The Illinois “Statewide Communication Interoperability Plan” (SCIP) released September 2016 is going to help interoperable and emergency communications. SCIP is a three to five year strategic planning tool to help the state prioritize resources, strengthen governance, identify future investments, and address interoperability gaps either regionally, locally, or at the tribal level.
So far, the state has conducted a gap analysis on the current inventory of statewide interoperable equipment and infrastructure. The goal is to identify the greatest need in order to prioritize the future need for funding. The state has provided outreach and education to over 15,000 public safety first responders regarding the development and implementation of FirstNet broadband initiatives.
The plan states that in the next three to five years, the state will encounter challenges relating to operability, interoperability, geography, adding, equipment and systems, and dealing with emerging technologies.
FirstNet www.firstnet.gov/tags/npsbn the independent authority within the National Telecommunications and Information Administration (NTIA) www.ntia.doc.gov is responsible for developing the “Nationwide Public Safety Broadband Network” (NPSBN) www.first.gov/tags/npsbn.
The NPSBN is intended to be a wireless interoperable nationwide communications network to allow the public safety community to securely and reliably share information with their counterparts in other locations.
The plan points out that new policies and initiatives such as NPSBN present additional challenges and considerations for future planning efforts and requires an informed strategic vision to properly account for these changes.
The plan maintains that it will be necessary to develop and maintain strategic partnerships with a variety of stakeholder agencies and organizations. The plan is to design effective policy and governance structures to address emerging interoperable and emergency communications technologies.
As summed up in the plan, it is necessary for the state of Illinois to achieve sustainable funding which is difficult since state and federal grant funding has diminished. This means that the state will need to be vigilant in order to identify alternative funding sources to continue improving interoperable and emergency communications for voice and data systems.
Go to www.illinois.gov/iema/LocalEMA/Documents/SCIP/SCIP.pdf for the Illinois Statewide Communications Interoperability Plan.