• Narrowband Interoperability: It's More than Just the Project 25 Standard
• Narrowbanding 101
• Exciting New Projects for the Broadband Working Group

Fourth Annual Vendor Outreach Forum – Registration Portal Now Available

CATAAlliance, along with its founding supporters, the Canadian Police Research Centre (CPRC) and the Canadian Interoperability Technology Interest Group (CITIG) is pleased to announce the formal launch of the highly anticipated Fourth Annual First Responder Vendor Outreach Forum, taking place October 18 and 19 in Vancouver at the prestigious Pan Pacific Hotel. Visit the launch portal here for more information and to register to attend. Note that First Responders and Public Safety representatives participating as a Speaker or participating in Executive Boardroom series attend at no cost.

Tri-Services Rebuttal Comments for Industry Canada 700 MHz Spectrum Consultation

The Tri-Services submitted their reply to comments from other parties regarding the Industry Canada consultation on 700 MHz spectrum on April 6, 2011. Overall, the Tri-Services and public safety stakeholders were pleased to see that the majority of responses to the consultation acknowledged the need to designate a portion of 700 MHz spectrum to be dedicated for public safety use. See the complete reply atwww.action700.ca.

Registration Now Open for CITIG Northern Forum — Iqaluit on August 30

The Canadian Interoperability Technology Interest Group (CITIG) with its valued partner — the Royal Canadian Mounted Police (RCMP) — are hosting a regional forum for those interested in furthering public safety interoperability in Iqaluit and beyond. You are invited to join us in person on August 30, 2011. Click here for full details.

Wireless Innovation Forum Workshop: “Enabling Interoperability”

The Wireless Innovation Forum (SDR Forum Version 2.0) will hold its 70th working meeting from September 12th to 15th, 2011, in Montreal, Canada, featuring the workshop "Enabling Interoperability". The meeting will include working sessions advancing the Forum’s 2011 operations plan in support of the commercial, public safety, satellite communications, and international tactical radio communities. Visit the Workshop Web site for complete details.

London Regional Forum a Success

By all accounts, the London Regional Forum was a great day for all.  The event was co-sponsored by the London Police Service and London Emergency Management and held in the new London Emergency Operations Centre, a first class facility. In addition to presentations by Industry Canada, Emergency Management Ontario, Government of Ontario Radio Project, Durham Regional Police and MA-SAS, among others, an afternoon workshop gave participants a “hands-on” chance to improve interoperability in the region. Thanks to our hosts and the 70 or so registered for the event! The day’s presentations can be found under the “Past Meetings” tab on the Member portion of the site.

Join PTSC Online

PTSC-Online (http://www.ptsc-online.ca/) is a Canadian virtual on line community, founded to encourage improvements to emergency management, business continuity and critical infrastructure protection programs. It does that by providing tools for sharing information and collaboration about these programs among stakeholders. Check out the latest posting by Edward Myers of Frontline Security Magazine discussing the need for Interoperability Standards as discussed at the recent CATA First Responder Vendor Outreach Forum in Halifax.

U.S. Border Interoperability Demonstration Project

On May 2, 2011, Secretary of Homeland Security Janet Napolitano announced grant funding under the Office of Emergency Communications’ (OEC)Border Interoperability Demonstration Project (BIDP) — a one-time competitive grant program focused on developing innovative solutions to strengthen interoperable emergency communications along the U.S. borders with Canada and Mexico.  Of particular interest to Canada, the following projects were announced:

• County of Washington, Maine—$3,963,163 for the Enhanced Communications Infrastructure and Partnerships for Border Security Project.
• Wayne County, Michigan—$4,000,000 for the Southeast Michigan Border Interoperability Solution Project.
• Interoperability Montana, Montana—$3,895,425 for the Northern Tier Consortium Border Interoperability Demonstration Project.
• Lake County, Ohio—$3,998,200 for the Multi-Agency, Multi-Jurisdictional U.S. Regional & International Interoperable Communications Infrastructure and Maritime Domain Awareness Project.

Additional information about the BIDP selections can be found in the press release and fact sheet. For any questions relating to the BIDP program, please contact us at [email protected].

A Practical Guide to Narrowbanding

The US Department of Homeland Security's (DHS) Office of Emergency Communications (OEC) has released a guidance document entitled A Practical Guide to Narrowbanding. Designed to provide best practices and recommendations for overcoming the most common challenges agencies may experience when transitioning to narrowband, A Practical Guide to Narrowbanding contains a step-by-step guide, case studies and customizable letter templates. Click here for the Guideor visit the OEC Web site.

Registration Now Open for LondonRegional Interoperability Meetingon May 12

The Canadian Interoperability Technology Interest Group (CITIG) with its valued partners — the London Police Service and City of London — are hosting a regional forum for those interested in furthering public safety interoperability in the London area and beyond. You are invited to join us in person on May 12, 2011. Click here for full details.

Rapidly Deployable Aerial Communications Architecture

The National Public Safety Telecommunications Council (NPSTC) has filed comments relative to the FCC's Docket entitled, "Rapidly Deployable Aerial Communications Architecture Capable of Providing Immediate Communications to Disaster Areas". Click here to download the NPSTC filing.

Study Finds Reallocating D Block is $3.4B More Economical than Auction

In a study released on March 1, 2011, the Phoenix Center finds that assigning the 10 megahertz of contiguous 700 MHz spectrum, the D block, to public safety could provide at least $3.4 billion more in social benefits than auctioning the spectrum for commercial use. The Phoenix Study is available for download here.

Public Safety Partners Call for 20 MHz of Dedicated 700 MHz Spectrum

The first phase of the Industry Canada consultation on 700 MHz closed on February 28, 2011. By all accounts, public safety representatives from all levels are in sync in their responses, including the Tri-Services Special Purpose Committee on 700 MHz Broadband for Mission Critical Public Safety Data (on behalf of the Canadian Association of Chiefs of Police, Canadian Association of Fire Chiefs and Emergency Medical Services Chiefs of Canada and its public safety partners). Visit www.action700.ca for more information or click here to view the Tri-Services submission and related materials.

President Obama Calls for a U.S. Nationwide, Interoperable Wireless Network For Public Safety

From a February 11, 2011 White House Press Release: "The 9/11 Commission noted that our homeland security is vulnerable, in part, due to the lack of interoperable wireless communication among first responders. The rollout of 4G high speed wireless services provides a unique opportunity to deploy such a system in conjunction with the commercial infrastructure already being developed and deployed.  To seize that opportunity, President Obama is calling for an investment of $10.7 billion to ensure that our public safety benefits from these new technologies: $3.2 billion to reallocate the “D Block” (which is a band of spectrum that would be reserved and prioritized for public safety and not auctioned as called for under existing law); $7 billion to support the deployment of this network; and $500 million from the WIN Fund for R&D and technological development to tailor the network to meet public safety requirements.  This investment, in coordination with the investment in rural buildout, will ensure that the rollout of 4G in rural areas serves the needs of public safety and the broader community."

NPSTC Position Paper on Proposed Changes to Intrinsically Safe Standard

On January 25, 2011, The National Public Safety Telecommunications Council (NPSTC) released it’s position paper on Intrinsically Safe Radios expressing concern about the potential negative technical and financial impact on public safety users of LMR that require the intrinsically safe certification. Download the position paper here. Since that time, the Telecommunications Industry Association (TIA) expressed support of the position. See comments here.

Communications Interoperability Strategy and Action Plan for Canada Announced!

On January 26, 2011 in Toronto, the Federal-Provincial-Territorial Ministers responsible for emergency management discussed and approved Communications Interoperability Strategy for Canada and its supporting Action Plan. Many CITIG memebers made direct contributions to the Strategy and Action Plan that are designed to advance improvements to voice and data communications interoperability for first responders across Canada. The official press release (Englishand French or visit Public Safety Canada's Web site) makes special mention of the Canadian Association of Fire Chiefs, Canadian Association of Police Chiefs, and Emergency Medical Service Chiefs of Canada for their valuable contribution to the development of the strategy and action plan on communications interoperability.

Also stated in the release: “the Ministers discussed the current consultation related to the 700 MHz broadband spectrum and securing a portion for the use of emergency responders for public safety and security purposes. Provincial and territorial ministers expressed support for this approach as it offers significant interoperability enhancement potential. The use of the 700 MHz spectrum would link public safety and security stakeholder communities across Canada and along the Canada-U.S. border, while promoting innovation and Canada’s digital economy.”

Stakeholder Survey Regarding 700 MHz Now Live

Visit this link by February 18 to complete a brief survey. As you may know, Canada’s spectrum regulator, Industry Canada, has opened consultations on the 700 MHz broadband allocations (the result of spectrum availability due to the transition from analog television to digital) that will ultimately affect public safety agencies’ ability to deploy mission critical data well into the future. The Chiefs’ associations in cooperation with CATAAlliance are working with partners to determine exact needs and optimal use of the soon to be available spectrum for Canadian public safety in general. Participating in the survey will help develop/support a common position on the issue. Public safety’s voice must be heard. Please visit www.action700.ca for more information (including recent announcements in the U.S.).

This consultation is open to Canadian first responders, vendors, military personnel, border agents, public servants, etc., or simply as a concerned citizen.

Associations announce the formation of Tri-Services Special Purpose Committee on 700 MHz Broadband for Public Safety Data!

On Wednesday, December 8, 2010 during the Fourth Canadian Public Safety Interoperability Workshop, the presidents of Canada’s three major associations representing police, fire and emergency medical services announced the creation of the Tri-Services Special Purpose Committee on 700 MHz Broadband for Mission Critical Public Safety Data. The creation of the Committee is in direct response to Industry Canada’s recent announcement of public consultations on the use of the 700 MHz band by commercial mobile services. See www.action700.ca!

Get your copy of Emergency Communications Forum

Formerly the Emergency Communications Quarterly, the Emergency Communications Forum (ECF) is the latest evolution of Department of Homeland Security’s Office of Emergency Communications (OEC)’s stakeholder outreach efforts. The ECF engages and informs emergency responders; policy makers; and Federal, State, local, and tribal officials about issues and events that directly affect everyday nationwide emergency communications. The November issue features a story on the September Cross-Border Workshop in Windsor. Download it here.

2011 International Conference on Innovative Solutions for Law Enforcement

The 2011 International Conference on Innovative Solutions for Law Enforcement will be held on April 28-29 at the Hyatt Regency Philadelphia at Penn's Landing, and includes a presentation by CITIG. Click here for details.